Wednesday, May 22, 2013

Birding In Yaxha

By Linda Patterson


Yaxha is one of the Mayan civilization's most important cities. It is a part of the Yaxha-Nakum-Naranjo National Park. Yaxha lagoon and its well preserved forests are the treasures of this ancient city. The lagoon is deemed to be one of the most important water systems of the Maya Biosphere.

The True Beauty Of The Yaxha Archaeological Site

The archaeological site of Yaxha is the third largest, following El Mirador and Tikal. It is composed of more than 500 ancient structures including 40 stalae, 9 temple pyramids, 13 altars, 2 ball courts and a series of causeways or scabe'ob that connect the central, north as well as east acropolis. Visitors can climb the 9 pyramids as they are safe and the wooden stairs are strongly constructed. Being on the top of the partially restored Temple 216 will give you a breathtaking view of the rest of the pyramids, the jungles and lakes. Moreover, you can hear the sound of birds and Howler monkeys.

The Maler Group, the North Acropolis and the astronomical observatory structure are its other interesting attractions. The Maler Group is a complex with twin temples which is comparable to that of Tikal twin temples. The North Acropolis is bordered by 3 temples while the observatory tower is popular even if it remains unnamed.

A Perfect Place To Go Bird Watching

This ancient city of the Mayans is now an ideal destination for nature lovers and archaeology enthusiasts. This site was part of the main ancient Mayan civilizations and was rediscovered in the year 1904 through continued excavation. The ruins are a part of the Yaxha-Nakum-Naranjo National Park and are also located on the southeast part of the Tikal National Park. The Yaxha lagoon is surrounded by tropical rainforest that houses a number of Neotropical varieties of flora and fauna.

This site offers great bird watching opportunities and experience just like in Tikal. Seeing exotic bird species is best enjoyed as there is less human traffic. The best place to see flocks of white-fronted Parrot, red-lored Parrot, white-crowned Parrot and Mealy parrot is at the observatory pyramid.

The lagoon is likewise an amazing location to watch a lot of bird species. The rare Jabiru can be seen if you are there during the migration season of the Nearctic shorebirds. The lagoon has an inviting appearance however, swimming is not allowed as crocodiles are in abundance. The forest of Yaxha also offers a lot of bird species to see such as the Blue Bunting, Pale-billed Woodpecker, Tawny-crowned Greenlet, Brown Jay, Crane Hawk, Slaty-tailed trogon, Killed-billed Toucan, Sulphur-rumped Flycatcher, Short-billed Pigeon, Brown-hooded Parrot, and Plain Chachalac.

Yaxha is a place for any avid birdwatcher as it offers the best bird watching tours with a less crowded place.




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