On Friday we drove with Tom's parents down to San Ignacio and then over to Bullet Tree Falls Village and from there we drove 8 miles up into the Yalbac hills to the Maya site El Pilar. It is a very rough road filled with potholes and lots of rocks but worth it in the end.
Maya farmers first settled the site around the Middle Preclassic period (800 to 300 BC). El Pliar is one of Belize's largest Classic period Maya sites. There are around 15 courtyards or plazas spanning an area of 50 acres. We only hiked a 1/3 mile trail.
There was so much to see from the plant life, to the birds, to the ruins that it was hard to take it all in. Tom and I hope to go again sometime to see more of what has been excavated and hike a different trail.
A few photos of the ruins from this Maya city
Maya farmers first settled the site around the Middle Preclassic period (800 to 300 BC). El Pliar is one of Belize's largest Classic period Maya sites. There are around 15 courtyards or plazas spanning an area of 50 acres. We only hiked a 1/3 mile trail.
There was so much to see from the plant life, to the birds, to the ruins that it was hard to take it all in. Tom and I hope to go again sometime to see more of what has been excavated and hike a different trail.
A few photos of the ruins from this Maya city
These roots were amazing to see... the size was just incredible. 
The canopy of trees overhead made it very cool and pleasant on the trail.
The handrails were actually sturdier than they looked
Once we reached the very top of trail we were hiking our payoff
was being able to see clear across to Guatamala!
If you have more questions about El Pilar or want to learn more about the area you could check out some of these links:
