Epic Travel → Central and South America → Guatemala → Yaxha

Location: Yaxha-Nakum-Naranjo National Park, Northern Guatemala

Time Required: Half a day

Red Tape/Notes: Open 8am to 6pm, daily. Entry fee for foreign visitors is $10 US. For more information on Yaxha and other archaeological sites in the park, visit this website.

What’s Nearby?: Tikal

Yaxha is the third largest ruin complex in Guatemala, after the very famous Tikal and the totally not famous El Mirador (El Mirador’s access issues have prevented it from becoming a popular tourist site) – while not as rarely visited as El Mirador, you’ll certainly run into far fewer tourists here than you will at Tikal. Yaxha was a major trading partner and ally of Tikal, with some of this being evident in later building projects at the site, like the twin pyramids. Its name derives from the Mayan word for “blue-green water” which is appropriate, given its picturesque location on the north shore of similarly named Lake Yaxha. It’s lovely to come here in the afternoon and climb one of the pyramids with a good view of the lake to watch the sun set.

Epic Travel → Central and South America → Guatemala → Yaxha