Best Mayan Ruins
12 days in Guatemala and Honduras
At one time, Guatemala and Honduras were the home of the Mayans. Their civilization consisted of multiple city centers, full of impressive architecture and beautiful art. Today, the Mayan culture has faded away, but the Mayan ruins of those civilizations remain. From Tikal to Copan, these ancient cities give us a glimpse into the past and a lost history. This tour of the best Mayan ruins in Guatemala and Honduras gives you a unique look into the past.
While the Mayans are said to have disappeared, their descendants still live throughout Guatemala. As you tour the old cities, you’ll meet the Mayan people who occupy the areas and get a better look at just how rich their history is.
Tikal
UNESCO World Heritage Site
Copan
UNESCO World Heritage Site
Yaxha
Mayan ruins & nature reserve
Quirigua
UNESCO World Heritage Site
Highlights
This 12-day tour will give you an in-depth look at the way Mayans lived. You’ll be immersed in their culture and history as you visit multiple ruins, each with its own story and style. You will have a chance to see through the eyes of the Mayans as you stand in the ruins of Yaxha and explore a hidden city buried beneath the ruins in Copan. From the well-known Tikal to the hidden El Mirador, you’ll get first-hand experience walking where the Mayans walked in all the best Mayan ruins in Guatemala and Honduras.
BEST MAYAN RUINS IN GUATEMALA
The Mayan Biosphere fills much of northern Guatemala. Once bustling centers of commerce, the biggest Mayan cities were hidden beneath the vibrant jungle for centuries. Today, many of these ancient civilization centers have been at least partially excavated, giving us a glimpse into the world of the Mayan people.
Guatemala is home to over 1,500 Mayan archeological sites and there are still more to be discovered. The most impressive ruins are found here, though Honduras has also restored some of its Mayan ruins. The best Mayan ruins in Guatemala and Honduras are well worth visiting.
Itinerary
One of our guides will greet you at the Mundo Maya FRS airport and take you to your jungle lodge. The lodge is located in Tikal’s National Park, surrounded by jungle where you can spot tropical birds and animals.
Your adventure begins down a dirt road that leads to the Mayan city of Uaxactun. As the oldest Mayan city in Guatemala, this site features an astronomical observatory built by the Mayan people. Some archeologists believe that Uaxactun was where the Mayan calendar was developed, due to the positioning of the temples.
The city was moderate compared to Tikal, but it’s important due to its unique art, including huge stucco masks in one of the temples that are similar to the even older Olmec civilization. Like many other Mayan cities, Uaxactun was built atop older buildings, leading to the discovery of much better-preserved buildings beneath the surface structures.
Tikal is stunning on its own, but if you really want an incredible experience, the sunrise tour is amazing. You’ll hike through the jungle canopy in the darkness, climb the highest temple in Tikal, and sit atop it to watch the sun rise slowly over the jungle. As its rays illuminate the jungle, the world around the ancient city comes to life. This is a once-in-a-lifetime experience that you cannot miss.
Once the sun is up, you’ll return to the lodge for breakfast and rest. Later, you’ll head back to the park to admire the wildlife there and to feast your eyes on the sunset.
Tikal National Park is a UNESCO World Heritage Cultural and Natural Site and is one of just three sites with this categorization in the Americas. Tucked away in the heart of the Mayan Biosphere Reserve, Tikal is also one of the most famous Mayan ruins in the world. It is worth two days of exploring, occupying a total of 576 square kilometers.
For centuries, the ancient city was hidden away by the jungle, which preserved it remarkably well. Today, you’ll find the temples and many other structures, over 3,000 in total, spread out across the original city. It’s a fascinating look at how the Mayans once lived.
Today, you’ll head off the beaten path to Yaxha, a Mayan ruin that most tourists don’t even know about. Yaxha sits atop a mountain ridge, overlooking Yaxha Lagoon. It’s smaller than Tikal but is surprisingly well-preserved. Here, you can observe beautiful views, palaces, and ball courts, as well as multiple plazas where you can get a sense of what life was like here hundreds of years ago.
The name Yaxha means “blue-green water” and it’s obvious why it was called this when you climb the temples and look out over the beautiful waters of the lagoon. You won’t want to miss it. Another must-see is the stelae that have been found onsite. Around 40 stelae have been found here, with half of them beautifully carved with sculptures. It’s definitely worth a visit.
Aguateca is boat-access only, making this an area that is rarely explored. The Mayan city includes around 700 structures, as well as impressive monuments, stelae, and altars. Unlike Tikal, Aguateca is surrounded by defensive walls. It also features a natural crevasse running through it. These beautiful Mayan ruins are remote enough that you’ll likely be one of only a few people visiting. The area is still under restoration, with discoveries happening constantly.
Our second destination of the day is Ceibal, tucked away in the middle of the jungle. It’s only partially restored, so many of the temples are still hidden beneath a layer of jungle. However, you can visit the Central Plaza where the most impressive stelae can be found. Carved from hard stone, they are in remarkable condition.
Today’s excursion is optional and not included in the tour price. Northern Guatemala is home to many Mayan ruins and El Mirador is one of the most remote. It usually takes two days to hike through the jungle to this incredible six-square-mile city, but we’ll take a helicopter.
El Mirador is the largest pyramid in Mayan civilization, at least so far. It’s almost the same size as the Giza pyramids in Egypt. It’s also one of the oldest Mayan cities, considered the cradle of Mayan civilization. This ruin was discovered in 1926, but it was so remote that it wasn’t uncovered until 1962. It is still incredibly secluded and is the perfect opportunity to see the Mayan world without any modern activity. Read more information about this tour here.
After a delicious breakfast, we’ll head out on a boat to visit Tayazal, the last Mayan city to be defeated by the Spanish. These ruins are much smaller than the others we’ve visited and are located on a peninsula not far from Flores Island in Lake Peten Itza. You don’t want to miss Mirador del Rey Can’Ek, the king’s lookout. It’s a unique triadic pyramid that gives you an impressive view of the lake.
We will also take the time to check out a nearby animal hospital and nature reserve where you can see some of the local birds and plants. Don’t forget to bring your bathing suit for a swim in the lake!
To finish off the day, we’ll drive to Rio Dulce, Sweet River, and take a boat out to see Castle San Felipe. The castle was once an essential part of security as it prevented pirates from sailing in from the Caribbean. Spanish ran the fort for centuries and still stands today as a testament to that part of Guatemalan history.
Today begins with a trip to Quirigua, once the capital of its area. The Archeological Park and ruins of Quirigua cover 34 hectares of preserved land. The city is best known for its carved stone art on monoliths called stelae. Stelae stand throughout the ruins, the intricate carvings on them still visible and well-preserved. They provide a unique look into the history of the area, including everything from celestial events and important dates to political events and myths.
After enjoying the ancient art in Quirigua, we’ll drive to Copan in Honduras. This vibrant town has a colonial feel, with cobbled streets and plenty of restaurants and coffee shops. Here, you’ll find some of the best coffee anywhere in the world. Take some time to explore before dinner and rest up for tomorrow.
The Copan ruins are fascinating for several reasons. It was settled sometime between 1000-800 BC and was linked to even older Olmec civilizations, making it one of the oldest known Mayan cities. It is also considered to be one of the most impressive Mayan sites and is a UNESCO World Heritage site. Here, you’ll find carved stelae with a variety of events etched into the stone. The city was once known for being the Mayan art capital and for good reason.
Intricate carvings are still intact throughout the ruins, but the best ones, including the Rosalila phase, were preserved because they were buried under newer buildings. When archeologists dug further down, their tunnels intercepted previous structures. You can enter two of these tunnels and catch a glimpse of the hidden city below the ruins of Copan.
The center of the ruins, where most people spend their time, is the Acropolis, a raised platform with stunning stelae and temples. You don’t want to miss the Hieroglyphic Stairway where over 1,250 hieroglyphic symbols are carved into the risers.
Finally, after a day of exploring, we’ll drive to Luna Jaguar, a relaxing hot spring where you can take some time to absorb what you’ve seen.
Today’s journey begins with a drive to Guatemala City, the heart of modern Guatemala and the largest city in Central America. You’ll take a city tour and see some of the more important sights in the city, including the Metropolitan Cathedral, which is the principal church in the capital city. Inside, you’ll find paintings and religious carvings dating back to colonial times. We’ll also stop at the National Palace of Culture and the Relief Map, where you can see all of Guatemala laid out in a stunning 1:10,000 km scale 3D map.
Finally, we’ll visit the Ixchel Museum of the Mayan Costume where you can learn more about the culture around dress and weaving. With more than 6,000 woven pieces on display, the museum is a wealth of information on Guatemalan dress in the indigenous community. Each area of Guatemala has a unique design in their outfits, meant to represent where they are from and this is evident in the pieces presented.
Your Mayan adventure has come to an end, but you can head home knowing you’ve seen the best Mayan ruins in Guatemala and Honduras. If you’d like to extend your trip, we have several options for doing just that.
map, expenses & price
Best Mayan Ruins
Expenses included:
-All private transportation.
-Flight Guatemala City – Flores Island
-Eleven nights of hotel accommodations.
-Tours and excursions as listed.
-All park entrance fees.
-Professional local guides.
-Daily breakfast.
Extensions
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You’ll need to travel to Belize to see Xunantunich Mayan ruins. At one point, this city housed around 200,000 people. This is a live site, where excavations are still going on, but you can see six plazas and over 24 structures, including temples and palaces that have already been excavated. El Castillo temple is in the dead center of the city and is 130 feet tall, giving it an amazing view of the area. An onsite museum showcases findings from the excavations.
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Housed in Mexico, the Palenque ruins are extensive. It’s estimated that nearly 1,500 buildings are tucked away in the jungle, but only 50 are available to visit. It’s best known for the Temple of the Inscriptions, which is a huge temple with nine levels. At one point it held a sarcophagus containing the remains of King Pakal the Great. The site is in the middle of the rainforest, making it feel particularly remote.
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Located in northern Belize, Lamanai is considered the most interesting Mayan site in the country. The best way to access it is via a lovely boat ride up the New River. You’re allowed to climb several of the temples, which is an experience in itself. The High Temple is 108 feet tall and has views of both Mexico and Guatemala from the top. While the ruins are somewhat spread out, you get a good feel for the jungle here and are likely to spot some unique birds and animals.
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Also found in Belize, Caracol, which means snail, is in the foothills of the Maya Mountains. In its heyday, the city was one of the most important political centers in its region. It covers roughly 77 square miles, more space than Belize City, the current capital of the country. Caracol was particularly well-known for its warriors. The city’s army took down Tikal at one point in history and later defeated Naranjo, also in Guatemala.
