The Fascinating Maya Ruins of Caracol in Belize

Muddy roads, incredibly loud monkeys and a fascinating ancient city with a particular vibe: this sums up a visit to the Caracol ruins in Belize!

As an archaeologist, I have seen many ruins in my life. And I will always have this passion in imagining what these ancient cities must have looked, felt and smelled like when they were still thriving.

During our year-long world trip, we had the immense opportunity to visit insane places like Machu Picchu in Peru, Petra in Jordan or dream island Bora Bora in French Polynesia with hardly any other visitors: travelling during a pandemic has certain advantages.

European hotspots like Dubrovnik in Croatia or the Meteora monasteries in Greece were devoid of people. Even the beaches in Crete were a lot less crowded than usual.

And it was no different during our Belize holiday: we were alone for several tours like the Crystal Cave expedition but also in the case of this particular Maya-site called Caracol.

Knowing that it used to be even more powerful than neighbour Tikal in Guatemala, visiting the ruins of Caracol in Belize gave us a very strong feeling of respect and the quietness of the place was almost surreal.

Without further ado, here's our personal experience visiting Caracol, Belize.

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What Is Caracol And Where Exactly in Belize Is It Located?

Caracol is the name of an ancient Maya city located in the Cayo province in Belize, surrounded by the Maya Mountains. The name 'caracol' is Spanish for 'snail' - though 'Oxhuitza' was the original Maya name.

The site was inhabited as from 1200 BC but the most important events took place between the 5th and the 9th century AD. At that moment, there were more residents in Caracol (115.000) than in the biggest city of the country, Belize City.

I could write a whole essay about the fascinating story of the famous Maya ruler called Te'K'ab Chaak but I suggest you get a local guide as it's much more interesting to hear that story told by a descendant of the Maya.

The history of Caracol (or Oxhuitza) is strongly linked to Tikal in Guatemala and Calakmul in Mexico. It's no wonder because Belize is literally nestled between those two countries.

Knowing that both Tikal and Calakmul are considered the biggest and most famous Maya sites in the world and that Caracol in Belize was actually even more powerful at some point in history, makes you wonder why it's not that well-known.

The truth is, excavations here started much later and most of these ruins spread over an area of 200 km² are still below ground.

What is known, is that Caracol was the most important regional political centre of the Mayan Lowlands during what is called the 'Classic Period'. 

What To Expect When Visiting Caracol in Belize

Muddy roads & pumas

Because we loved the way Francisco guided us in the Crystal Cave, we booked his company again for our Caracol-tour, Belize Caving Expeditions.

Another option would be this well-rated tour that includes a refreshing dip in the nearby river and lunch. 

The reason we booked a tour instead of visiting the site by ourselves (which we usually do), is because our host Peter at the Sanpopo Tree Top Cottage in San Ignacio advised us to do so.

We had rented a car through Rentalcars (best deals!) to travel around in Belize but it was a small one. And Peter told us, that even with a 4x4 pick-up the chances of getting stuck on the way to the ruins are very high if you're not used to driving in mud.

Our guide Francisco picked us up at our accommodation at around 7.30 am. We were still a bit tired from our adventure in the cave the day before but totally excited and ready to go. Me, the archaeologist, slightly more than Sebi of course.

To get to Caracol from San Ignacio, it takes between 2 and 2.30 hours, depending on the condition of the road. If you can even call it that.

Apparently, there are plans to build a proper road for the actual 'path' that leads through the jungle to the site but these works have been going on for a while and they are nowhere near to being finished.

Technically, you could drive to Caracol in Belize yourself. But it is far from recommended due to these roads. 

And the wildlife.

Francisco told us, he had to save a tourist once.

"The guy thought he could get here alone by himself to take pictures. He lost track of time and apparently he didn't know there were pumas in this area. And then he was suddenly chased by one. He threw his clothes at the puma in the hopes to slow it down. I was driving back from a Caracol-tour when I saw the guy running, half-naked, totally panicking. I actually saved his butt."

So there you go: get a guide! And a working cell phone with internet data to find your way. For this, I recommend Airalo, an app we tried a few times, enabling you to buy e-sims (while on wifi!) with a decent amount of data for a small price.

Beautiful surprise

While we were just passing a part of the road surrounded by very dense forest, Francisco suddenly stopped the car.

"Did you hear that?"

I didn't know what he meant.

"Get out, quickly! Come on!"

So we got out and looked around, wondering what he had heard. I thought it was something dangerous at first but then he wouldn't have made us get out of the car, would he?

"Shht. Listen... Look around in the tree-tops".

We heard caws and a rustling noise.

"Macaws! They are flying over there! Follow me!"

We followed Francisco about 20 meters away from the car.

And then I spotted them: two gorgeous and huge scarlet macaws. Seeing one is already rare but seeing a pair is just spectacular! The colours are surreally beautiful. And even Francisco was impressed.

"I have been driving on this road for years, I have never seen a Scarlet Macaw around here before".

Wow, we felt incredibly lucky!

The entrance of Belize's Caracol ruins

We arrived at the visitor centre where we took the camera and our phones, leaving everything else in the car.

There was a short 10 min hike to reach the majestic twin Ceibas, a tree considered sacred by the ancient Maya, guarding Caracol's entrance.

Our first stop was a residential area for close relatives of the rulers. Francisco told us that this was considered having been the "middle class". 

It's also here that we first heard and then saw Belize's national symbol flying around: the toucan. Can't help it, love being in jungles.

Francisco explained that the Maya were very fond of geometry and symmetry and so these residences were all axed around a central court, each one at a cardinal point.

Also, they buried their deaths underneath the residences, hence you could see the holes to the grave chambers that archaeologists had opened. How totally normal...

Strange noises coming from above

Continuing to the main part of the site, we suddenly heard strange roaring sounds coming from up the trees. 

The closer we got, the louder the noise. 

For Sebi, this was the first time he ever heard them in real life. I had had the pleasure of observing some of them scrambling and swinging around in the tree tops when I was staying in the jungle in Palenque, Mexico, a few years back: the howler monkeys.

And even if I knew right away that the noise came indeed from monkeys, I was still surprised by the loudness of these animals.

I mean, Steven Spielberg had no idea what dinosaurs sounded like when he was filming the first Jurassic Park. Can you believe he actually came to Belize to record these howler monkeys and used this as the T-Rex's terrifying cry?

At least, that's what Francisco told us. Couldn't find any decent proof of that on the net. But it is totally believable, that sound is impressive.

Pyramids, views and absolute silence

Caracol's magnificent sky-palace - unique in Belize

We were still watching the monkeys in the trees while advancing to the main court, when that beautiful sight of the biggest manmade structure in Belize struck us: the Caana, also called 'the sky-palace'.

With its 43 m height, it thrones in the middle of the most important part of the city and overlooks the astronomical tower and the surrounding jungle.

Francisco took us up the pyramid while explaining that this was the residence of the ruler, his wife and children, with three distinctive towers and chambers. 

From up here, you could see the magnificent tree canopy over several kilometres in all directions. Also from here, we spotted two heavily armed guards down below...

After having previously been mugged at gunpoint in Costa Rica, I was a bit nervous at the sight of their weapons but Francisco quickly explained that there are a lot of 'border jumpers' between here and Guatemala, even more so since the beginning of the pandemic. And they are no saints. So the border protection had to be reinforced everywhere.

The Maya and their death-cult

On this pyramid, there were also tombs built inside of the towers, underneath the sleeping chambers. These graves were very rich, the dead being buried with jewels and a huge amount of jade.

The Maya loved their jade, even putting them on and inside of their teeth.

It's also here that Francisco explained that the Maya had a very particular relationship with death. They weren't afraid of it. This is why being sacrificed to the gods was considered an honour, rather than a punishment.

You know these 'pelota'-ball games that the Maya are famous for? If not, here's the short version: it's a game that existed for thousands of years, where different players had to get the ball through a hoop on the wall, using their hips and other body parts except for the hands and feet to shoot. 

It was very popular in all the ancient Maya territory and every major site has remnants of these ball courts (see Chichén Itzá in Mexico for one of the most famous and well-preserved ones).

The winner of these ball-games was the one being sacrificed. Nice.

Francisco then told us that he was going to get back down to chat with his pals, the guards, below and give us some time to enjoy the views that stretch all the way to Guatemala.

Up there, we took a moment to just appreciate the quietness. It was just us, Francisco and the guards on the whole site. 

Oh, and the occasional howler monkey or toucan.

But other than that: silence.

The astronomical centre

The smaller (though still quite tall) pyramid right across of the sky-palace was the astronomical centre.

It had a watch tower to observe the stars and the residences of the priests.

Here again, we were allowed to climb up the pyramid and admire the views. We took the liberty of doing a little shoot up here. We were still basically alone on site so, why not?

Late lunch and the Río Frío

After having spent roughly 3 hours inside of Caracol, we went back to the visitor centre where Francisco unpacked our lunch consisting of typical Belize food: rice, beans, chicken and salad. So simple, yet delicious.

We made our way back by the same road we came on but stopped at the Río Frío caves inside of the Mountain Pine Ridge Forest Reserve.

It's a small, tunnel-like cave where the river flows through. It's really not that big but very charming and the surroundings are so lovely. A nice break from the mildly uncomfortable, shaky road.

A refreshing dip in the river and something else...

After taking pictures at the caves, we moved on to another spot of the Río Frío. In this particular area, the water has formed dozens of little natural pools with streams and soft rapids between them.

Here again, we were totally alone and spent about an hour enjoying ourselves in the refreshing water.

On the way back to San Ignacio, we were about to cross a bridge that lead over that same river and Sebi spotted something huge lying on a rock: a big fat crocodile.

I mean, we just got out of that same river for heaven's sake!

Then again, just underneath the bridge, one of the guards I mentioned earlier was washing himself. Francisco pointed out that there was a croco on the other side. 

"I know, I can see him. That's why I'm washing over here. It's when I don't see him anymore that I have to worry".

Okay then.

This wasn't our only wildlife encounter on the drive back, though. 

At some point, Francisco abruptly stopped the car again because he spotted something on the road. This time, it was a jumping pit viper. 

I have a thing for snakes, I find them terrifying but fascinating at the same time. So I joined Francisco in getting a closer look while Sebi stayed near the car (he doesn't like snakes all that much). 

"Aren't they dangerous?"

"Very poisonous, yes. But not deadly. And as long as it's looking at us, we are fine. It's when it starts to turn around that we have to run. Jumping pit vipers will make a circle and catapult themselves on their prey by putting pressure on the back body - they can jump as far as two to three meters!"

Right. Well, isn't all that reassuring?

But it was okay, the viper just went into the bushes, not feeling that threatened by us it seemed.

The Caracol tour with Belize Caving Expeditions

We did this tour to Caracol with a company called Belize Caving Expeditions and we were totally satisfied by their services. They came recommended by our host Peter in San Ignacio and didn't disappoint.

You get a lot of value for your money plus very qualified and friendly guides who know this country and its people by heart. Check out the exact tour we booked below. No wonder they have good ratings, they do a fabulous job!

And no, this tour was in no way sponsored. We paid for it and we loved it.

The Fascinating Site Of Caracol, Belize: Our Conclusion

The entire Caracol, Belize tour we did, with the ruins, the river, the lunch, and the wildlife, is something we will definitely recommend again and again. Yes, it's expensive and these are normal prices for Belize.

Belize isn't a cheap country, compared to its hispanic neighbours. But it is a much safer and very charming country than some of them.

Visiting the Caracol ruins was one of our highlights in Belize. The whole package was just amazing: adventure on the road to the site, incredible wildlife spotting, a fascinating and beautiful ancient city (totally empty) and insane views from up the pyramid.

Add to that the fun we had in the Río Frío and the amazing knowledge our lovely guide Francisco shared with us and you got yourself a day to remember.

Again: we paid for the tour, it wasn't sponsored at all. But it was worth every penny / cent.

If you happen to visit the Caracol ruins and choose Belize Caving Experience, please let us know in the comments or by message how it went! We would love to hear how others perceived this visit. And if, by any chance, you get Francisco as a guide, give him our warm regards.

Also, feel free to pin and share this post for others to see and to support us in the endless battle with Google's ever-changing algorithms...

As ever

xx

Cyn

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