On this 2-day Yucatan Round-Trip, you’ll see the southern part of Yucatan. You’ll visit Maya ruins almost untouched by tourism, like Dzibanche, Kohunlich (the valley of the masks), and also one of Mexico's magic cities, Bacalar. In Bacalar, you will visit the old Fort San Felipe and go on a boat trip on Bacalar lagoon (the lagoon of 7 colors)
Day 1
Dzibanche (Maya for "writing on wood") & Kinichna
The name Dzibanche means "writing on wood" in the Mayan language; taking its name from the sculpted wooden lintels of the Temple of the Lintels. During the Early Classic period of Mesoamerican chronology, the city may have been the seat of the Kan ("snake") dynasty that later ruled from Calakmul to the southwest; Dzibanche appears to have been the Kan capital in the 5th and 6th centuries. The City center for the two sites (Kinichna & Dzibanche) is found in Dzibanché . Government buildings indicate this was the center of social and economic activities for the local population. The city's most important architectural complex is made up of a number of plazas ringed by large palaces and platforms from which temples rose
Kohunlich (The valley of the masks)
Kohunlich is a large archaeological site of the pre-Columbian Maya civilization The site covers about 21 acres (85,000 m2), is surrounded by dense sub-tropical rainforest, and contains almost 200 mounds that remain largely unexcavated. The city was elaborately planned and engineered, with raised platforms and pyramids, citadels, courtyards, and plazas surrounded by palace platforms, all laid out to channel drainage into a system of cisterns and an enormous reservoir to collect rainwater. The site was settled by 200 BC, but most of the structures were built in the Early Classic period from about 250 to 600 AD. The city appears to have functioned as a regional center and stopped along the trade routes through the southern Yucatán from Campeche and Rio Bec area to the west, and the cities along the east coast and to the south, in the el Petén region of Guatemala and neighboring Belize. The site is best known for its Temple of the Masks, an Early Classic pyramid whose central stairway is flanked by huge humanized stucco masks. The Temple was built around 500 A.D. and is one of the oldest structures at Kohunlich.
Bacalar
After visiting the ruins and having a delicious lunch at a typical restaurant you´ll check into your hotel. Late afternoon you can explore Bacalar downtown. The town of Bacalar was founded in 475 by the Mayans, the original name was Bakhalal and it was the first city that was conquered by the Conquistadores in 1543. The Spaniards called the city Salamanca de Bacalar.
Day 2
Lagoon Bacalar (Lagoon of 7 colors)
The lagoon Bacalar is a 55 km long and 2 km wide lagoon that is fed by many cenotes with fresh water flowing through a narrow canal into the Caribbean Sea. The lagoon has a water depth of only 1-2 meters, but onshore, around the lagoon, there are different cenotes where it is suddenly up to 70 meters deep. The white sandy bottom gives the lagoon the effect of having 7 different shades of blue. The lagoon is one of the most unique freshwater lakes on the planet because in the lagoon live the stromatolites, with 3.5 million years the oldest life forms on earth, which exist only in 3 places on the planet, in Africa, in Australia, and here in Bacalar. They are probably also the largest living fossils with a length of 10 km and a height of more than 3 meters. On the stromatolites grow many hectares of mangroves and the stromatolites produce more oxygen than a 10-hectare forest. You will embark on a 1,5-hour boat trip over the lagoon, and on the way you can go swimming in Cenotes.
Fort San Felipe
The fort was built in 1723 to protect the village from pirates who attacked several times and robbed the women. Bacalar was also a safe haven for the merchant ships to build convoys before crossing the Atlantic to the old world. At the Fort, your guide will explain all about the history of Bacalar and the Fort.
Restaurant Kay Pez
After your boat trip and the visit to the Fort, you'll have a delicious Mexican lunch in a restaurant with a beautiful view over the lagoon, before you head back to the Riviera Maya and your hotel.
See more photos in our gallery.
Details
What is included?
- transportation
- entrance fees
- boat ride
- 1 night at hotel in Bacalar
- lunch
- guides
What is not included?
- tips
- beverages at lunch
- dinner
What to bring?
- bathing suit
- towel
- sun lotion
- bug spray
- closed shoes
- pocket money
Availability
Pricelist
| # PERSONS | PRICE per Person |
|---|---|
| 1 | $ 1939.00 |
| 2 | $ 999.00 |
| 3 | $ 859.00 |
| 4 | $ 699.00 |
| 5 | $ 649.00 |
| 6 | $ 599.00 |
| 7 | $ 549.00 |
| 8 | $ 449.00 |
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