Join me as I explore the Mayan Ruins of Cahal Pech located deep in the jungles of Belize.
Hey, y’all! It’s Travel Tuesday, get excited for your life! Travel Tuesday posts are some of my favorite because I get to relive some of the incredible adventures I have been able to experience. Recently, I shared with you a list of some of my favorite places to visit in the Caribbean. Believe me, it was difficult to narrow it down to just 5 however, each and every time I reworked the list there was always one destination that made the cut; Belize.
Belize is a stunning country situated in the middle of Central America. It is surrounded by Mexico to the north, Guatemala to the west, and the Caribbean Sea to the east. I have had the opportunity to visit Belize six times now and each time I fall deeper and deeper in love. One of my favorite things about Belize is the abundance of adventures that can be had there. I have swum with sharks and rays in Caye Caulker, gone zip lining and repelling in the jungles, gone cave tubing through an immense cave system and visited some very impressive Mayan ruins.
The first Mayan ruin site I visited was Cahal Pech. I booked an excursion to nearby Xunantunich and while we were in route, our tour guide “got a phone call” saying that the ferry that we needed to take to get to Xunantunich was not operating due to flash floods. We were informed that instead, we would be going to visit Cahal Pech instead.
I have to admit that I was pretty bummed that we would be missing out on Xunantunich. I had been wanting to visit there for a couple of years and I was really forward to finally being able to check it out. In fact, I didn’t believe the story about the ferry until I actually rode on it a couple of years later. The ferry across the river to Xunantunich is an old-fashioned hand-cranked ferry. It’s essentially a few planks of wood that are tethered together. Attached to the wood is a podium that has lines that hook up to cables that span the width of the river. An operator uses a hand crank to move the ferry across the river. When I finally saw this setup, I realized that maybe they weren’t bsing us after all.
Cahal Pech is located in San Ignacio, near the Guatemalan border, about a 2-hour bus ride from Belize City. The cite was the home for a super elite Maya family. Parts of the site date back all the way to 1200 BCE making it one of the oldest, known, Maya sites in Belize.
The site is made up of a collection of 34 structures centered around a central acropolis. The largest temple stands about 82 feet high. Although Cahal Pech wasn’t nearly as large or impressive as the magnificent Xunantunich, it was still really cool to visit. These ruins are some of the few in which you are actually able to climb the structure, which is pretty stinking cool. It’s a great way to help you envision what life must have been like back then.
My visit to Cahal Pech was very enjoyable. Although I was disappointed that we didn’t make it to Xunantunich, I knew that I would be back to visit my beloved Belize again.
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