'' Survivor : Guatemala — The Maya Empire '' ( commonly referred to as '' Survivor : Guatemala '' ) is the eleventh season of the American CBS competitive reality television series '' Survivor '' . Filming took place from June 27 , 2005 through August 4 , 2005 and the season premiered on September 15 , 2005 . It was filmed in the Yaxhá-Nakúm-Naranjo National Park near the more popular Tikal National Park , located in northern Guatemala . Originally , the season was scheduled to be filmed in a location on the Indian Ocean , with scouting taking place in Madagascar , Southern India and Sri Lanka . However , due to the 2004 Indian Ocean earthquake and tsunami , the plans were scrapped
2004 Indian Ocean earthquake and tsunami
2004 Indian Ocean earthquake and tsunami
Survivor: Guatemala