Belize is believed to have been the heart of the famous Maya civilization during its peak. There are hundreds of archeological sites within the small Central American nation, most of which have yet to be excavated. Travelers can explore majestic temples and tombs that have stood the test of time, remaining today as mysterious reminders of a mighty empire that thrived here thousands of years ago.

Caracol

This site is impressive for its sheer size – it is the largest archeological site in Belize with the tallest manmade structure in the country (a 140-foot temple) and the biggest population of Mayan descendants. In its heyday, around 650 AD, the city of Caracol covered an area much larger than present day Belize City and supported more than twice its population.

Altun Ha

Easily accessible from Belize City, Altun Ha was a major ceremonial center and an important trading link between the inland cities and the Caribbean coast. Two main plazas contain about 13 temples and residential structures, though hundreds more remain unexcavated and inaccessible in the jungle foliage. The largest structure is called the "Temple of the Masonry Altars," which contains several priests' tombs.

Cahal Pech

Located right in the town of San Ignacio, Cahal Pech has a beautiful panoramic view overlooking the city and the Belize River valley. In just a few minutes' walk from the bustling modern town center, visitors can be transported into the world of the ancient Maya. There are seven courtyards surrounded by 34 structures including ball courts, residences, temples, and a sweat house.

Remains of an ancient ball court.

Lamanai

Lamanai, surrounded by dense rainforest and overlooking the New River lagoon, is one of Belize's largest and most picturesque Maya sites. On the outside of one of the buildings is an impressive carving of a ruler's mask emerging from a crocodile headdress. As one of the few sites that were still occupied by Mayans when the Spanish arrived, Lamanai (which means "submerged crocodile") is among the few that has retained its ancient Mayan name. The best way to visit Lamanai is by a guided boat ride up the New River, during which you'll enjoy beautiful views of the forest and exotic wildlife.

Xunantunich

Xunantunich consists of six major plazas and is surrounded by more than 25 temples and palaces that are believed to have been inhabited by an elite governing family. Situated atop a limestone outcrop, Xunantunich offers panoramic views of the hilly Cayo District. Locals believe the ruins are haunted by the ghost of a stone woman, hence its name which means "stone woman" in the Yucatec Maya language.

Cerros

Cerros is located on the beautiful Chetumal Bay on the Caribbean coast. An important trading post, Mayan merchants arrived by canoe to trade exotic materials, such as jade. Visitors can climb to the top of the tallest structure to get a panoramic view of the bay, the town of Corozal, and the mouth of the New River.

Want to make the most out of your Mayan adventure? Be sure to check out our 5 Tips for Visiting the Mayan World as well as our list of sustainable hotels and tour operators offering responsible tours of Mayan archeological sites in Belize!

This entry was posted on February 27, 2013 at 11:49 AM and has received 918 views. There are currently 0 comments. Print this entry.

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Playa Guiones, located in Guanacaste, Costa Rica, is one of best and most beautiful surfing destinations along the North Pacific coast of the country. Backed by a lush jungle, Guiones beach is a pristine surf break with consistent, year-round waves. It is also part of the Ostional Wildlife Refuge, one of the most important nesting sites in the world for olive ridley sea turtles (Lepidochelys olivacea)!

Photo by Surtrek Harmony Hotel.

This entry was posted on February 22, 2013 at 3:32 PM and has received 429 views. There are currently 3 comments. Print this entry.

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A few years ago, Mullak'as Misminay was a forgotten Andean community in Peru. The 500 families who live there struggled to earn a decent and stable income through activities such as subsistence agriculture and textile production, even though they live right in the middle of a very lucrative tourist attraction--the Sacred Valley of the Inca, the second most visited tourist destination in the country.

With help from a project implemented by the tour operator Condor Travel, Mullak'as Misminay residents have managed to change their lives by becoming a successful example of community-based rural tourism. This year, their work was recognized internationally: the Condor Travel inclusive business project in Mullak'as Misminay placed third in the 2013 Responsible Tourism Showcase at the annual Educational Travel Conference, an international event organized by the Educational Travel Community (ETC).

Daysy Ángeles is a project manager at Condor Travel, a Rainforest Alliance verified tour operator and a member of Tour Operators Promoting Sustainability (TOPS). Ángeles tells us more about this project, the recognition it has achieved, and other social responsibility and sustainability efforts undertaken by Condor Travel.

Q. What is the Misminay project?

Angeles: Since 2008, Condor Travel has been helping the Mullak'as Misminay community with opportunities to generate new revenue and promote the cultural identity of its people. Under the Inclusive Business Program sponsored by the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB-MIF) and the Dutch Cooperation Agency (SNV), we developed an "experiential tourism" product to promote tours that allow visitors to learn first-hand about the modus vivendi of the Mullak'as Misminay community, while helping local residents become providers of tourist services for lodging, food, and guiding.

As part of the project, we have provided training in basic hospitality and cuisine techniques to participating local residents, and we are developing a program to improve agricultural and textile techniques to strengthen their capabilities so that their products can gain access to new markets. We are also investing in improving the area's infrastructure, including organizing and optimizing signage for tourist attractions, facilitating distribution and access to drinking water and food, and financing improvements to bathrooms, kitchens, room furnishings, and dining areas in houses that will receive visitors.

The project also includes training programs, enhanced equipment, and better marketing for porters, artisans, and farmers.

Q. Why did Condor Travel decide to support this community initiative?

A: We have had a close relationship with the Mullak'as Misminay community since the 1990s, when we started to hire local men to work as porters, cooks, and assistants for adventure routes like the famous Inca Trail to Machu Picchu. Then we began a philanthropic support plan to help them in matters of health, education, and family, which strengthened the trust between the company and the community. Finally, we got the chance to implement the inclusive business project in experiential tourism, creating new "win-win" opportunities for the business and the community.

Q. How many families are benefiting?

A: The project aims to benefit 300 families by developing inclusive businesses in economic activities such as tourism, agriculture, crafts, and portaging. We are working on the construction of a water storage system with the municipality, IDB-MIF, and SNV, which will improve access to water for drinking and for irrigation, increasing the social and economic impact of the project.

Q. What does it mean for Condor Travel to be a part of ETC's 2013 Responsible Tourism Showcase?

A: This international recognition comes after five years of constant work on the project, so it is certainly an incentive to further improve and expand the benefits to other communities of Cusco.

Q. What was the community's reaction upon learning that the initiative received this international award?

A: The community received the news very enthusiastically! The people see it as a reward for their efforts to learn and launch a new business that is opening new opportunities for their families. The recognition also included a monetary award that will be used to give some scholarships to young people in the community who are being trained in Cusco.

Q. How do you involve tourists in these efforts?

A: Through the experiential tours, visitors learn about and experience the community's way of life. For example, after a traditional welcome with music, they are encouraged to participate in tilling the land, using traditional farming techniques. They also learn about how local plants used as healing folk remedies and in making natural dyes, and how textiles are made by hand using ancient techniques.

Q. This project is implemented by Condor Travel's nonprofit association, Wings. How did Wings originate, and what other social, cultural, and environmental activities is it involved with?

A: Condor Travel founded the nonprofit association Wings to promote and implement corporate social responsibility and sustainable tourism programs and to channel aid and donations from our strategic partners who want to support low-income communities through responsible tourism.

Wings is also a platform to promote volunteerism in the communities of Cusco and to disseminate the challenges and benefits of inclusive businesses in national tourism networks and private sector unions.

Q. How does Condor Travel benefit from its efforts in corporate social responsibility and sustainability?

A: Condor Travel has created a high quality, innovative tourism product that generates unique experiences for its customers. We've noticed an increase in sales for these kinds of products, which incentivizes us to design new programs involving communities.

In addition, with the efforts that we implement to care for the environment (such as using less paper and energy), we generate significant savings and help raise environmental awareness among our collaborators, which has repercussions on their family life.

Q. What are your future plans for the Mullak'as Misminay project and the Wings association?

A: We hope to expand the project's benefits to other sectors of the community--for example, by improving the water supply, we can strengthen agriculture. Wings is expanding its areas of work, including new communities in its corporate social responsibility program and promoting the destination to volunteers to support the development of new sustainable tourism programs in the area.

Our general goal is to continue working under the guidelines of sustainable tourism at national and international destinations, so our next step will be to involve the regional Condor Travel offices in South America in these projects.

This entry was posted on February 19, 2013 at 2:40 PM and has received 587 views. There are currently 0 comments. Print this entry.

In one of our recent blog posts, Tips for Taking Eco-Friendly Wildlife Photos, one of our tips was to not forget the little guys! The blue jeans poison dart frog is the perfect example of the amazing wildlife you'll discover down near the forest floor. This photo was taken in the rainforest of Sarapiquí, Costa Rica, where you'll find many beautiful species of colorful tropical frogs!

This entry was posted on February 15, 2013 at 2:38 PM and has received 393 views. There are currently 0 comments. Print this entry.

In recent years there's been a heated debate surrounding the issue of tourists visiting poor communities in developing countries – what some have dubbed "poverty tourism." It is wrong to, in a way, turn poverty into a tourism attraction? Does the experience turn tourists in more conscientious, compassionate people with a better understanding of the world, or does it dehumanize the poor, essentially treating them like a zoo exhibit for foreigners to look at and photograph?

The tone of the discussion has ranged from scholarly and methodical to downright outraged. Many are rightfully seeking complex explanations and solutions for a decidedly complex issue. However, for the purposes of this blog post, I'd like to take a simpler approach and distill some of the information out there into straight-forward and useful advice for the average traveler. For more in-depth information that will give you a more accurate and comprehensive understanding of the issue, I highly encourage you to visit the links at the bottom of this article.

There is nothing inherently wrong with visiting communities in the developing world. Travelers who embark on these types of trips might want to have an authentic experience, discover a different reality, and go beyond typical tourist areas and meet "real" local people. Good intentions aside, here are a few guidelines you can follow to avoid unintentionally exploiting and dehumanizing the people you are visiting. The common theme here is respect.

1) We'll start with an easy one: don't photograph people or sacred grounds without getting permission first. That's just good manners!

2) Better yet, put the camera away altogether and engage with the people whose home you're visiting. You'll be surprised how far a smile and a friendly greeting can go. Even if you don't speak the language (note that it never hurts to learn some key phrases to prepare for your trip), it's a good idea to go with a local guide who knows the community. Introduce yourself, listen to the people's stories, and learn about their life and culture.

3) Go with a small group. This will make you more likely to interact with local people instead of the others in your tour group and minimizes your impact on the environment and important monuments.

4) The traveler's primary intention should be to learn and discover. Do not go with a sense of superiority or the intention of "saving" or "protecting" anyone that hasn't asked for your help. While you might see a village family that lives in a small hut in the jungle and consider them poor, they are probably quite content, even if their material wealth doesn't measure up to what you're used to. Not all riches are physical, after all.

5) Unfortunately, there might come a time when you do witness people who are truly suffering. Those who are hungry or sick may ask for your help, particularly in cities. It is your choice to give or not – but be aware that begging schemes can actually exploit the people you're giving money to, especially if they are children. Your contribution could go to a criminal gang or abusive parents, or encourage people to beg rather than pursue other options. You simply do not know what happens to that money after it leaves your hands, or the long-term ramifications of your gift. If you really want to help, support a local nonprofit organization that is working to alleviate poverty in the area. They have the knowledge and capabilities to help people in the short and long term and without unintentionally causing harm.

6) The best way to help and empower the people you are visiting is to book tours and accommodations with businesses that are owned and managed by the community – also known as "community-based tourism." Choosing community-owned businesses financially supports local people in a way that is sustainable and on their own terms. It gives them control over how their story is told, how many people visit their home, and how profits are divided and used. Check out these examples on our website to learn more about community-run tourism businesses: Posada Rural Cerro Biolley in Costa Rica, Tres Lagunas Ecotourism Center in Mexico, and Casa Comunal La Granadilla in Nicaragua.

Interacting with people who have a completely different background from your own is never easy. There's always the possibility of misunderstandings, or of good intentions gone wrong. You can try your best and still end up offending someone – but that doesn't mean you should stay at home and never see what else is out there in this big, crazy world. Do your research beforehand, embark on your trip with the desire to learn and a sense of humility, and you'll get by just fine!

Further reading on this important and complex issue:

• "The Poverty Tourism Debate: A Compilation Post," Good Intentions Are Not Enough.
• "Poverty Tourism: A Debate in Need of Typological Nuance" by Aaron Ausland, Staying for Tea.
• "The Dark Side of Volunteer Tourism" by J.B. MacKinnon, Utne Reader.
• "Is Community Tourism a Good Thing?", Grassroots Journeys.
• "Slumdog Tourism," by Kennedy Odede, New York Times.

This entry was posted on February 13, 2013 at 2:15 PM and has received 761 views. There are currently 3 comments. Print this entry.

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Of the eight species of hammerhead shark that exist in the world, six are found in Ecuador. The scalloped hammerhead shark (Sphyrna lewini), is the most common in the country and the flagship species on the Galapagos National Park insignia.

This photo from Surtrek Ecuador & Galapagos Tours is proof of the overwhelming abundance of these remarkable animals in Ecuador. Surtrek offers cruises and diving excursions in places where hammerhead sharks usually appear and give the tourists a grand show.

This entry was posted on February 8, 2013 at 2:23 PM and has received 465 views. There are currently 0 comments. Print this entry.

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In February, the beautiful colonial city of Granada, Nicaragua, is filled with verse, metaphor, music, dance, and folklore. More than 100 national and international poets from around the world come to the city to celebrate the renowned Granada International Poetry Festival with local residents and hundreds of tourists.

The festival has been held since 2005 as a meeting place for poets from all corners of the planet, whether they are well-known, beginners, or fans. According to its website, the event is open to all languages of the world, embraces all streams of thought, and celebrates all literary traditions.

For a week, the parks and squares of Granada and its neighboring villages become a stage where poets recite their works to the public. There are also workshops for young poets and writers as well as literary roundtables and panels.

In addition to the literary arts, the city is full of all kinds of cultural- celebrations during the festival. The evening recitals culminate with concerts and dance performances that allow tourists to enjoy the age-old beauty of this city and learn more about Nicaraguan culture and life.

One of the event's most prominent and special attractions is the Poetic Carnival. Granada's streets are crammed with troupes representing the different folk traditions of the country. Every year these troupes accompany the poets in a kind of funeral that symbolically "buries" negative ideas that are enemies of culture and poetry. Some of the negative ideas buried in previous events were deceit, falsehood, forgetfulness, and indifference.

The troupes and participants make a procession behind a horse-drawn hearse, followed by a colorful float that stops at every corner along the route so the poets can climb aboard and read their poems to the crowd marching with them, accompanying the joyful "funeral."

In addition, the festival presents a gift to beautify the city every year: new sculptures dedicated to the most important Nicaraguan poets in the renowned Poetry Park.

This event is internationally recognized and it has positioned Granada as a major destination for cultural tourism in the region. For the past nine years, this festival has brought together more than 1,000 poets from 106 countries and has been attended by more than 450,000 people.

This year, the festival will be held from February 17 to 24.

Would you like to have this cultural experience in one of the most beautiful colonial cities of Central America? Then venture out to visit the festival and discover Granada: see its historic landmarks and travel on horseback to its ancient corners, use a boat or kayak on majestic Lake Nicaragua, visit the islets of Granada or go trekking on Mombacho Volcano.

Visit our directory for a list of sustainable accommodations and tourist services in this wonderful city of Nicaragua.

This entry was posted on February 5, 2013 at 10:06 AM and has received 505 views. There are currently 1 comments. Print this entry.

Where ocean meets land, a beautiful ecosystem thrives: mangrove forests. Mangroves, which exist mostly in the tropics, are among the most productive and biologically complex places on Earth. They are home to a vast array of wildlife species, including birds such as herons and pelicans, mammals like sloths and monkeys, and aquatic animals like sea turtles, crocodiles, and fish.

Mangrove trees, of which there are about 80 species, have evolved complex root and filtration systems that allow them to survive in saltwater. Their dense tangle of roots often gives the impression that they are standing on stilts above the water's surface.

On your next vacation, explore a mangrove by kayak or canoe – it's sure to be a unique and unforgettable experience. Check out these sustainable businesses if you want to visit a mangrove forest on your next vacation:

• Colotepec, Mexico
• Hacienda Tres Ríos Resort, Spa & Nature Park, Mexico
• Lapa Ríos, Costa Rica
• Danta Corcovado Lodge, Costa Rica
• Hotel Utz Tzaba, Guatemala
• RED Sustainable Travel

This entry was posted on February 1, 2013 at 3:29 PM and has received 519 views. There are currently 2 comments. Print this entry.