Month: June 2024

Although today Tikal is an isolated site located deep within the jungles of Tikal National Park in Guatemala’s El Peten department, more than 1,400 years ago Tikal was a powerful city-state that dominated the Maya world.

Tikal was declared a UNESCO World Heritage site in 1979 in recognition of the superb public squares, palaces, and enormous temples that have survived intact for more than a millennia in the jungle. Probably the most famous building in Tikal are the five enormous temples that dominate the landscape. Temple IV (four) is the the largest pyramid ever built by the Maya and measures more than 230 feet (70 meters) tall. The adjacent Temple V (five) is nearly as tall, measuring 187 feet (57 meters) tall. All of the principal pyramids and temples were built to honor special dates in the Maya calendar and were used for special religious ceremonies.

Tikal was first founded in the Preclassic Period (around 800 BC) and grew to be one of the dominant city-states in the Maya Empire before it was abandoned around 900 A.D. The greater Tikal complex is a protected bio-reserve of more than 57,600 hectares (142,000 acres) of wetlands, forests, and jungle that harbor a wide spectrum of plants and animals including 300 species of birds, a half-dozen species of monkeys, and five great cat species, including the Jaguar and Puma.

Beyond the impressive temples and pyramids that have made Tikal such an iconic location, visitors can explore more than 400 hectares (1,000 acres) of roads, terraces, public squares, ball game courts, and residences, many of which are covered in elaborate stone carvings or painted with Maya hieroglyphics that describe the history of the city. One of the most popular attractions in Tikal is known as the “Lost World” complex (“Mundo Perdido” in Spanish) that sits just southwest of Temples I and II. Many of Tikal’s ruling elite were buried in the cemetery adjacent to the site.

During its long history, Tikal had an active relationship with such important sites as Teotihuacan (later the Aztec capital) and Calakmul in Mexico, Copan in Honduras, and Caracol in Belize. Tikal is widely recognized for its wealth of art, unparalleled architecture, and large-scale engineering that demonstrate the genius of the ancient Maya.

Sanctuary of the Nine Maya Gods

To experience Tikal and a Guatemala/Belize holiday at its finest, Chabil Mar offers a complete vacation package that includes seven nights at luxury resorts, transportation, and a boat trip across the fabulous Mystic Lake Peten Itza to the see Tikal and the surrounding area.

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Should you stay on mainland Belize or one of the islands? Do both by vacationing on the Placencia peninsula. Find 16 miles of beach, a lush lagoon surrounded by mountains plus access to the Caribbean Sea if you stay at one of Placencia’s coziest resorts, Chabil Mar. With their help making arrangements, the following 17 ideas should just get you started.

1. Meet the people. Placencia residents have deep roots: English, Spanish, and Mayan, to name a few. They’re charming, helpful, eager and happy to introduce their communities, so walk about and get the lay of the land.

2. Rent a beach cruiser bike. It will take you further than your feet along beautiful landscape and vistas that amaze and inspire. Placencia was once a fishing village; you’ll spots lots of era reminders as you ride.

3. Meet the Garifuna people in Seine Bight. Learn about their lifestyle through their art, music, folklore and cuisine, and you won’t leave hungry!

4. Request a dive day tailored to your specific interests by asking Chabil Mar staff to explain your trip options. The reef is just 17 miles away; spot tropical fish species so vivid, the colors don’t seem real.

5. Go whale shark spotting when there’s a full moon if you visit between April and June or dive with these gentle creatures near the Gladden Spit if you’re looking to prove your prowess.

6. Try your hand at kayaking around Laughing Bird Caye. Pitch a tent here overnight for full access to the water day and night.

7. Ask Chabil Mar staff to book a 36-foot catamaran adventure that includes either diving or deep sea fishing. Even lunches are brought on board so you don’t starve.

8. Dine at a private restaurant. Placencia families set up little home restaurants on patios that stretch along a path between the lagoon and the beach. Order the specialty of the house: stewed chicken with rice and beans.

9. Make a wildlife pilgrimage to the Placencia lagoon. This unique breeding ground hosts endangered manatees, crocodile species, marine turtles and some types of rays within this nutrient-rich wetland.

10. Your Chabil Mar concierge will be happy to arrange a Monkey River Tour that includes sailing into lush jungle to spot turtles, fish, iguanas and other local wildlife.

11. Visit Cockscomb Basin Wildlife Sanctuary where jaguar, jaguarondi, margay, ocelot and puma—all five indigenous cats—roam the protected 128,000-acre jungle preserve.

12. Go bird watching, whether you’re a fan of the hobby or not. There are around 300 species in all, some not seen elsewhere in the hemisphere, like the brilliant Scarlet Macaw.

13. Climb a mountain or just stay at the base to observe water crashing to earth from some of Belize’s most photogenic waterfalls. You’ll be inspired.

14. Get wet riding a rubber inner tube while cave tubing, a sport that’s relaxing and exciting if you float into caves with prehistoric-looking interiors that also hold Mayan artifacts.

15. Take photos. Placencia sunrises and sunsets are spectacular, as are the jungles, wildlife preserves and natural wonders that never met a camera they couldn’t seduce.

16. Visit the Creole village of Independence by ferry to stroll fruit plantations. If you’re in town for Valentine’s Day, don’t miss the 50-artist Placencia Peninsula Arts Festival on Main Street.

17. Grab a map and see Placencia by bicycle. Where to get the map and the bike? From your friends at Chabil Mar. They’re so helpful, they might ride that bike to your room if you ask them to!

Visit our website chabilmarvillas.com for more information on Placencia and Belize, and don’t hesitate to send us an email, or call US/CAN Toll Free: 1-866-417-2377, Local: (011-501) 523-3606, if you have questions or need help in planning a Belize vacation.

Despite its massive size, Whale Sharks are the “Gentle Giants” of the ocean. Unlike their other shark relatives that are meat-eaters, these giants are filter feeders.

Every year, huge schools of migrating whale sharks arrive in the waters off of Belize in order to feed on fish spawn and plankton. These enormous creatures normally cruise a depth beyond the reach of most divers. It is only when they rise to the surface to feed that humans can get the rare and wonderful opportunity to interact with these friendly and inquisitive creatures.

Below are eight fascinating facts you need to know about whale sharks:

1. The name “whale” shark refers to their size, not their biology. Whale sharks are fish, not mammals.
2. Whale sharks have been swimming in the Earth’s oceans for approximately 60 million years.
3. Whale sharks have teeth but never use them. They feed by filtering the water for microscopic bacteria and algae.
4. Whale sharks travel approximately 30,000 miles around the globe every year.
5. The largest whale shark ever caught weighed more than 47,000 pounds.
6. Despite weighing several tons, whale sharks feed almost exclusively on tiny plankton virtually invisible to the naked eye.
7. In Asia, whale sharks are called “tofu fish” because the meat is said to taste and look like tofu.
8. Scientists have never observed whale sharks mating and know very little about their biology.

Although whale sharks circumnavigate the globe every year, it is only in the waters around Gladden Spit off the coast of Placencia in Belize that divers can get the rare chance to interact and photograph these magnificent animals. Drawn to the enormous concentration of fish spawn and plankton in the area, whale sharks arrive in the waters off of Belize between March and June.

Because whale sharks are carefully protected by Belizean conservation laws, divers who want to dive with whale sharks must use a licensed tour operator. If you’d like to partake in a truly special diving adventure to get close to and interact with the gentle giants of the deep, sign up for this complete Belize whale shark diving package. It includes three limited slots to dive with whale sharks and accommodations at the world-class Belize resort of Chabil Mar.

For information about diving with whale sharks in Belize, feel free to chat with our Concierge at: concierge{@}chabilmarvillas.com or contact our Reservations Manager at:reservations{@}chabilmarvillas.com. Or perhaps you would like to call toll free from the US or Canada: 1-866-417-2377.

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