EL MIRADOR: JUNGLE TREK

El Mirador is one of the largest Mayan cities and lies deep in the jungle, in the Biosphere Maya, a protected area.The area consists of suntropical forest. They have been excavating here for about 30 years and since 2003, Dr Richard Hansen and his team have been working It is a huge city and only some of the structures have been uncovered. Our group consisted of 3 people and our guide. We took 2 horses which carried
water, food, tent etc. This time of year is good to go as it is dry. It was extremely hot, the last 2 days reaching 38 deg centigrade. Although I toook mosquito repellent and anti-malarials, I didn't see mosquitoes, it's too dry for them. However I did get bitten by other insects. Look out for tiny red ticks (like pinheads) in the grass. Our trip was 6 days ans we took the same route there and back. (You can choose to do a route that includes Nakbe´ and do a loop; depends on the availability of water). The 1st say was more than 5 hrs from La Carmelita to El Tintal. The 2nd day was 6 hrs to El Mirador. You walk on a level gradient and the path is fairly wide; rocks and tree roots may take you by surprise, esp when you are tired and lose concentration. Walking in the early morning is a pleasure - parrots and toucans call out from the tree tops. Birdlovers will have a great time catching glimpses of different species or identifying the myriad different calls. Snall animals can be seen: fox, coati, squirrels, deer. We saw a tapir lying on the path - probably thirsty and she was injured. The occasional snake can be seen but generally they are elusive. Our guide was full of anecdotes about the jungle. he is at home in this environment and loves the place. He also loved pointing out the old Mayan roads, small structures alomgside the path, tool-like stones and pieces of ceramics. El Mirador is like stepping back in time. If ever you have imagined what it was like when the early explorers came upon the Mayan ruins and lost cities, this is the place for you. There are so many structures to see at El Mirador. One of my favourite sites was the El Jaguar Temple with its external mask of the jaguar and jaguar paw. Inside archaeologists have discovered a painted mask of a different jaguar from a different time and an earlier temple. The other site I liked was the aqueduct near the Gran Acropolis showing an exquisite frieze from the Popol Vuh, the central figure being Junah Pu. If you love climbing pyramids - sunrise, sunset, day time - for the sheeer joy of it,then this is paradise.
We had 2 days to explore El Mirador and even this felt like a glimpse.
On our return journey we visited El Tintal. This is a big complex with interesting buildings but I felt too tired to do it justice. I did climb one of the larger pyramids, La Parmita. Camping out and nights in the jungle are memorable experiences. The absolute tranquillity of the jungle and the canopy of stars are treasures in them selves.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/El_Mirador