Guatemala: Yaxha Mayan Ruins
While a lot of people know about Tikal and it doesn’t disappoint, few have heard about Yaxha. It is located about 1.5 hour bumpy drive northeast and is as, if not even more spectacular. This was at one time the third largest Mayan city in the area and pyramids here resemble more those of Mexico City than Tikal – large square structures. The site is desolate, you pretty much have it to yourself, and there is much more wildlife here than at Tikal: birds, howler and spider monkeys, deer, and so on. And you can climb all the pyramids as much as you want.
