Mayan Ruins

[Viscus]

My wife is a huge Mayan culture nerd, and I'm trying to surprise her with a trip to Lamanai ruins. From what I can find, they're the only ruins with a large amount of "intact" sculture and carvings instead of just the pyramids. Sadly, our cruise isn't offering any trips to Lamanai.

 

Does anyone have any suggestions for DIY excursions? Is it really risky to do so because of the travel times? Cruise on the Carnival Pride on Feb 8th if that makes any difference. Thanks for the help!

[crewsweeper]

What is your scheduled port time?

 

Look into Carnival's FTTF options to help get an early tender boarding priority. Earliest tenders usually leave the ship around 15 minutes-1/2 hour after the ship is anchored. Remember that on Carnival ship time is the same time zone as the original embarkation (home) port. Local time in any port may be different and Belize does not observe daylight savings time so in the spring and summer this could be up to 2 hours difference. Also last tender time is usually 1 hour before the scheduled ship departure time.

 

With these caveats in mind, you can search for a private vendor (there are some good reports on this board about vendors who have tours to Lamanai). Add one hour or more (see the tour reviews for estimated actual times, which will vary do to weather and road conditions) to their estimated tour time and see if that'll give you enough time to do the tour.

 

If Lamanai looks out of the question, or on the cusp of doable, consider Xunantunich or Altun Ha both available on ship tours. Yes you won't see the ruins in their ruined state but they're still representative of the Mayans in that part of Central American and there are some distinct differences from the Yucatan ruins, if you are heading to any of those.

[Viscus]

We arrive at 9am and leave at 5pm. So I'd guess that's 6am and 3pm local time. Is 8 hours enough time to see the ruins and run no risk of missing the boat? Never been to central America outside of northern Mexico, so I don't know how reliable roads are and traffic conditions.

 

Most private tours for Lamanai are saying 6hours for the tour. How reliable is that time estimate is I guess the main question. Not trying to charter a plane from Belize to Honduras because we're 30 minutes late due to tendering.

Edited December 24, 2014 by Viscus

[ShipsandDipper]

We did a ship's tour to Lamanai last week. I think it was described as a 7-hour tour, but ended up closer to 9 hours. As I recall, here's how it roughly broke down:

 

8-meet on ship

8:20-tender

9-get on bus

10:15-arrive at boat launch/restaurant

10:30-boat leaves

12-arrive at Lamanai site

1:30-leave site

2:30-return to boat launch/restaurant, eat lunch

3-back on bus

4:15-dropped at port

4:35-tender leaves

4:55-back on ship

 

The roads outside the city are not that good. Other people on a different tour described getting caught in city traffic, making their tour return late.

 

Some folks we met on the ship did an independent tour to Lamanai and were very happy with it (we actually saw them @10:45 from our boat, as they were getting in their boat). But our ship's port stop was until 8 p.m., making tour time of little concern.

 

It was an interesting site, but I'm not sure that I would say it has a "lot" of sculpture. Don't want to ruin anything, but I could go into more detail if you're interested.

[lifes-a-beach]

we did lamanai through Norwegian a few weeks ago. it is a long day and I say that as a measurement of time only. it was a great excursion and was worth the time and money but make no mistake it takes the whole day and then some. I would personally not do lamanai with a private tour guide simply because I would spend the entire time watching the clock. you should also know that we are independent folks that haven't taken a ship excursion in probably 20 years and we cruise ALOT (4 in 2014).

 

as mentioned above there are some sculptures but even the large faces are exact recreations covering the originals for their protection. if that's your gig you might be disappointed. we loved the trip though and our college aged kids are going when we return over spring break in march.

[Viscus]

I think we're going to book the Xunantunich ruins through Carnival at this point. At most, I'll save $10-20 booking it privately, and the ones that ARE cheaper don't have any sort of boat missing guarantees. I'd rather pay the $20 and not have to be stressed and panicked all day. I also didn't know the Lamanai faces were recreations, and Xunanatunich DOES have some original carvings around the main pyramid. I think the wife will be happy.

[oceanmom62]

You may want to keep checking Carnival's excursions. We found on our last cruise that he ruins we wanted were not added until tone last minute. We usually do private tours but the time for Uxmal in Progreso was too long for us to trust that would get beck in time. I ended up signing upon board because it was too late to do it online.

[Viscus]

Have you been to any ruin sites in Belize? Been trying to find recommendations, of the 2 offered by the ship (Altun Ha and Xunantunich), everything I'm reading says Xunan is the far superior site. Pictures seem to back that up. Only other site that I know of is Lamanai, and after other posts in this thread, I'd consider Xunan slightly better than Lamanai, even if Carnival offers it.

[oceanmom62]

First, my last post was full of grammatical mistakes-yipes!! We have done Alton Ha and really enjoyed it. My sister-in-law did Xunan and also enjoyed it. We are thinking of doing Lamina partly because of the boat ride to the site.

[iheartmarshall]

I think we're going to book the Xunantunich ruins through Carnival at this point. At most, I'll save $10-20 booking it privately, and the ones that ARE cheaper don't have any sort of boat missing guarantees. I'd rather pay the $20 and not have to be stressed and panicked all day. I also didn't know the Lamanai faces were recreations, and Xunanatunich DOES have some original carvings around the main pyramid. I think the wife will be happy.

 

Xunantunich is GREAT! DH and I took Carnival's excursion there back in May and absolutely loved it. It ended up being our favorite excursion too, partly because our tour guides shared with us history about Belize the entire way to the ruins. It was fascinating and I enjoyed watching the scenery change as we drove from the ocean to the mountains. It really was the highlight of our trip -- everything, from the ruins to our guides to the food, was amazing.

 

However, I will say that for long excursions like this, I would definitely book through the ship and not on your own. Reason why, the bus we were on broke down twice on our way to the ruins (fan belt issues) and although we made it safe and sound, the two-hour ride took three. Even though we were delayed an hour, they did not shorten the trip for us at all. We still got the full time at the ruins and a full lunch in San Ignacio (which was delicious!). We didn't get back to the port until an hour AFTER sail time but because it was a Carnival excursion, the ship waited on us. Carnival did refund part of the price due to the bus issues, but we weren't fazed. This excursion was still the highlight of our trip and I would recommend it to anyone.

[GradUT]

I am adding the following comments, not so much to assist the OP who has already decided not to book a private tour to Lamanai, but to give information to anyone who does a future search on the topic of the Mayan ruins.

 

We did a ship's excursion (Emerald Princess) to Lamanai last week.

 

1. The timeline given by ShipsandDipper is quite accurate. From the time you get on the tender in the morning until you get off the tender in the afternoon, expect to spend about 9 hours.

 

2. Be sure to bring insect repellent and sunscreen with you. You might not need the sunscreen, but you will need the insect repellent.

 

3. There is a lot of travel time by bus and boat on this excursion compared to the time actually spent at the site (around 75 - 90 minutes). It's a factor to consider.

 

4. There are 3 major sites at Lamanai that you will visit on your tour and you will have the opportunity to climb one of the temples. (BTW, yes, the "masks" on Mask Temple are fiberglass replicas which cover the existing masks to protect them from erosion but you would never know just by looking. They look like the real thing.)

 

5. The lunch was underwhelming--two small pieces of chicken, rice and coleslaw.

 

6. I would have much preferred doing this as a private excursion but there was no way I would have chanced it given the fact that: 1) our ship was in port only until 4:30 pm, 2) we had to take tenders to/from the port, and 3) Lamanai is a long way from the ship.

[mosherrskl]

We just returned. We contacted "Lamanai Belize Tours" when another group fell through only 3 days before sailing. We were met at the port, got on a van with 6 others and drove an hour to the boat. Got on the boat and had an exciting river ride for almost an hour to the ruins. We beat the other tours so had the place to ourselves for a while. Had a hour plus at the ruins which were cool. The view from on top was terrific! Unlike other ruins we'd seen, these were in the jungle which was also cool. We heard and saw howler monkeys (loud!) on the walk back to the boat. Took the boat back to shore for a quick lunch - chicken, bean and rice and slaw (made by mom). Then got back in the van for the ride back to Belize City, arriving back in plenty time to get the tender. Overall an great day.

 

Recommendations: bring bug spray - we got bit a couple times on our feet while walking among the ruins. Also, get on the FIRST tender off the ship. We were first in line to get tender tickets, but were that last of the tour group to arrive on shore. The earlier arrivals told the cruise ship folks they had a long tour and needed to get off early and were put in the group with the line's excursions - there was room.

 

This is a family business so you can be sure that the $75 you spend will stay local. Elio promised to get us to the ship on time, or they'd drive us to the next port! Email communication was excellent before the cruise.

[Prisc777]

Kohunllic gets our vote!

[Jen1000]

I did the Xunantunich excursion with Carnival and it was fantastic. The bus ride through the country was interesting. We had 2 guides on the bus and they took turns talking about Belize and what we would be seeing. There was a short time to shop before going up to the ruins (bathroom and shops) and then again where the bus was parked (stalls near the bus). We had lunch and there were a few tables set up with merchandise to buy. We did return after the last tender was to leave but we were not even the last bus back and it was a Carnival excursion so the ship waited.

 

It is one of my top excursions. It is in more of a jungle setting and in the hills. They timed the arrivals so that it was not over run. My bus was the only one there most of the time. We saw monkeys and I even saw a toucan!

 

On another trip we planned cave tubing with a private tour but it was cancelled as the river was too high from rain. On the fly we agreed to Altun Ha and lunch instead. I enjoyed it, but it was not nearly as impressive as Xunantunich. It was also extremely crowded. It is the closest ruins so much quicker to get to and if booking on your own should be fine to get back on time.

 

Neither of these are Chichen Itza but I can definitely recommend Xunantunich and Altun Ha is OK if someone wants an easier day and both let us climb certain structures. I liked both better than Tulum.

 

 

 

Have you been to any ruin sites in Belize? Been trying to find recommendations, of the 2 offered by the ship (Altun Ha and Xunantunich), everything I'm reading says Xunan is the far superior site. Pictures seem to back that up. Only other site that I know of is Lamanai, and after other posts in this thread, I'd consider Xunan slightly better than Lamanai, even if Carnival offers it.

Edited January 27, 2015 by Jen1000

[Racer70]

My wife, daughter wand I went on the Lamanai Mayan Ruins/New River tour on January 22, 2015. We booked with Elio of Lamanai Belize Tours several weeks before our cruise based on positive reviews and experiences. We came to Belize City on Royal Caribbean's Vision of the Sea, which had to tender 4 miles off shore.

 

After a hectic tender process of getting to shore, Elio's driver Julian met us just as agreed outside terminal one with a sign with our name greeting us. Julian was very friendly and professional and said that we can stop the worrying and let him take care of us from here. We took a short walk to his air conditioned van where he assured us that he would have us back to the port well in time to make our last tender.

 

We went through Belize City and Julian was constantly giving us information about Belize and its people and culture. He was very informative. It's nice to let someone else do the driving who knows their way around, because there are some crazy drivers and scooter drivers in Belize.

 

The ride to the river was about 45 minutes. Upon arrival we met with Elio and another of his young helpers. Before boarding the power boat for our trip up river to Lamanai, we were able to use the restrooms and were offered bottled water for the boat trip.

 

As most have said, the boat ride is an excursion in itself. The day was very hot and sunny as we made our way up river winding through narrow channels and then open water with the warm wind blowing through your hair. Our boat did have a canopy on it to protect you from the sun.There is much beauty along the way, such as flora and birds. You may encounter some fisherman and will also pass a Mennonite village along the river bank.

 

Once we made our way to Lamanai, we stopped at the nice bathrooms. They also have souveniers for sale. Elio then led us on a hike through part of the jungle to the ruins and explained each site and the different trees and flora. We were practically by ourselves as we were ahead of the large cruise ship excursion groups that would follow.

 

The ruins were beautiful and we were able to climb the big temple and take pictures from high atop. They were also howler monkeys in the trees nearby. Elio also offered to take several pictures of us.

 

Due to time constraints of getting back to the ship, we had to depart and board the power boat for the trip back to Elio's dock. Once again, the boat ride back was a thrill all of its own and something to remember. Once back to Elio's dock, we were seated at a picnic table and treated to an awesome Belizian lunch consisting of spicy chicken, rice, beans, spicy slaw and hot sauce and bottles of Coke made with 100 % sugar cane, not the junk we get in the USA.

 

Again, pictures were taken and we paid Elio's father and thanked each of them for a great time and experience. Then we boarded the air conditioned van and Julian drove us back to the port terminal with about 30 minutes before our last tender.

 

This is outfit is locally run by Elio and his family. The live in Belize and know and understand the Belizian and Mayan culture.They are true professionals and take care of every detail to enhance your experience and to make certain you are back to port to make your tender.

 

If you want a locally run company, who is professional, timely and provides exactly what they tell you, then please skip the large cruise ship tours with 30, 40 or more people and book with Elio and his family at Lamanai Belize Tours. You will not be disappointed, we weren't.

[CintiPam]

We had a wonderful six-person private tour to Lamanai on Sunday, January 18. We had plenty of time to enjoy a historical tour of Belize City before the 45-minute van ride to the boat launch site. Elio's son then took us on a very fun speedboat ride to Lamanai which was a glorious site as described by the previous posters. Lunch before boarding the van back to town with plenty of spare time to shop or watch some of the afternoon NFL playoff game in a local bar. Lamanai Belize Tours had it all under control; a well-run family operation which I highly recommend.

[JimAOk1945]

Kohunllic gets our vote!

 

We've been there as well. Kohunlich is a fascinating site!

Edited February 9, 2015 by JimAOk1945