On January 7th, 2009, eighteen brave Elderhostelers set out to conquer the Mayan ruins in Honduras, Guatemala and Belize, along with our trusty Facilitator/Guide, Julio, and our fearless minibus driver, Mauro.  After coping with cancelled flights and the usual complexities of foreign travel, we somehow managed to arrive at the International Airport at Belize City.  The Belize Tourism Board has a website that is very informative about the airport and most of the activities available in the country.  

At the airport, we were met by hotel staff and whisked away to the Radisson Fort George Hotel to be oriented to the program by Julio, have supper, and spend the night.  The next morning we ate breakfast, checked out of the hotel, and were bussed to the Belize Zoo to become familiar with the birds, animals and reptiles of Belize.  If you follow the Belize Zoo link, be sure to click on the links at the bottom of the web page to learn more about the various species that we observed.  We then bussed to San Ignacio to check into the San Ignacio Hotel Resort, a charming, well run, family owned facility.  

After lunch, we bussed to a private piece of forest land where Shaman Eriberto Cocom maintains a nature trail with medicinal plants.  He showed us how the Maya have cured themselves from a whole host of illnesses using just what can be found in the forest.  He believes the forest contains everything we need to live, and is very concerned that the forest land is not being conserved.

The next day, we went to the archaeological site at Caracol .  The trip took about three hours over what sometimes could be construed as a road!  The trip was well worth it, and we spent most of the day learning about the ancient Mayan culture while visiting the ruins.  Be sure to check out the Caracol link above.  They have a fantastic website that will review most of what we learned.  On the way back from Caracol, we visited Rio On Pools which is a spectacular chain of pools and waterfalls carved out by huge granite rocks by the Rio On.

The following day we explored the Xunantunich archaeological site before heading for Guatamala.  A good discussion of the historical history and significance of this site can be found at the link above.