Best Mayan ruins in Belize?

[tripletsmommy]

Hi just wondering if anyone has any suggestions on where to see the best Mayan ruins in Belize? My family and I are traveling on NCL late november and I want to have some things planned, but I would rather not book through NCL as their prices are a little steep. Thanks for any suggestions and if you know of a website to look at. Thanks

 

Jen

[urbanhawk]

Hi just wondering if anyone has any suggestions on where to see the best Mayan ruins in Belize? My family and I are traveling on NCL late november and I want to have some things planned, but I would rather not book through NCL as their prices are a little steep. Thanks for any suggestions and if you know of a website to look at. Thanks

 

Jen

 

Jen-From my personal experience, I would suggest Xunatunich-it was a great adventure, drive thru Belize, a hand cranked ferry over a river, then a small walk up to the ruins-spectacular-you can see Guatemala over the tree tops, as you are near its border. The other ruins-Lamani-are supposed to be even better. I realize the ship's prices can be a bit steep-I did my excursion thru Carnival, as they guarantee getting you back to the ship in time..and won't leave without you. Belize is a tender port, which adds time. Not sure if this is NCL's policy or not...just something for your consideration. Sorry I can't make any recommendations of tour companies-you might just google the 2 ruins I mentioned, and will probably get some ideas that way. Good luck, and enjoy the ruins-whichever ones you go to!:cool:Steve

[BeccaStorm]

We have only been to one of the sites in Belize, which was Lamanai and we found it incredible !

 

Not only do you see the ruins but also the wild life. We saw howler monkeys and a crocodile which was really cool .

 

We used Belize Cruise Excursions http://belizecruiseexcursions.com/Lamanai_Belize.htm

[tripletsmommy]

Thank you for the link, I have checked it out and its awesome, I think I will be booking with them, much cheaper than NCL!

 

We have only been to one of the sites in Belize, which was Lamanai and we found it incredible !

 

Not only do you see the ruins but also the wild life. We saw howler monkeys and a crocodile which was really cool .

 

We used Belize Cruise Excursions http://belizecruiseexcursions.com/Lamanai_Belize.htm

[tripletsmommy]

Thanks Steve, I will be looking into those ruins you mentioned! I also heard that the Lamani is the best one, but its like a 8 hour tour and with 4 little ones I dont think that will work. But I will check into the other one as well. Thanks

[092306]

We did Xunantunich and really liked it, but it was very hot, long and there were lots of bugs. Climbing to the top (not that you have to) does require some fitness and there is a lot of walking. Not sure how little your little ones are, but I don't think kids under 8 would tolerate it well.

[pdmlynek]

Hi just wondering if anyone has any suggestions on where to see the best Mayan ruins in Belize? My family and I are traveling on NCL late november and I want to have some things planned, but I would rather not book through NCL as their prices are a little steep. Thanks for any suggestions and if you know of a website to look at. Thanks

 

Jen

 

Hi Jen!

 

Sorry for the re-post, but it seems relevant:

 

This question about which ruins to see in Belize comes up frequently, thus it might be appropriate to settle this question. I have been studying Maya archeology, history, and culture off and on for about 20 years (just as an enthusiast, not as a professional) and have travelled to various Mayan sites many times, including the three sites in Belize to which the cruise lines sent their passengers. We have visited these three sites in November 2011. Several notes:

 

(1) The Ancient Maya have lived throughout the entire area of what is now Belize, and one can find archeological evidence everywhere. There are hundreds of sites of various archeological quality and significance throughout the whole country. Of these hundreds of sites, there are about 5 major sites in Belize: Altun Ha, Lamanai, Xunantunich, Caracol, and Lubaantun.

 

(2) When it comes to picking Ancient Maya sites for Belize, the cruise lines did an excellent jobs in selecting the appropriate ones. All three sites (i.e., Altun Ha, Lamanai, and Xunantunich) that the cruise ships picked are major sites for Belize. There are dozens of smaller sites that are just as close or closer to the ship, that the cruise lines have correctly ignored. This can’t be said for site selections in, for example, Cozumel, where the cruise lines offer excursions to even some third rate archeological sites, from which cruise passengers invariably come back disappointed.

 

(3) All three sites that cruise ship excursions visit in Belize have been partially excavated, and pyramids have been consolidated (i.e., rebuilt by archeologists). You and your kids are able to climb pyramids and other structures on all three sites. A few portions of pyramids are off limits, but generally there are no official restrictions on climbing on structures. This is not like Chichen Itza where climbing is forbidden, or Tulum, where everything is roped off and people are herded on crushed gravel walkways. Whether the excursion guides will allow you to do so (for liability reasons) is another question.

 

(4) The sizes of the three sites are comparable. All have multiple pyramids to climb. None of them are huge (like Chichen Itza or Copan or Tikal), and within a few hours you will see pretty much the whole site. It is also not so small like so many of the sites in Puuc Hills. I have no idea how long the excursion last, but guidebooks that specialize in visiting Mayan sites, and which I have found to have good estimates, recommend spending 1.5 hrs in Altun Ha, 2 hrs in Xunantunich, and 3 hrs in Lamanai.

 

(5) If you are looking to take photos of your family members or friends each standing on a different distant pyramid, then go to Altun Ha or Xunantunich. Specifically, if you are looking to put your friends on different pyramids across a wide field of view, then Altun Ha is best; if you are looking to put your friends on different structures in a row, then Xunantunich is best.

 

(6) If you are looking for an overgrowth of a jungle, then Lamanai is the best. The pyramids in Altun Ha and Xunantunich are around plazas of lawn. On the other hand walking between structures in Lamanai the paths generally wind through a jungle (except for one open plaza, P2). The nice thing about walking in a jungle is that you are walking in a shade. If you are visiting from a cruise ship, you will be visiting the site during the hottest part of the day, thus walking in a shade does make a big difference.

 

(7) If you are looking to climb a tall pyramid, go to Xunantunich or Lamanai. El Castillo (structure A-6) in Xunantunich measures 127 feet. El Castillo (structure N10-43) in Lamanai measures 108 feet. Though the Lamanai’s El Castillo is a little bit shorter than the one in Xunantunich, it appears higher from the ground, because you have to climb is straight up holding onto a chain as you climb. El Castillo in Xunantunich is easier to climb for people who are afraid of heights. However, because of the vast grassy plaza in front of El Castillo in Xunantunich, when you are at the top, it does appear that you are significantly higher than from El Castillo in Lamanai which is most surrounded by treetops. (The tallest pyramid in Altun Ha is Temple of the Masonry Altars with 59 feet).

 

(8) If you want to include in your excursion a visit to unconsolidated and overgrown structures where tourists generally do not wander, where your kids can feel like Indiana Jones, and where you can see how the structures looked like before archeologists consolidated them, then go to Xunantunich or Lamanai. In Xunantunich there is a path leading westward from the southern edge of the ball court for about 500 feet to about 7 structure of “middle class residences” called “Group B”. In Lamanai there is a path heading further north from the Mask Temple looping around a huge unexcavated, unconsolidated “Structure P9-25” (it is about 90x110 meters, reaching heights of 28 meters, making the most massive structure in Lamanai). Note that P9-25 is not on most tour books (except for Lonely Planet) and not on maps posted on the bulletin boards at the entrance to the site. It will take more time to go off to hike to P9-25 in Lamanai, then to hike to Group B in Xunantunich.

 

(9) If you are looking for the best way of getting to the site, go to Lamanai. All or a portion of the trip to Lamanai is on a speedboat on a river. This is generally the preferred way of getting to Lamanai. You’ll see monkeys getting into the boat, and you’ll see crocodiles, etc.

 

(10) If you are looking for the closest site to Belize City, go to Altun Ha. However, about half of the road from Belize City to the turn off to Altun Ha is on an old potholed road.

 

(11) The road from Belize City to Xunantunich, is fast, goes through a picturesque country, but it is a long drive. You are essentially going across the whole country, almost into Guatemala.

 

(12) If you want to visit a site on your own, and want to rent a car to get there, then go to Altun Ha. This is the easiest of the three to drive to and see.

 

(13) If you want to rent a car to visit Xunantunich on your own, the drive is long (130 km or so) but the road is in a relatively good condition. The trickiest part is getting though Santa Elana/San Ignacio; you should study maps of this twin town to save yourself the time.

 

(14) If you want to rent a car to visit Lamanai, then you need to be early enough to make it to the bridge across the New River from underneath which speed boats take off for Lamanai. There is usually someone hanging around the bridge who could take you to Lamanai for a reasonable fee if you miss the boat. It is also possible to drive all the way to Lamanai, going across the bridge crossing the New River, and then turning south on a packed gravel, unmarked, road through Mennonite farming communities. Note that both ITM maps (250K Belize and 500K Yucatan) differ from each other and from reality, thus you should rely on Google Earth. If you get lost, try out your German language skills.

 

(15) At the entrance to any of these sites will be locals who you can hire to be your guide.

 

(16) If you want to visit Caracol, which is a little bit more impressive Mayan site than Altun Ha, Xunantunich, or Lamanai, then it will be very difficult to do it on a daytrip from a cruise ship. To get there, you’ll need to drive on Western Highway almost to Xunantunich, then head off south into jungle covered mountains for about 2 1/2 to 3 hours on a deeply rutted jungle tracks (4WD drive is preferred, but we did it during dry season in a front wheel drive car), and then you will need to report by 9:15 to the military outpost in Douglas da Silva, from which you will join a convoy of cars protected by military escorts for about another hour to reach Caracol. At 14:00 you will head back, and reverse to process.

 

 

In summary, I don’t think that you can go wrong with either Lamanai, or Xunantunich, or Altun Ha; all have plusses and minuses, all are very good sites, but none is a world-class site. I hope that this has helped.

[KirkNC]

Wow, what an awesome response, I have actually bookmarked this thread for future reference. Good job!

[Canadian Guider]

Hi Beccastorm

How was your tour with belizecruiseexcursions?

Where they on time, knowledgeable, professional for a tour operator?

Would you recommend them?

[urbanhawk]

Thanks, pdmlynek, for the great review. I found it very helpful, as I'm sure many others will too. (On a side note, I was able to climb Chichen Itza, back in the early 80's-it was very impressive-sorry to hear you're not allowed to climb it anymore, which I get for preservation reasons-so glad I could when I did)

[Travelingclerk]

We did the Lamanai excursion through NCL and I'm glad we paid that extra money. Partway through the river tour our boat lost one of its motors...so our traveling speed went from fast to crawl. They transferred some of the passengers to another boat and we limped to the Lamanai site. Because of our problems we were close to an hour late getting back to the port, but because we booked through the cruiseline they waited for us. If we had saved money by going with an independent we would have spent more money getting to the next stop in the cruise.

Our rule is: (on excursion) traveling quite a distance go through the cruiseline, if not go with an independent.

 

Lamanai is fantastic place, if you choose it you won't be disappointed.

 

We'll be in Belize in November and will be going to Xunantunich this time. Yes, we booked through RCL :D

[toemi]

This thread was incredibly helpful. THANKS!!

 

My little history buff DD is going to love this information. :)

[Tickled2Trvl]

We have only been to one of the sites in Belize, which was Lamanai and we found it incredible !

 

Not only do you see the ruins but also the wild life. We saw howler monkeys and a crocodile which was really cool .

 

We used Belize Cruise Excursions http://belizecruiseexcursions.com/Lamanai_Belize.htm

 

For our January cruise we tried to book this excursion and were advised they had not planned out this far...yet.

I think we will book the cruise tour and cancel if island marketing comes through for January.

[juliectr]

Thank you so much for that wonderfully detailed description! That went above and beyond, and will help us a lot. Especially the info on distance and SHADE! We went to Chichen-itza, and while it was an amazing experience, I almost died of heat stroke, even with the provided umbrella ;-) Plus, I really want to see jungle scenery and wildlife. It looks like you do much of the study on your own, but was wondering if you have thoughts on tour guides/groups. The one we used in Chichen-itza was very boring, and we ended up leaving the guide and going off on our own. We are interested in maybe finding a guide who could give an LDS (Mormon) perspective since this is one theory of where some of the inhabitants of the Book of Mormon lived. Thanks again!

[rjscott]

We've done the tour to Lamanai and loved it. As you walk back into the jungle with your guide, the howler monkeys start up and, I swear, you'll think you are in Jurassic Park! They make such a racket, you cannot believe the sound comes from those little bodies up in the trees. :p

[BLACK LEOPARD]

Thanks, this was very helpful. I was trying to figure out which excursion to take: Xunantunich or Altun Ha? I'm going with Xunantunich.

[Dbedros]

For our January cruise we tried to book this excursion and were advised they had not planned out this far...yet.

I think we will book the cruise tour and cancel if island marketing comes through for January.

 

I got the same answer trying to book in December and got the same answer from another company. I finally gave up and booked with the cruise ship. Part of my problem is we are the only ship there that day. Check to see if there are other ships in port on your day.

[americanrascal]

Hi just wondering if anyone has any suggestions on where to see the best Mayan ruins in Belize? My family and I are traveling on NCL late november and I want to have some things planned, but I would rather not book through NCL as their prices are a little steep. Thanks for any suggestions and if you know of a website to look at. Thanks

 

Jen

 

 

We've visited Xunantunech on 3 cruises and Atun Ha once during our numerous visits to Belize. Xunantunich has always been the winner for us. The 90 minute drive is fascinating, the trip to the top of the mountain and the river crossing are really great, and the ruin complex is awesome. But the view across Guatamala and Belize makes it worth it!!! You really get a flavor for a good hunk of Belize on the Xunantunich tour.

 

The most intensly planned visit to Xunantunich was the last one where we loaded up the trusty 35 MM camera and all our big fancy lenses for a day of photography.We were going to take the best pictures of our favorite ruin. On the coach ride back to the ship, I opened the camera and found we had forgotten to load any film!!! Guess we'll have to head back up there for another try on our cruise stop there in January:(

 

Altun ha is ---well --- OK but not quite as spectacular as Xunantunich.

 

One thought that has always guided us though is that even if it costs a few bucks more to use the cruise line to book the excusion -- for Xunantunich it may be worth it. The reason is its a long all day tour. Any hiccups on the tour might give solace that you won't be left behind by the ship in case of a glitch on the tour.Thus we always booked through the ship. I'd be too up tight to rent a car and drive myself around Belize. (Quality of rentals, road safety, accident risks etc would keep me awake worrying) Others might be braver than I am.

 

Have a great cruise!

[Tickled2Trvl]

I got the same answer trying to book in December and got the same answer from another company. I finally gave up and booked with the cruise ship. Part of my problem is we are the only ship there that day. Check to see if there are other ships in port on your day.

 

Yes, we know four ships in port the day we are; Carnival and two NCL ships, I know we have to use the tender, and figure it ought to be a "fun" time. We are still happy with our booking through the cruise ship right now, reading about engines going out and such we may stay with it even if island marketing opens up their bookings.

[thesawch]

belize is the only place I book through the cruise line. You run into any problems and miss the ship its probably one of ther hardest places to get out of in the carribean. I always recomend booking a tour with the ship especially if youe taking a boat or heading out deep into the jungle.

[d48]

Hi Beccastorm

How was your tour with belizecruiseexcursions?

Where they on time, knowledgeable, professional for a tour operator?

Would you recommend them?

My family is travelling to Belize on the Magic in November. Carnival doesn't have a tour for Lamanai. I contacted Belize Cruise Excursions (aka Island Marketing) to discuss concerns about making it back to the Magic in time. i got a response from Island Marketing that they had NEVER had a customer miss their ship on any of their excusions from any of the ports (more than a dozen) from which they offer tours. Don't know about the veracity of that claim. Does anyone have knowledge to the contrary?

[pdmlynek]

My family is travelling to Belize on the Magic in November. Carnival doesn't have a tour for Lamanai. I contacted Belize Cruise Excursions (aka Island Marketing) to discuss concerns about making it back to the Magic in time. i got a response from Island Marketing that they had NEVER had a customer miss their ship on any of their excusions from any of the ports (more than a dozen) from which they offer tours. Don't know about the veracity of that claim. Does anyone have knowledge to the contrary?

 

How long is Carnival Magic in Belize? I.e., from the time you get dropped off on land to the time you get picked up?

[Tree Hugger]

I think Magic is there from 8-5.

 

We will be doing the Lamanai excursion on Thanksgiving day this year, can't wait!

[arb34]

We have a group going on the Carnival Legend in March and really hope to visit some ruins in Belize but some of the group have difficulties walking long distances or on rocky ground. Any advice? Thanks in advance!!

[pdmlynek]

We have a group going on the Carnival Legend in March and really hope to visit some ruins in Belize but some of the group have difficulties walking long distances or on rocky ground. Any advice? Thanks in advance!!

 

As far as the walking distances, there is not a huge difference between the three sites, but if I were to rank it based on this amount walked, I'd say that Altun Ha is the easier, Lamanai the hardest, and Xunantunich someplace in the middle. In Lamanai, the paths lead though the jungle, with lots of exposed tree roots, and there are longer paths that a visitor needs to take. Both Xunantunich and Altun Ha are flat with open plazas, but the walk from the parking lot to the pyramids in Xunantunich is uphill. And there are pyramids in Altun Ha that can be climbed easier, than at the other two places.

But again, the differences in walking is really not that big.