Caracol
Departure: 7:30 am -
Drive time: 2 - 2.5 hours
See the Photo
Gallery for more or watch the Caracol Slideshow
Caracol is the largest known Maya center
in Belize and is the best ruin this side
of the Guatemala border. It has giant temples
to climb and from which to exclaim at the
view of miles of protected Chiquibul forest.
As a bonus you can often see real live archaeologists
at work here. Much work has been done but
the restoration will continue for many years
to come.
You can add a swim in the Rio On
Pools, of the Mountain Pine Ridge,
to this trip. As well as improved
roads, we've also cut off some of
the drive time for this trip by having
the driver meet you across the river
from duPlooy's. Meet at the office
and we will have someone canoe you
over, unless it is raining, in which
case your driver will come here.
Since Caracol is located in the Chiquibul
Rain Forest, there is a plethora of
flora and fauna to enhance the true
beauty of this magnificent Maya center.
With most of the Mayan sites, the
preserved forest surrounding the ruins
(primary forest is still evident)
has exceptionally good birding. There
is also great birding at various sites
on Mountain Pine Ridge (including
1000ft Falls for Orange-breasted Falcon).
Interested in this
tour? See our rates,
or include this tour in one of our packages.
Caracol: the supremacy of Lord Water
The ruins of Caracol are situated on the
Vaca Plateau of the Cayo District. The name
Caracol is Spanish for "snail shell"
and was given because of the inordinate
numbers of snail shells found there. It
is one of the more difficult ruins in Belize
to access, but conversely, it provides one
of the most scenic drives.
This ancient Maya site is still
being restored, but it is fast becoming one of the most popular
destinations in Belize. The Government
of Belize has in- vested 2.7 million
Belize dollars to restore Caracol
to some semblance of its former glory.
At its height, the restoration work
employed more than 160 people, working
from dawn to dusk shifting through
the soil for secrets. A good deal
of fundshave gone into improving the road to Caracol,
making it accessible year round and cuts the
drive time considerably.
At the peak of its existence, the Mayan
city of Caracol covered some sixty-five
square miles and was home to more than 100,000
people. It is a Classic period urban centre,
comprising a central ceremonial area converged
on by causeways leading to the outlying
structures. The site's special features
include the buildings surrounding the A
court, which functioned during the Early
Classic period as an astronomical observatory.
Following a now familiar pattern, many of
the site's pyramids were constructed in
the Early Classic, and later surmounted
by ever more impressive structures. Interestingly,
one of the burials - in the Machete group,
dated 613 A.D. - was desecrated by the Late
Classic Maya and then re-buried.
Since it's rediscovery in the 1920s, archaeologists
have found the earliest dated carved stelae
in Belize, dating back to 400 A.D., and
unearthed the massive structure called Canaa
or "Sky Place", believed to have
been completed around 800 A.D. It is the
tallest and largest human made structure
in Belize.
Caracol's influence in the region spans
thousands of years. They were politically
involved with other sites in the region;
Caracol entered wars against cities like
Tikal, Naranjo and Bital, and on many of
those occasions, Caracol was triumphant.
Interested in this
tour? See our rates,
or include this tour in one of our packages.
See the Photo
Gallery for more or watch the Caracol Slideshow
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