Spend a day exploring the Mayan ruins at the Aguateca Archeological Site in Guatemala. Aguateca is found on a limestone bluff above the Petexbatún Lagoon in the department of Petén.

This tour visits the Mayan site of Aguateca, which dates back to the Late Preclassic period.

The tour departs Flores and Santa Elena at 8:00 AM. You'll drive to the town of Sayaxché and board a boat that will take you down a river and through the Petexbatún Lagoon. This portion of the tour will give you exposure to some of Guatemala's jungle and river areas. Be on the lookout for birds and other animals as you make your way across the water.

On the other side of this lagoon is the Mayan site of Aguateca. Aguateca was once the capital of a powerful dynasty that descended from Tikal. The early settlements here date to the Late Preclassic period, but the site was at its peak between AD 600 and 830. Around AD 810, Aguateca was attacked, burned, and quickly abandoned.

Your tour guide will take you through the ruins, explaining their historical and cultural significance as you walk along. You'll visit the Palace Group, which was probably a royal compound, and the Main Plaza. There's another area that has structures that may have been used as Mayan workshops. Shells, tools, bones, and other objects have all been found here.

The tour leaves Aguateca around 3:30 PM and arrives in Flores and Santa Elena at approximately 4:30 PM.