One of Central America's major draws for me is hiking through the rain forest (what little is left...). It's incredibly hot and humid, and mosquitoes abound (especially after a rain) - but to me it's worth it because there are so many fantastic animals and plants to see. During our visits to the rain forest we have been privileged enough to see the following creatures: coatimundis, agoutis, brocket deer, peccaries (sort of like small wild boar), ocelots, basilisk lizards, red-eyed tree frogs (see pix below), howler monkeys, spider monkeys, toucans, parrots, leaf cutter ants, army ants, scorpions (including 1 that chased me!), fer de lance (one of the world's most poisonous snakes), black orchids, etc.

(Left) Here are 2 red-eyed green tree frogs, out for a stroll on a romantic rainy evening. (Hint - this is a female and a male...) These frogs are extremely elusive. We went on several night hikes in hopes of spotting some - on all of our visits I think we've seen a total of 3. (Below) Red-eyed green tree frog just hanging around...

Here's a friendly creature - a HUGE tarantula! This guy was bigger than my whole hand. Luckily, they are usually scared away when they hear anything approaching - we happened to find this one napping.

In Belize it seems like you can't throw a stone without hitting a Mayan site. My favorite place to stay is a lodge located in the middle of the Belizean jungle called Chan Chich (Mayan for 'little bird'). Chan Chich was actually built in the center plaza of a Mayan ruin, surrounded by lush, beautiful jungle on all sides (with only a small road leading from the nearby airstrip, Gallon Jug). It's best to fly in to this area, although when it's dry it is possible to drive in. The surrounding jungle also has several other Mayan mounds, some of which were sacked by looters some time ago. You can go in some of these structures by way of the looters' trenches, which cut right through the heart of the buildings so the looters could get in and steal artifacts. (Go to the photo album to see a looters' trench.)

Tikal, Guatemala Tikal is one of the Mayan world's largest 'cities'. There are several temples as well as many smaller structures that were probably occupied by average citizens (as opposed to rulers and priests). The top of Tikal's tallest structure is where they filmed the footage of the 'Rebel Base' in "Star Wars!"