Best place for ruins?

[cjnix29]

we are on the Sunshine next summer, Belize, Roatan, Costa Maya and Cozumel. We want to see the Mayan ruins, which is the best place to do that?

[CoconutJD]

Belize is probably the best place out of those.

[michelle1836]

we just did Xunantunich in Belize and loved it. it is a long excursion though but great

[Carolin]

We went on a tour to Chacchoben Maya Ruins on my cruise not through the cruise ship. Nice ride to and from the ruins. The guide told us the history of the area we traveled through and I thought the ruins were awesome. Native Choice check it out http://www.thenativechoice.com/chacchoben_ruins.php

[snedecor]

All have good options for ruins. I can only tell you about the ones we have visited:

 

Cozumel, have to travel to Playa del Carmen to get to Tuluum, very well developed, lots of informational signs, somewhat commercialized, on the coast, beautiful!

 

Costa Maya: Chacchoben ruins, several pyramids, active site, in the wilderness, good choice, option to have lunch with locals.

 

Belize: Probably the most diverse choice: Lamanai, very extensive, can still climb, long river ride. Xunantunich, good, can climb to very top, good interpretive guides.

 

Haven't been to: Altun Ha, Caracol, El Pilar, Tikal in Belize.

[gene g]

Xunantunich in Belize is nice.

[michelle1836]

scroll down to post #11. this was VERY informative!

 

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1746330

[fragilek]

Can you get to coba from costa maya or coz. If so I would do that one.

 

 

I have been to tulum, coba, chichenitza, Uxmal, and to the ruins at the end of the river tour in Belize (?name)

 

My order preference

 

Coba- like a Tarzan set - amazing and what a view from the top of the largest pyramid- You may be able to get here from coz and other mexico ports.

 

Uxmal - with a good guide - history of the place was great - too far to get to on a day trip

 

Belize- the whole river our and small mayan site was a fab day out - we did the carnival trip for this one and were glad we dis as we were over 1 hr late getting back - long very full and great day

 

Tuluum - pretty (very small) and nice to go to beach afterward - easy day trip from coz and other mayan ports

 

Chichtanitza- the biggest with some amazing facts - but not as pretty as the others and very commercial - no shade - I think as it was at the end of our mayan tour - we were just mayaned out to really get the best of this place.- too far from ports

[Tapi]

Chachobben in Costa Maya is probably the easiest site to visit (short drive from the port and no strenuous, long walks). However, I'd give the edge to Tulum from Cozumel. It will make for a long day (you'll need to take a ferry to Playa del Carmen followed by a 1 hour drive to Tulum). But the site is well developed and the location (on a cliff overlooking the ocean) is unlike any other site. You can also combine your day at the ruins with time at the beach since there are steps from the ruins to the beach below.

[suzinva]

We did the Altun Ha/River Wallace tour through Carnival (Belize) and loved it! The ruins were great.

[mizLORInj]

We did Altun Ha in Belize through Carnival. Just note most of these ruins are quite a ride in a bus. The ruins site was very interesting and I'm glad we did it.

[sail7seas]

Great information.

 

Thanks for asking, OP, and thanks for all the responses. :)

[Chloesmom1]

I have not done these on a cruise, but:

 

I have been to Chichenitza, Tulum, Caracol, Tikal (Guatemala)... and actually more ruins in Belize than I can even name. I think the answer to your question depends on what you are looking for. Are you looking for a hard core ruins experience? How important is being able to climb the ruins? Will you have children or anyone who has mobility issues with you? Etc. All that said, here are some thoughts:

 

Tulum I put in a category its own: it is smaller, more picturesque than most given it's location on the coast, and very easy. On some boards the site is put down because it is so small but I loved it. You can't climb any of the ruins but they are beautiful. One thing I would say is that going on a tour, unless you can disembark early in the morning and arrange your own transportation, it will be very crowded. We arrived the minute the gates opened and it was wonderful; the crowds started about an hour later and by the time we left you could hardly move. It was a busy time of year but they are usually crowded. I think some people get very disappointed because the experience is so different with crowds.

 

Chichenitza. This is big and where a lot of the tours go. You can't climb the ruins any longer but they are very impressive. This will be a longer ride than Tulum and hot, but an amazing site. I have to be honest and say it isn't my favorite, but it is a great site and you will learn a lot.

 

Coba- I haven't gotten here but want to go. You can still climb the ruins (for now). It is in the jungle and also near cenotes that you may be able to dive/ swim in if your tour arranges it or if you go on your own. If you have mobility problems there is a lot of walking but they have essentially pedicabs you can take to the sites to make it easier.

 

Belize: You can't turn around in Belize without seeing a ruin (Ok, not really, but it feels like it!). Caracol was phenomenal. You can climb and explore and the site is very large. They are still discovering parts of the site I believe so it is very cool to watch as they work. Other sites in Belize are wonderful: they range in size from one or two pyramids to remains of sacrificial sites in caves you climb into to see. Some would be much closer in terms of transport time and roads in Belize are not the worst I've been on but not great in the areas further out from towns. The people are wonderful (as in Mexico, too) and the national language is English (though most people also speak Spanish and Creole). I'm assuming they have some combo tour where you can go to a smaller site and also cave tube, maybe? You wouldn't see the same as far as ruins but cave-tubing in Belize is very fun!

 

Tikal- you didn't include Guatemala on your list but since it is relatively close and there may be excursions I wanted to include it. This is the grand-daddy of them all :-). Huge, still being worked on, climbable (some on the ruins themselves, some using scaffolding/ ladders). The ride would be long and when we did it from Belize we did get stopped by the military. We were with a local guide who knew what to do and we weren't bothered but it was intimidating.

 

If I were going back and my main priority were ruins, I would probably choose Tikal first, then Caracol, then other sites in Belize (Cahal Pech, Chechum Ha, Altun Ha, Xunantunich- not necessarily in that order or just them, they are all different) , then Coba, then Tulum, then Chichenitza. BUT THAT IS ME. When we took our kids on their first experience we chose for them and went to Tulum knowing that a site that takes 5 hours would be way too long and hot and dusty for our then 6 year old and that he would stay motivated by the fact that there is a beach at the bottom of the stairs at the site! They loved it and now we can take them to Coba when we return without too much complaining :-). I add this because sometimes, depending on who is there, it's better to do smaller and enjoy than bigger and be miserable.

 

Last words of advice: Use googlemaps or similar and take a look at the possible sites. You can get a pretty good feel for the scale and size of the ruins. Wherever you go, take bug spray and wear a hat. And watch where you step- I didn't and managed to step on a fire ant nest while at Tikal. Ouch! And finally, do a bit of research before you go so you recognize what different things are. I'm sure your guide will explain everything, but the more I knew after going to previous sites and doing more reading the more I enjoyed myself and learned since I had a good base going in.

 

Sorry for rambling; I do hope this was helpful. I love this stuff! If anything is not accurate I apologize. Some of this was recent, some several years ago so things change (ie, I can't guarantee about current work or scaffolding stairs versus ruins themselves, etc.) but hopefully I am not too far off.

[#1TravelMom]

Coba is fabulous! It is a long day - but worth it. Our DD8 was a trooper. She did the 1 mile walk each way and climbed the largest ruin. It is actually the 2nd highest in the Americas - fantastic opportunity to climb while it is still allowed. Are you traveling with children? How often can one say they've climbed a Mayan ruin?

 

We have also done Lamanai in Belize - also Incredible! The boat ride is nice. This is also a very long day, but very much worth it. We also climbed to the top here. You can see over the jungle canopy in to Guatemala.

 

To me - if you are going to see ruins and you have good mobility, why not visit a sight you can climb. Take a full day and visit a truly impressive sight.

[Starlaker]

We did the river tour to Altun Ha this Spring. it was a great tour. We saw lots of wildlife along the way on the river and the ruins were very interesting. We had our granddaughters with us and they loved it that they were able to climb up on the ruins. It was great for us old folks too as there wasn't a lot of walking.:)