Are you looking for new places to visit and different activities for your next trip? How about something that enables you to meet the Maya and see nature and is both rewarding and helps rural communities? Go off the beaten track in central Quintana Roo and discover Maya Ka’an, the latest eco destination in the Mexican Caribbean.
An area of immense natural beauty and rich traditions, Maya Ka’an comprises the Sian Ka’an Biosphere and a chain of little visited Mayan communities. Thomas More Travel has teamed up with community tour operator Corazon y Vida Maya to offer you seven unforgettable trips that let you spend time with the Maya, learn about their lives and their natural world, and help foster sustainable development and bring much-needed revenue to the villages.
Luúm na
This trip takes you to the Sian Ka’an Biosphere Reserve where you’ll visit the ancient Mayan city of Muyil and a jungle nature trail. Then you’ll board a boat for a ride through the lagoons following the route once used by ancient Mayan merchants. There will be time for a swim and floating in the mangrove channels as you let the gentle current bear you along.
S’aasil beh
The S’aasil beh trip, which means “path of light,” will take you to the community of Raxalaj Mayab, to learn about Mayan medicinal plants and experience the benefits of the temascal or Mayan sweat lodge and a therapeutic massage. The tour of the healing center and herb garden begins with a purification ritual and ceremony in honor of Mother Nature and the four cardinal points.
Kuxtal
On the Kuxtal trip (Maya life) to the Mayan community of Señor, you’ll meet the village elders and listen to their local legends and tales of the ancestors who fought to defend their ancient customs. Learn about henequen and see how the Maya use the thorns for hunting and the fiber for weaving hammocks, bags and mats. During a visit to another herb garden, you’ll also watch the native stingless melipona bees collecting pollen and a demonstration of traditional Mayan bee keeping and honey harvesting techniques.
Tsikbal
Tsikbal (Speak in Maya) is a visit to the village of Tihosuco, the site of the Caste War Museum. As you tour the museum, you’ll learn about the history of central Quintana Roo and the Caste War, a Mayan uprising that exploded in 1847 in Tepich and Tihosuco and quickly spread to Valladolid and throughout the Yucatan. The huge roofless colonial church that dominates the village still bears the scars of this conflict.
During your time in the village, you’ll also take part in a Mayan welcome ceremony and purification ritual to request permission to enter, see traditional medicine being made from herbs, watch cotton being spun and visit the church that was damaged during a Caste War battle.
Jungle Kan
The Jungle Kan trip will take you to the community of Kantemó where you’ll ride a bike through the jungle to the famous Cave of the Hanging Snakes. This cave owes its name to the snakes that emerge from crevices in the cave roof at dusk and hang upside down to feast on bats as they stir for a night’s hunting.
After your visit to the cave, you’ll visit the nearby lagoon to search for crocodiles and enjoy a spot of stargazing.
Hanal Ki
If you are interested in cuisine, the Hanal Ki trip may appeal to you. You’ll spend time in the village of Chunhuhub and join the women as they visit the orchards to harvest herbs and fruit. Learn to make tortillas and put them on the hearth or fogon with its three sacred Mayan stones. Watch as the traditional pib or cooking pit is prepared and the food is wrapped in leaves and buried with great ceremony, music and dances. The day also includes a purification ceremony, a walk along the orchid path, a visit to the beehives and the medicinal herb garden.
Kuxa`an ja
Kuxa`an ja or “where the jungle begins” is a trip that blends history and nature. You’ll visit a community to see two very different places of worship: the church built by Franciscan missionaries during the Colonial Period and the traditional church where the Maya held true to their own beliefs. The tour of the village is followed by a swim in a nearby cenote.
Eco Maax
The Eco Maax tour takes you to the ancient Mayan city of Cobá and the Punta Laguna nature reserve where you’ll follow a local guide into the forest in search of families of spider monkeys and other wildlife. Listen to the howler monkeys roar in the distance as you paddle your kayak across the mirror-calm lagoon and try your hand at zip lining.
With your participation in any of these trips you’ll be contributing to conservation and sustainable development in Mayan communities. For more information contact Thomas More Travel at tourdesk@royalresorts.com.
All trips include a traditional Mayan lunch.
