The biosphere reserve of Sian Ka'an is a widely known non-government and non-profit organization. It is maintained by groups of wildlife activists and conservationists in the Tulum municipality.

The Sian Ka'an reserve itself is located in the Quintana Roo, a Mexican state, but its reputation travels far across the world. As a matter of fact, tourists from all over the world visit the Yucatan Peninsula just to see the Sian Ka'an biosphere reserve.

This small, and largely unheard of bird, loves the relatively low temperatures and humidity offered by the Central American highlands. The Quetzal species has had a massive impact on the Central American people and government. This tiny colorful bird has been thriving in Central America since the times of the ancient Mayans. Here are a few ways this lightweight bird has influenced heavy changes in Central America. The species can also be found in Peru, Ecuador, and Venezuela. The small fowl has been battling poachers and natural selection for thousands of years, but the advanced means that are used by man today can’t be matched by the Quetzal’s “live free or die” way of life.

The Namesake

The name Quetzal originally comes from the Aztec term in Nahuatl, meaning “large brilliant tail feathers,” which the Resplendent is famous for. The Nahuatl word “quetz” means, literally, “stand up.” This word would often be used in reference of a large plume of standing feathers. In the beginning of the bird’s long history, only the Resplendent was given the name Quetzal, but with time it was discovered that there are 5 other Quetzal species, none of which are doing much better than the Quetzal in terms of numbers.

Belize Caves

While vacationing in Belize there are quite a few things to do. One of the best activities available is cave tubing. Sure, you can go see the ruins of Mayan Pyramids, but in the caves of Belize a different kind of Mayan history reveals.
It’s a side of Belize that far fewer people experience in their lives when compared to the other Mayan tours and sites to see. Most of the visitors and tourists go swimming in ocean, scuba diving, or exploring the ancient ruins.

Mayan history

An exciting alternative way to see more of Belize, and its Mayan history hidden inside the jungle, is by tubing your way through the natural rivers and canals that feeds the lush beauty of Belize’s countless forms of wildlife. Not only will you get to see parts of Belize and many Mayan artifacts in a way that most never will, you will also get multiple chances to see the underworld of Belize. The inner working of this tropical place is the real secret behind its long history.

Mayan history        

There are many different religions and belief systems that have tried to predict when the earth was going to end, all of them have been wrong. Every person and religion that has tried to predict earths final day had been, thankfully, wrong. What makes so many of us believe that the Mayans got it right?

Perhaps we believe them so much because of their amazing building achievements as a civilization, or maybe it was their ability to read the stars and make the most accurate calendar that has ever existed; the Mayan Calendar. The Mayans were also very good storytellers, and believed that the world’s destruction had happened several times before.

2012

Much like the Bible, and many other holy books, the Mayans listed a set of prophecies that are supposed to start on 22nd December 2012, culminating the next day – 23rd December 2012. The 7 Mayan Prophecies of  2012 are as follows:

Located approximately 50 miles from the country’s border with Belize, Tikal National Park consists of the abandoned city of Tikal, its intricate buildings stretching over 6 square miles, and the lush jungle surrounding it, filled with native flora and fauna that continue to flourish there. Many animals and birds also call this park home, including the rowdy Howler Monkey, gorgeous parrots, the illusive Gray Fox, and playful Spider Monkeys. Just outside the National Park’s entrance, there is a privately owned park, which offers a zip-line tour through the jungle’s canopy, and a museum that offers many exhibits, featuring captivating items recovered from the many excavations of the ruins.

Exploring the Tikal Ruins

Whether you wish to explore the ruins, which, to this day, are only a fraction of the true size of the city, or whether you want to see the 140 species of birds and countless other wildlife, Tikal is the ideal place for any traveler. It is perfect for an educational trip for the family, an endless treasure chest for birdwatchers and animal enthusiasts, and an adventure for anyone that just wants to get away from it all.

Tikal, the “City of Voices”, lies within the mystifying jungle canopy in the Petén Region of Guatemala. This ancient city is overflowing with an enchantment that draws not only hundreds of tourists each year, but also many archeologists and naturalists from around the world. Declared by UNESCO as a Natural and World Cultural Heritage Site, the ruins of Tikal combine the natural beauty of the jungle with the historic magnificence of the city’s architecture.

Between 300 CE and 900 CE, there flourished an extremely advanced civilization inhabiting the lands of Yucatan Peninsula, along Mexico, Guatemala, Honduras and Belize. A few centuries later, archaeologists have discovered exquisitely built pyramids and surprisingly detailed monuments in these areas, which are known to have existed between 1300 BCE and 1200 CE. Fortunately, these ruins have been opened for tourists and young explorers alike. And true enough, most people visiting the areas of Mexico and Central America have never run out of praises of what is now called as the Mayan ruins.

For long years, the Mayan ruins had been hidden beneath lush rainforests surrounded by pristine waterfalls along with breathtakingly wild floras and faunas, waiting to be unearthed. And unearthing, the tourists did. Thus, Tulum and Chichen Itza featuring the best preserved ruins of the Mayans remain to be two of the most heavily visited archaeological sites in the world.

The Mayan Riviera, otherwise known as the Riviera Maya, is a coastal district located in the eastern part of the Yucatan Peninsula. This coastal tourist destination runs along Highway 307, parallel to the Caribbean coastal beaches in Quintana Roo. It begins at Playa del Carmen and ends at Tulum.

We saw the first Whale Sharks of this year’s season yesterday June 5th, 2010. Our flight left Cozumel airport at 7:20 am and landed on Holbox at around 8:00 am.  This is a panoramic flight with great aerial views of the Caribbean Ocean and Yucatan Peninsula. It was fun for all of us and one of the passengers was even given the chance to fly the plane for a couple of minutes.

 Something I found magical happened during the flight;

Pacaya National Park is the protected area around a volcano with the same name situated about 50 km south of Guatemala City in the Guatemalan Department of Esquintla. The cone of the volcano has a height of 2552 meters above sea level and around 65.000 visitors visit the National Park annually.

The volcano first erupted and came to exist over 20.000 years ago. Pacaya is part of the Central American Volcanic Arc, a chain of volcanoes stretching along the Pacific coast of Central America. The Guatemalan Institute for Tourism (INGUAT) has published a bulletin stating the National Park will be closed to visitors until further notice. The volcano has been active for over 50 years and lightly increased its activity since March this year, together with volcanoes Fuego and Santiago nearby. In April a fatal accident occurred when tourists went beyond the allowed paths and were surprised by a sudden eruption and rock avalanche. In May part of the National Park was temporarily closed due to increased activity on one side of the volcano.

The whale shark (Rhincodon typus) is the world's largest fish, it has a history of 60 million years in which it has traveled the oceans of this world. Furthermore, the shark is unique because not only is it the only existing species of its genus but also of its family.
Nevertheless, we generally know little about this species which is cataloged vulnerable on the IUCN list. The first whale shark measuring 4.6 meters was identified, speared and captured on the shores of Table Bay, South Africa in 1828. This shark was sold for six pounds, and its holotype is shown at the Museum of Natural History in Paris. One year after this great discovery the first scientific paper on the species was written, and in 1849 the first detailed description of the whale shark was published. It was assigned the name whale shark due to the physiology of the fish; a shark with the appearance and size more typical of a whale.