Ruins Tour with Limited Mobility

[rockbock]

My mom wants to do a ruins tour on a cruise during the first week of October.

 

Background on my mom - She will turn 64 on this cruise. She has MS. She walks on her own, but tires easily and uses a cane or walker if she needs to walk more than a short distance or needs to walk on rough terrain. She can handle stairs, but not a LOT of stairs. The motion from a long, bumpy bus ride might make her feel a bit nauseous, so if there is a "close" option with easy terrain, that's what they'd be looking for.

 

Which ruins site in either Belize or Costa Maya will be easiest for my mom?

 

I'm also posting this in the Costa Maya forum. If you're reading both forums, I apologize for the repetitiveness, but I want to get as many responses as possible.

[crewsweeper]

As I state in your cave-tubing post, there is walking involved in going to either Altun Ha or Xunantunich. Altun Ha, closest to Belize City, is through a jungle path and there are roots and such around. Xunantunich has a very steep hill to climb once you've reached the parking lot. It is an all day long bus ride. Do it via ship excursion if you decide to do that.

 

I haven't done Maya ruins in Costa Maya, prefer to hit the beach there, but I understand they are bit more accessible to at least walking around. Hopefully you post on the CM board will bring some better information about these ruins.

[rockbock]

Thanks for the info. The only ruins I have been to are San Gervasio in Cozumel. My understanding is that San Gervasio is very small compared to most other ruins sites. I think my mom could handle San Gervasio, but I was hoping some of the other ones would have better terrain for her. The biggest problem with San Gervasio for my mom would be the sections of the path that are marshy and require you to sometimes "hop" from one spot to another to avoid getting stuck in a mud pit. I guess in a worst case scenario they could do the Sam Gervasio ruins instead of doing the ruins in Belize or Costa Maya, but I think they'd really enjoy Chankanaab while we are in Cozumel.

[Mom2B&Z]

All I can suggest is do NOT do Lamanai. While there is a lot of sitting around on the bus and boat, the terrain at the ruins is rather rough and would not be negotiable with most walkers. I did see a few people walking with canes, but the last 500m or so of the hike was on rough, slippery terrain. One (able-bodied) fellow slipped and got a nasty gash on his head, the tour guides carry good sized first aid kits for a reason.

I do hope you find some ruins to visit, they are quite the sight!

[rockbock]

Thanks for the feedback. I actually settled on an Altun Ha excursion for my parents. I think that location will be the easiest for my mom.