A Journey into the World of the Ancient Maya & the Crooked Tree Bird Sanctuary
Join us un a short trip extension to explore some of the wonderful ancient sites and wildlife on the coastal Belize.
The Mayan Sites you will visit …
Lamanai – The ruins of Lamanai lie scattered along the lagoon of the New River within a tropical rainforest in central Belize. The archaeological reserve is spread over 950 acres, however, the central area of the site covers approximately half a square mile. Mayan “Lama an ain”, translates into “submerged crocodile” and, was one of the longest continuously occupied Mayan cities—from about 500 BC to 1675 AD due in part to its situation on a major trade route, the New River.
The first major excavation was by David M. Pendergast, of the Royal Ontario Museum. During a series of field seasons beginning in 1974, his team mapped 718 structures stretching out along the shore of the lagoon. Much of Lamanai s importance is reflected in the large, imposing Late Pre-Classic temple-pyramids, which usually built over top of Early Classic constructions. For example, buried deep inside a 600 AD masked temple lies a well preserved Late Pre-Classic temple dating back to 100 BC In addition to the many Mayan structures in the park, Lamanai is also known for the remains of two 16th century Catholic churches and a 19th century sugar mill including a huge flywheel and boiler. Due to the long occupation of the site by varied peoples, the artifacts of Lamanai include those of stone, clay, wood, bone, shell, jade, gold, copper, glass, and iron. Also of interest, there are at least four troops of howler monkeys living there and the marshlands around the lagoon support many species of water birds, mammals, and reptiles.
Altun Ha – Translates into “stone water”, which comes from the ancient Mayan reservoir, or aguada, that Belizeans call “rock stone pond”. Altun Ha was an important Classic Period site situated to take advantage of the trading that occurred between the waters of the Caribbean and the deep interior of the Mayan Civilization. Altun Ha is one of the most excavated sites in Belize. The complex of Altun Ha is located 31 miles (50 kms) north of Belize City. The entire city covered three square miles (5 km2) and the population is estimated to have been 8,000 to 10,000 people at its peak. Within the central portion of the site there are more than 275 structures. Though quite small in size, this Mayan site has become famous mainly for a large jade head, representing the sun god Kinich Ahau, that was discovered in the main temple. This head is the largest Mayan jade artefact discovered to date, weighing 10 lbs. It is now the national symbol of Belize and seen on the corner of every Belizean banknote.
Chau Hiix - First discovered in 1990 Chau Hiix is a relatively small site with limited excavation, occupied between 1200BC and 1500AD. The extent of the settlement remains unknown, but covers at least 6 square miles (10 kms2). Remains of Mayan palaces, pyramids, ballpark and plazas are evident. Seasonal lagoons contain enormous agricultural complexes composed of dams, canals, and raised fields, suggesting that Chau Hiix may have had one of the largest controlled hydrological systems in the Maya area. Currently, there is an observation tower and encompassing boardwalk, built in 1998, which offers a clear view of the site.
Crooked Tree Wildlife Sanctuary – Located 33 miles (53 kms) northwest of Belize City and just 2 miles off the Northern Highway, the Crooked Tree Wildlife Sanctuary consists of a large network of inland lagoons, swamps, and waterways. The sanctuary provides both the abundant food sources and the safe resting areas necessary to support a large and diverse population of birds. There are literally hundreds of species within the sanctuary, including, snail kites, tiger herons, snowy egrets, ospreys, black collared hawks, and of course the reserves most famous resident, the massive jabiru stork. The best time for viewing resident and migrant birds is December until June, during Belize’s dry-season. Those visiting in the later months of the dry season (Feb.- Jun.) are treated to a concentration of wildlife, which congregate in the park’s shrinking lagoons, as freshwater resources across the country dry-up.

A Note About the Ecology...  Flora ...
We begin our trip, immersed in the rich savannah, grassy lowlands, lagoons and broadleaf rainforests of Central Belize. Within the savannah and lowland habitats of Belize, the dominant plant species is the Caribbean pine, but there also exists an abundance of other species such as grasses, palms, palmettos to cecropias and miconias. Although, this ecosystem is not as diverse vegetation as the broadleaf tropical rainforest, it does posses a unique system that relies on specific ecological influents. Fire is the major ecological influent, which contributes to the continuous dominance of this system. This can be seen through-out the lowland savannah zones as charred stumps and burned bark on many of the trees, which seems like a destructive force to the untrained eye, however, this is an important factor in the regions ongoing renewal. The cycle of burns renews growth in the region, and certain species cannot release their seed without fire! The lagoons and riverine environments of the lowlands also harbor an tremendous diversity of plant-life, which ranges from small thinboled trees, to large kapoks along the floodplain. Also, small Cecropias and various leguminous trees are abundant, and heliconias tend to dominate the understory. Various arums are also common as are palms, especially
morichie palm.
While traveling inland into the savannah and wetland habitats of northern Belize, we have great opportunities to view a diverse array of wildlife. Travelers flock to the region to see the diverse bird life found throughout the savannah and marshlands; over 250 different species have been spotted in this region (approximately 2/3 of Belize’s total). During the dry-season, when the birds tend to congregate in shrunken pools and riverbeds, it is not uncommon to see one hundred species or more on an average day. Some of the birds seen are: the jabiru stork, the belted kingfisher, the tri-colored heron, the boat-billed heron, the great and snowy egret, the snail kite, the tiger heron, the osprey, and the black-collared hawk. While traveling along the river or lagoons we are also likely to spot some of Belize’s interesting land creatures, such as the Morelet’s crocodile, turtles, and green or spiny iguanas. Also, some of the mammals common to the area include collared and white-lipped peccary (warrie), brocket and white-tailed deer, opossums, weasels, porcupines, and armadillos.