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Thirty kilometres west of Uaxactun, along a rough track not always passable by Jeeps, is El Zotz , a large Maya site set in its own nature reserve. To get there you can rent vehicles in Uaxactun, or hire a pack horse, guide, food and camping equipment from Uaxactun's guide association. After about four hours - almost halfway - you come to SANTA CRUZ , where you can camp if necessary. At the site itself you'll be welcomed by the guards who look after the reserve headquarters. You can camp here and, with permission, use their kitchen and drinking water; remember to bring some food to share with the guides. Totally unrestored and smothered by vegetation, El Zotz has been systematically looted, although there are guards on duty all year. Zotz means "bat" in Maya and each evening at dusk you'll see tens, perhaps hundreds of thousands of bats of several species emerge from a cave near the campsite. It's especially impressive in the moonlight, the beating wings sounding like a river flowing over rapids - one of the most remarkable natural sights in Peten. Continuing beyond El Zotz, it takes about four and a half hours to walk to CRUCE DOS AGUADAS , a crossroads village on a bus route to Santa Elena (bus leaves at 7am), where you'll find shops and the Comedor Patojas , where you can sling a hammock or camp. Northwards, the road goes to Carmelita for El Mirador and west towards El Peru (not passable in the rainy season).
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