Altun Ha or Lamanai

[MobileMystic]

We leave Saturday on the Dream and are still debating Altun Ha or Lamanai tour. My twenty-one year old is an anthropology/archeology major and her father and I are a "not so young" 50 something.......is the New River tour version of either of these too stenuous, or can we make them as active as we're up for? The Indiana Jones experience is what the DD is looking for but I'm not up for cliff climbing:o

[Bootscootin]

Hi Mobile,

 

I just did Lamanai last week and it was a great excursion. I haven't done Altun Ha. Expect a comfortable hour bus ride to the river where your guide will answer questions about Belize. The next hour is a wild boat ride with some 25 in your group, where your will definitely have to hold on to your hat. It was the fastest boat ride I think that I have on. Exhilerating but also wind battering. I recommend sunglasses to keep the air out of your eyes. It was something out of James Bond. Lamanai is a wonderful site. We got a nice meal upon our arrival. It is a guided tour thru rain forest and open areas. It is not that difficult a walk and the path is good. No more difficult than walking up and down the stairs in your house during the course of the week, but you do have to try and keep up. The temples are wonderful and are more interactive than many other sites. We saw 4 main building ruins including 3 temples. I climbed up one (I'm a young 48) which your son would really enjoy climbing, but it is optional depending on time, but you don't have to. It can get quite hot if the sun is out. It was one of the highlites of our cruise.

[Mike2131]

We leave Saturday on the Dream and are still debating Altun Ha or Lamanai tour. My twenty-one year old is an anthropology/archeology major and her father and I are a "not so young" 50 something.......is the New River tour version of either of these too stenuous, or can we make them as active as we're up for? The Indiana Jones experience is what the DD is looking for but I'm not up for cliff climbing:o

 

We took this excursion in December and it was excellent. I will second everything Bootscootin said with one addition. We had 2 active and very vocal groups of Howler Monkeys at Lamanai. It really added to the "Indiana Jones" nature of the excursion (your DD will love it!)!

I definitely recommend this tour!

[ute_fan]

We went to Altun Ha in January 2004, and are planning on Lamanai in May, 2005, so unfortunately I can't compare them yet.

 

I'm not sure exactly what the differences are between the sites, but I'm pretty sure the Lamanai excursion takes quite a bit longer. We're just planning on using the NCL excursion rather than going independent, and it is listed as a 7 1/2 hour excursion. The one to Altun Ha was more like 3 1/2 hours, so there was more time available for shopping, etc.

 

We thoroughly enjoyed Altun Ha. Even though I'm a very "fluffy" person, we did climb one of the ruins. They don't allow you to climb the front of the pyramid, but rather you climb some stairs that have been added around the side. I would do some internet research, see which one looks more interesting to you, and then factor in the time that it takes.

 

This time around our young adult age kids are coming with us, and they think the river trip sounds neat, so we're going that route rather than returning to Altun Ha.

[BobbieSu]

We took the Lamanai/ new river tour in Feb. Best day of the cruise!. There was absolutely nothing strenuous about it. My husband had had knee replacement surgery three months prior and was just beginning to get back to regular activities. He did everything except climb the pyramids. The howler monkeys were a definite bonus. On the boat ride out we stopped frequently to view wildlife and was not a difficult ride. On the way back they opened the throttles and all I did was hunker down and hold on. I wrote a full review which is on this board, just look in the older postings for it.

 

My impression was that there was more to see at Lamanai archeologically than there was at Altun Ha. We saw three temples, a ball court and a residential area. Ute fan, what did you see at Altun Ha?

 

Su

[ute_fan]

There isn't a ball court at Altun Ha, but according to one of the internet sites I still had bookmarked, there are 13 structures within 2 plazas. We had also been to Tulum, and I really enjoyed seeing the remains of the Mayan civilization. I'm still trying to decide which one of those I liked best -- hopefully we'll enjoy Lamanai just as much!

[Mike2131]

There isn't a ball court at Altun Ha, but according to one of the internet sites I still had bookmarked, there are 13 structures within 2 plazas. We had also been to Tulum, and I really enjoyed seeing the remains of the Mayan civilization. I'm still trying to decide which one of those I liked best -- hopefully we'll enjoy Lamanai just as much!

 

These two sites make a wonderful contrast. They could not be more different and I thoroughly enjoyed them both. I think you probably found similar contrasts between Altun Ha and Tulum. I will look forward to hearing your thoughts on all three.

[ute_fan]

Mike --

 

Have you been to both Lamani and Altun Ha? If so, I'm curious to how the two sites compare. We went to both Tulum and Altun Ha on the same cruise, but due to their different surroundings, there didn't seem to be much similarity. Tulum's setting was undoubtedly more spectacular, but the ruins at Altun Ha were more the traditional ruins I was expecting.

[BobbieSu]

Just to set the record straight, there are 718 mapped structures at Lamanai. It is huge. Most of them are still covered in jungle, but as you walk through the jungle you can see where some of them lie. We had time to see those I mentioned earlier. To truly experience it you obviously would need much more time. However what we saw was fantastic.

 

Su

[ute_fan]

BobbieSu -- Thanks for the info. It sounds like Lamanai is much larger than Altun Ha. There are also several structures at Altun Ha that aren't uncovered yet. I'm interested to compare the surroundings -- I wouldn't have actually considered Altun Ha as a jungle, so I'm expecting even more vegetation at Lamanai. I'm getting very excited!

[MobileMystic]

:D Thanks Guys!! If the climbing is optional, I think we'll go with the boat to Lamanai . I'm positive the "kid" will be thrilled!.....Me too!

 

p.s. Ute_Fan...I also am on the "fluffy side" ;)

[ute_fan]

I've looked at some of the internet sites on Lamanai, and I'm not sure if I can convince myself to climb any of the pyramids there. They look lots taller than the one at Altun Ha that you're permitted to climb.

 

Not only am I "fluffy", but also afraid of heights!!!! It doesn't sound like the rest of the tour is too strenuous, except that they don't seem to recommend it for people who are actually handicapped. According to one review I read, the walk through the jungle was about 15 minuutes long -- I should be able to handle that.

[MobileMystic]

Well...I'm pretty much a wimp.....Think we'll give a try, so I'll let ya'll know when we get back!:)

[Mike2131]

Mike --

 

Have you been to both Lamani and Altun Ha? If so, I'm curious to how the two sites compare. We went to both Tulum and Altun Ha on the same cruise, but due to their different surroundings, there didn't seem to be much similarity. Tulum's setting was undoubtedly more spectacular, but the ruins at Altun Ha were more the traditional ruins I was expecting.

 

Hi!

I went to Tulum and Lamanai on the December Panama Canal cruise and found the contrasts very interesting. The open nature of Tulum with the spectacular seaside setting vs. the "out of the jungle" nature of Lamanai was fascinating. That is one reason I will be interested to hear your opinion of all three. You cannot climb the pyramids at Tulum and you can at Lamanai (but I didn't). Unfortunately, those that do tend to limit the number of ruins you can get to.

I agree that Lamanai is more the type of site one would expect from watching the Discovery Channel. I think you will enjoy Lamanai!

Have a great cruise!

[Bootscootin]

the one temple that I climbed at Lamanai was the equivalent of 3-4 storeys, not the easiest of climbs. But there is a rope to help and the view at the top is magnificent. The steps are Big too! The climb down is almost more difficult. I think I heard one guide saying that only 2% of the site has been unearthed and they don't expect people to be able to climb on the ruins for long. Great trip! Hang onto your hat and don't forget your sunglasses to keep the wind out!

[MobileMystic]

If I can make the hike, almost anybody can! I would not suggest it for anyone that is impaired. We had a couple of people with knee issues etc. The paths are rocky and so uphill. The hike in the jungle was longer in total than 15 minutes, but the guide stopped at each "site" along the hike so I was able to catch my breath at each. It was hot, but then again, your in a jungle....It you take the tour with the New River option, the boat ride (35-40 mph) will cool you back off.

 

I am not only fluffy, but I work at a workstation all day, inside in the A/C and never go to gym. (Also over 50 years old). There was an 82 year old woman that put me to shame. ( She made it halfway up the pyramid before the tour guide convinced her to come down.) I made the hike and heat fine, but left the climbing of the pyramids to DH and DD.

 

It was very "Indian Jones". We had a great day!