Altun Ha - by river, or by bus...can't decide!

[supercrunch]

We are trying to decide whether we want to do Altun Ha via the "River Wallace" or with the "Belize City Tour" (which I am guessing is just hopping on the bus and heading out).

 

The cast of characters is dh and I, and our 8 year old and 5 year old kids.

 

Here are the things I am wondering about...

 

Do you see enough on the boat to make it worth $89 per person (vs. $57)?

Length of time without access to a bathroom?

Mosquitos?

November heat?

 

We are all reasonably fit, and the kids chose to see the ruins and are really excited about it, so mobility and kid boredom aren't factors we're worried about.

 

I would love to hear perspectives.

[MDSue]

I highly recommend the combined river and bus tour. You will see a wide variety of wildlife and pretty scenery. We saw manatees, dolphins, crocs, tropical birds, howler monkees, lots of iguanas and who knows what else. The bus ride is bumpy and not all that scenic. I would fork over the extra money- it is welll worth it.

[TrqoisWtrs]

We just did the bus/river tour in September.

 

Yes, there are mosquitos at the ruins.

 

Bathroom breaks are adequate. Bus ride to ruins is about an hour? There is a bathroom there. About a 1/2 hour ride to lunch, where again, more bathrooms. Then 1-1/2 hour ride on the boat which drops you back at the port. (Or bus/boat sections can be reversed).

 

Don't know how it is in November, but our trip this time was ungodly hot and humid. Boat was completely uncovered, so bring a hat.

 

And bring lots of sunscreen, bug spray and water for the entire trip. They handed out one tiny bottle of water at the beginning, but was not nearly enough.

 

I personally would not do it again, because I've done it twice. But I think the kids would enjoy it much better than bus alone.