Pros and Cons of Altun Ha and Xunantunich

[Cousin Eddie]

Rocket Man thanks for the details about Altun Ha and the river - was it the River Wallace? Your little tidbit about it being the setting for Apocalypse Now might have just tipped the scales for us - we are HUGE movie fans!

 

Erin

 

Sorry to be a downer in my first post, but I did not want you to get dissapointed by some bad info. Unfortunately the information about the filming of Apocalypse Now is incorrect. The movie was filmed almost entirely in the Phillipines with some filler shot in the Dominican and California. Mostly on the Island of Luzon,Phillipines but then after a hurricane wiped out some sets filming moved to Pagsanjan. The bodies of water shown are the Magdapio River and Baler Bay in the Phillipines as well as the Chavon River in the Dominican Republic. Sorry to be a stick in the mud, but did not want you to choose based on bad info.

 

I am going to be going to Belize later this year and hope to see some great Mayan ruins. I am thinking of Altun Ha just for the fact that is is closer to the port. Good Luck with whatever you choose!

[erinmarie424]

Sorry to be a downer in my first post, but I did not want you to get dissapointed by some bad info. Unfortunately the information about the filming of Apocalypse Now is incorrect. The movie was filmed almost entirely in the Phillipines with some filler shot in the Dominican and California. Mostly on the Island of Luzon,Phillipines but then after a hurricane wiped out some sets filming moved to Pagsanjan. The bodies of water shown are the Magdapio River and Baler Bay in the Phillipines as well as the Chavon River in the Dominican Republic. Sorry to be a stick in the mud, but did not want you to choose based on bad info.

 

I am going to be going to Belize later this year and hope to see some great Mayan ruins. I am thinking of Altun Ha just for the fact that is is closer to the port. Good Luck with whatever you choose!

 

Actually I had already learned this before your post - but others will probably appreciate it! We still plan to do Altun Ha, mainly because we would rather take a ride down the river than spend hours on a bus!

 

Erin

[wdwfamily]

We were on the Carnival Legend last October and did the River Walace and Altun Ha. It was AMAZING and by far one of the best excursions we have been on. We started by going up the river, then lunch (not included but they offered the stop for those who wanted it), then by coach to Altun Ha. We had 4 kids with us and they loved the river part (they also liked Altun Ha but on the day we were there it was HOT HOT HOT!). This excursion was worth every penny :)

[erinmarie424]

We were on the Carnival Legend last October and did the River Walace and Altun Ha. It was AMAZING and by far one of the best excursions we have been on. We started by going up the river, then lunch (not included but they offered the stop for those who wanted it), then by coach to Altun Ha. We had 4 kids with us and they loved the river part (they also liked Altun Ha but on the day we were there it was HOT HOT HOT!). This excursion was worth every penny :)

 

Thanks for your comments - do you remember the cost of the food? Trying to figure out how much cash to carry that day.....

 

Thanks!

[mustard_seed07]

We also enjoyed Altan Ha and River Wallace (although if you look for it on a map, locals call it the Belize river). Note that you don't have to purchase lunch when we stop, it is a quaint place and nice to stop though. You can eat a meal, a snack, or nothing and just walk around the grounds. We loved the ruins and the river and it was a full day.

 

Is it a lot of walking? I don't mind the walking but my mom sprained her ankle and we'll be in Belize in two weeks and was looking at this excursion.

[erinmarie424]

Picked the River Wallace/Altun Ha excursion offered by Carnival. Started off with a ride down the river that lasted about two hours. Our guide was very good - pointing out all kinds of wildlife - trees and animals. One of the boat crew picked some mangos and cut them up for us and at one point we slowed down and a man on shore handed him a bag full of tamarind for us all to try.

 

We stopped at The Black Orchid for lunch. There were two choices for a meal and they were both $8.00. One choice was a chicken or beef cheeseburger and the other choice was a traditional Belizean meal of chicken (a thigh and a drumstick), rice and beans, cole slaw, and fried plantain. We each had the Belizean lunch and it was very delicious. They also have sodas for $2, local beer for $4 and local (cashew) wine for $3. I had a couple beers and DBF got some cashew wine. They also have wine sampling outside the restaurant and some local artists selling their work. We bought a few bottles of wine for $10 each and I got a handmade trivet for $4.

 

We were at the Black Orchid for an hour, then we got on a bus to go to Altun Ha. The trip there was about 30-40 minutes. We were at Altun Ha, and just walking around the ruins was not at all strenuous but we had the option of climbing to the top of one temple and it was NOT easy. It might not have seemed so strenuous if it wasn't in the upper 80s with super high humidity that day. We had about 10 minutes at the top before we had to head down. There were also a few vendors there with handmade items for sale, as well as soda, water, and snacks.

 

After about 45-50 minutes at the ruins we got back on the bus and it was about 30 minutes back to the port area.

 

The guides were very good, and shared a lot of information about Belize and the people that live there, as well as Mayan culture. The buses were air conditioned which was very nice.

 

A couple of things to know - Carnival tells you to bring bottled water, but they do provide a bottle per guest during the boat portion of the tour. The Carnival description indicated that the tour would be five and a half hours but we left on our tender at 8:15 and got back to the dock at 3:15 - technically the tour itself did not start until we got on the boats around 9, but it definitely took longer than we had expected.

 

Also, if you do not want to shell out the 8 bucks for a meal take some energy bars - it is a long day and most people will need something substantial to get through it - the meal we had was really not enough food for two adults to share and be full.

 

I hope I helped answer some questions that others may have had - if anyone has any more I should be able to help now!

 

Erin

[Tanbella]

Thanks for the information. I also am stuck between picking the longer of the two for the amazing ruins or something with a river tour and much closer. They actually both sound great but since i have not been to niether There no comparison to be made .Did anybody use non carnival excursion and have the website???

[dag1369]

Thanks for the information. I also am stuck between picking the longer of the two for the amazing ruins or something with a river tour and much closer. They actually both sound great but since i have not been to niether There no comparison to be made .Did anybody use non carnival excursion and have the website???

 

We are definitely doing Xunantunich when we cruise in Sept. I am debating between using Carnival and belizecruiseexcursions; see link below. They have been recommended by others on this site.

 

http://belizecruiseexcursions.com/xunantunich_belize_excursion_tour.htm

[timeoutforcruisin]

Normally we do not book the excursions through the ship, but we have decided to do so in Belize. What we cannot decide is whether to do the Alta Ha and City tour for $58 or the Alta Ha and River WAllace for $86.

 

We are tempted by the $58 one because it is 1 1/2 hours shorter and we are thinking we might not feel as rushed at the ruins and also might have a little time to go to the Wet Lizzard or just look around the few shops near the ship.

 

But we are also tempted by the river ride because of the wildlife, however, we have been to costa rica and seen monkeys, tropical birds, etc and we have seen manatees and dophins.

 

Any thoughts from those who have been on these excursions.

[cruisegal11]

Hi everyone!

 

We're also undecided whether to do the city tour for $58 or the River Wallace for $86. We're leaning toward the city tour because it is shorter and I'd really like to have some time near the port for shopping and relaxing. The Wet Lizzard sounds cool.

 

Hey timeforcruisin..when are you guys going? We'll be dreamin' the Dream in 22 days (but who's counting).. :D. I'm very interested to hear about others experiences.. I love these threads because you learn so much..

[STARFISH*4]

did the ruins and city tour with ncl...they offered the river tour as well i chose the first as i didnt think i wanted to be doing the "river"...the ruins were AMAZING even in the pouring rain...but if you want more of an adventure choose the one with the river....if i would have told hubby about it--thats the one we would have been on!

ENJOY:)

[timeoutforcruisin]

cruisegal, we are going to be on the Carnival Legend leaving from Tampa on Aug 1st and that will put us in Belize on Aug 6th. Just 2 weeks until we head down to Tampa -- yeah!!

 

I went ahead and reserved the city tour and Alta Ha, mainly because I wanted something reserved and I thought it would be easier to upgrade to the River Wallace than to try to get a refund at the last minute. I believe they would always want a little more money if they can get it! But I am so tempted by the river as well. I thought I'd see if I am shopped out after Cozumel and Grand Cayman.

[pokeyjones]

The consensus we learned from local guides is that Xunantunich has the tallest temple and the highest view, so that's why we chose it. The bus ride was actually pretty relaxing and the lunch in San Ignacio was unhurried. We had about an hour and a half left in port when we got back (sailed on Royal Caribbean).

 

Here is a link to some pictures I took at Xunantunich. They might help you decide if you want to do this excursion. You don't have to be an FB member to be able to view them:

 

http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2055545&id=1494320070&l=e59967f52a

 

Thanks for posting the FB site to your pictures. They were awesome. We are trying to decide on Ruins/excursions and these pictures were quite impressive.

[smyliecruising]

DW and I were on the Legend in December and visited Xunantunich.

 

Pros - We had a great time and the site is very interesting. You can climb to the top of El Castillo, which the guides said was second highest building in Belize. There are some amazing fresco still intact. You also get to see more of the country outside of Belize City, which we enjoyed. People were very friendly, and the stop in San Ignacio for lunch is very nice.

 

Con - It is a long busride, and if you have a bad tour guide I can see where it would be very boring (We had a good guide, Marta, who was very enthuiastic about her country). And it eats up your whole time in Belize. You have be to on the first tender over, and then we were on the last tender back to the Legend.

 

DW and I would do it again because we enjoyed it so much the first time.

 

ErinMarie, I hope this helps.

 

 

Was the bus ride peaceful or scary at times? I am just a squeamish person when it comes to squeezing two cars onto a one lane road going up a mountain. Everyone else might be having fun on those long bus rides in Jamaica but I get freaked out and can't relax so no matter how fun the tour is I can't enjoy it because I worry about the bus ride back. Is this bus ride on flat land or up mountains with big cliffs along the road[emoji79]

[Cr8ingCnes]

Just curious, as I was looking into doing both sites through carnival I found another excursion to a different ruin and was wondering if anyone has been to it. the excursion is called MAYAN CEREMONIAL PALACES OF CAHAL PECH?

[ondebyou]

We had a first timer with us on our last visit to Belize and he wanted to see the Ruins and we had gone to Xunantunich a couple of years ago and he definitely was not disappointed.these ruins are awesome. The climb to the top of El Castillo is a must, if capable. The bus ride isn't all that bad, with the informative guides. The buses are,in fact, air conditioned coaches, and not school buses! We chose this excursion, through the ship, instead of getting off the ship and boarding back onto another boat for a trip up a river. The bus ride was cool and comfortable, and the lunch break on the way back from the site was delicious and filling. Upon arrival at the river ferry crossing, they load you into a/c'd vans for the mile or so ride to the site.

[Guest Nellsmom58]

Xunantunich is incredible and worth the long but interesting bus ride to get there. Like others posted, take bug repellent or better yet wear bug repellent clothing. We still talk about how fascinating this tour was and how terrific the guides were--and we've been to other sites without that impression.

[Jen1000]

It is not mountain driving, it is quite pleasant through he country side.

 

Was the bus ride peaceful or scary at times? I am just a squeamish person when it comes to squeezing two cars onto a one lane road going up a mountain. Everyone else might be having fun on those long bus rides in Jamaica but I get freaked out and can't relax so no matter how fun the tour is I can't enjoy it because I worry about the bus ride back. Is this bus ride on flat land or up mountains with big cliffs along the road[emoji79]