North of Guatemala City lay the Tikal Ruins, the site of what was once a cultural Mecca of ancient times. The great dynasties of Tikal included some of the most famed of kings as well as several queens too.

In 1979, Tikal National Park was designated a UNESCO World Heritage site for the many offerings that it gave to the world. The technology, the architecture, the very atmosphere are the best reasons that Tikal ruins should be on your list of places to visit in Mayan territory.

The first question most people would ask is: where is Belize? It sounds like a place in South America or somewhere in Africa. Belize is located neither. Actually, Belize is just below Mexico, adjacent to Guatemala.

The Western Caribbean Sea and Pacific Ocean that surrounds Belize make for great scuba diving destinations. Among other things, you can also try snorkeling or boating in Belize.

A favorite among adventure travel and jungle tours, The "Mundo Maya", or Mayan World, is an area of roughly 300,000 square kilometers (116,000 square miles) in Central America, covering the whole of Belize and Guatemala and parts of Honduras, El Salvador and the Mexican states of Chiapas, Campeche, Yucatán and Quintana Roo. The ancient Mayans left evidence of their existence in the form of limestone constructions throughout this vast tropical regionThe classic Mayan period

According to historians, ancient Mayan history dates back to over 2,000 years ago, however, new discoveries are revealing ancient ruins, that date back even further. The oldest Mayan ruin found to date was discovered recently in San Bartolo, Guatemala. It dates back to the year 300 B.C., and it is thought that there are still many temples, stellae and tombs hidden under the thick jungles of Mesoamerica from this time period.

For your UK holiday adventure travel insurance may be required. Whether you purchase standard travel insurance for your UK trip or whether insurance is a must depends on what you're going to be doing. Some insurers even offer UK adventure travel insurance specific to your activity. You can, for instance, purchase UK adventure travel backpacking or horsebackriding UK insurance. You can purchase a policy that covers sports in general.

For countless religions and belief structures the difference between life and the mystical afterlife meant one thing, going underground. From the Greek version of Hades to the Christian version of Hell, all religions use the underworld as a place for the dead. The Mayans were no different, only their underworld now has a real starting point.

On the Yucatan Peninsula archeologists have discovered a series of underground corridors and temples. As they examined the underground tunnels further they discovered some of the areas were flooded to the point of needing scuba gear. One theorist has suggested that the underground passages were dug while filled with water the entire time, and required divers to hold their breath.

Adventure Travel as a keyword phrase and as sub sect of the tourism industry has taken off exponentially in the past 15 years. The term encompasses an array of travel activities, themes and concepts in almost every region of the world. Adventure Travel means going beyond the realm of visiting places and sightseeing, it means exploring, interacting and experiencing these places in fun, active, spiritual, educational, “you name it”, ways.

Because of its prevalence there have been both improvements and declinations in certain regions of the world that have established businesses that cater to the adventure travel aficionado. This piece does not touch on every aspect of the subject, though it does visit several pertinent points regarding it. The overarching theme will be the particular stance of Duende Mayan Jungle Tours, and how the company’s philosophy embodies concepts and ideas that should be pervasive with the adventure travel industry as a whole.

Bird watching is one of the favorite pastimes of American nature lovers. There are about 70 million people in the United States who engage in birding, some of them not even knowing what they are doing. Birding or bird watching is a recreational activity done by observing birds.

It obviously must be done where there are birds; so jungle, a natural habitat of avian species is a perfect place to spot them.

The place is called Cuatro Balam. It is located in Guatemala and is quickly becoming one of the most interesting places to go to if you want to see Mayan pyramids. Inside Cuatro Balam park there are up to 4,000 Mayan pyramids. The park was started under the former Guatemalan president Berger due to the citizens' concern over protecting the natural and archeological beauty of the country. Guatemala’s current president now supports the large park’s growth and funding, as well as several private investors, who have similar worries about ancient artifacts being lost forever to time.

One such artifact that has only recently been discovered is more of a jungle sculpture than artifact. This new sculpture was located inside the Cuatro Balam park at a location called El Mirador. The sculpture is over 2,000 years old. This link between the two far off countries has added to the drive of Mayan tourism. Those who can’t make it to the Egyptian pyramids are equally in awe of the Mayan accomplishments, which can rival Egyptian pyramids in any engineer's or tourist's eyes. It is a strange fact that every experienced archeologist that has studied both Mayan and Egyptian cultures has admitted.