Altun Ha/River Wallace or City Tour?

[cruisebie]

Hi! My DD & I will be on the Carnival Glory in August and are looking at either the Altun Ha & Belize City tour or the Altun Ha & River Wallace Tour. Any feedback from folks who have done one or the other, why you chose the particular tour that you did and whether you would recommend it to others?

 

If you did the river version of the tour, did you see wildlife? How large were the boats used to take you to the site? Since they are uncovered, was the ride uncomfortable?

 

If you did the city tour version, what city sights did you see?

 

TIA! :)

[musicmansmom]

i will be doing this cruise for the first time and am going to do the river and altun ha tour. i have read great reviews right here on this link about all the wildlife and river creatures that are seen on the river part of the tour and how great the ruins are. as far as the city goes, there arent many good things said about it. the extra money for the river will be worth it for me. i havent decided yet if i am going to go with the ship or a private tour operator. the tendering isssue and getting back to the ship on time are a worry for me. i will decide in a few months who i am going to use. i hope you have a wonderful time. let us know what you decided too do and how it was.

[cruisebie]

Thanks, musicmansmom, I'm sure whichever one we finally go with will be good. :) I think I will go with the ship's tour because of the same issues you mentioned, especially the getting back to the ship on time issue. I've read several posts here that say they barely made it back in time. If I book through Carnival, at least I'll know they won't leave me! LOL! :)

[musicmansmom]

yes i am also going to do a ship tour at this port. the idea of not making it back to the ship on time is too much of a worry for me. the little extra money will be worth the possibility of seeing the ship sail away. i am starting to think i might like to do the 7 hr ruins tour instead in belize. it is a fantastic site, they feed you a lunch and it takes you throug the jungle in a vehicle. in limon i a going to do a canal/jungle walk and plantation tour. so i will be set for being on the water there too see all the wildlife connected with it. i want to get the most out of seeing the ruins while i am there. it might be the only chance i have to see them.

[D4]

We did the Altun Ha/River Wallace tour 3 years ago and we're going to do it again this summer.

 

The boats were not real big and they had no covering. If it rains, you'd get wet. We saw lots of wildlife on the river ride. They'd pull over next to different things so everyone could get a good look. Even in the summer sun, it was not too hot because of the breeze in the boat.

 

By the way, you only ride one way in the boat. The other way is on a bus. You don't get to pick which way you do them. We also loved the ruins which are still being excavated.

 

Although we do independent tours at other ports, we stick with the ship in Belize for the same reasons everyone mentioned.

[musicmansmom]

it sounds great. i am pretty sure this is the tour i am going to take in belize.

[pazandak63]

We did Altun Ha with River tour and loved it! Chcek out our pics in our link..Have fun..

Karyn

[musicmansmom]

great pictures. thanks for sharing. i am thinking about doing the snorkeling now. so i will have to decide between the 2 which one i want to do. good thing i have untill next april to make up my mind. it looks like you had a great time.

[MGH]

We did Altun Ha with River tour and loved it! Chcek out our pics in our link..Have fun..

Karyn

 

Do you think this would work for someone not too steady on their feet?

 

Thanks,

 

MGH

[TeacherJenn]

Hi,

 

I am going on the river tour in a couple of weeks. For those of you that have been, were the bugs bad? I am bringing bug spray, but I have heard awful things about botflies in Belize.

 

Thanks!

[musicmansmom]

i have not been but am thinking about it in april. i have read that you want to get the most powerful spray with the most deet. i am going to look for the wipes. that way i can do my face and neck without it getting spayed in my eyes and it will be easier to take with me. i am going to take all precautions for the forest. i am also going to get some kind of a hat even though i look horrible in one. better to be safe than sorry from anything above me. have a great time.

[mared1]

Hi! My DD & I will be on the Carnival Glory in August and are looking at either the Altun Ha & Belize City tour or the Altun Ha & River Wallace Tour. Any feedback from folks who have done one or the other, why you chose the particular tour that you did and whether you would recommend it to others?

 

If you did the river version of the tour, did you see wildlife? How large were the boats used to take you to the site? Since they are uncovered, was the ride uncomfortable?

 

If you did the city tour version, what city sights did you see?

 

TIA! :)

 

We did the Altun Ha and River Wallace tour this past January. We enjoyed it. The ruins are interesting - some are not unearthed yet - they right in the middle of the jungle. You can climb to the top of one of the ruins if you want. (Be careful as one lady missed a step and fell on the rock at the top) We had no difficulty with the climb or the stairs. We didn't notice any bugs either at the ruins site or on the River trip.

Once you leave the ruins, they make a stop where you can have lunch and there are vendors selling their products. It is at this site that you board the boat - the boat holds about 30 people. There is a pilot of the boat in the back and a guide who stands on the front of the boat. When the guide spots wild life - he points and the pilot pulls the boat over so people can see. We saw iguanas, crocodiles, and monkeys. It was a beautiful sunny day and then we came around a bend and the sky turned dark. We all knew it was going to rain. There is no canopy on the boat but our guide jumped down and got out 2 large tarps. We spread them out and had to hold them over our heads - and it rained - I mean poured all the way back to the pier. (which was about 30 minutes). Even with the tarps, I got soaked. I would recommend taking a hat (in case it is sunny) and a rain coat or jacket. After all this is a rain forest environment. All in all we enjoyed this excursion and I do recommend it.

[sbpat]

My husband is anxious to see the ruins. I on the otherhand think our kids (ages 9, 7, and 3) will be bored to death. Anyone done this trip and what do you think??

[margincall]

Can anyone tell me how the waking is at these ruins as we are not the greatest walkers and want to know if we can enjoy them anyway

 

Thanks

[Lindypc]

We did Altun Ha with River tour and loved it! Chcek out our pics in our link..Have fun..

Karyn

Karyn, loved the pictures, thanks for posting!

[buckeyeinmd]

my in-laws (upper 60s to low 70s) along with my 7 yr old son and 8 yr old nephew did it in August so the walking must not be too bad.

 

Doug

8/92 Monarch of the Seas

3/93 Mardi Gras

3/03 Victory

8/06 Glory

[BigDave1955]

I guess what to bring depends on what time of year you will be there. I just took this excursion 2 weeks ago (Feb. 21, 2008) and it was one of the best shore excursions I've ever taken.

 

Belize has a rainy season and a dry season, so if you're going in the rainy season, take rain gear. February is the dry season, so I didn't take rain gear and had a great time. I had also read about the bugs and brought bug spray, but didn't need it. I didn't see any bugs. I suspect they are probably bad in the rainy season.

 

DO take sunscreen, especially if you are fair-skinned, as the river boats do not have any cover, and the sun is strong even in winter.

 

The walking is not bad. You have to be able to climb in and out of the boat, and there's a bit of a hike at Altun Ha, but really not far, and it's all on level ground. If you choose, you can climb the stairs to one of the temples. There are about 60 very uneven stone steps, but I'm 52 and out of shape and I managed it. But if you don't want to, you don't have to climb the temple. So don't let a fear of overexertion keep you from taking this fabulous excursion!

[BigDave1955]

Oh, and I think the smaller kids will love this tour. I think they will be impressed by the ruins - what's not to like about tall stone pyramids? It's kind of a real-life Disneyland.

 

And they will love the river cruise. What kid wouldn't want to see crocodiles, iguanas, and monkeys?

[CuplACruzrs]

Did you do the river or the Belize City tour with Altan Ha? And did you do private or ship excursion?

[BigDave1955]

We did the river tour with Altun Ha, and we did the ship's excursion. This is quite a long tour - about 7 hours. I would definitely recommend the ship's excursion for this one - you don't want to risk a private tour getting back to late and missing the ship. As it was, my friend stopped very briefly to buy a t-shirt on the way from the bus to the tender, and was the last person getting on the last tender back to the ship.

[Lindypc]

We ended up changing our minds and not doing the Altun Ha Tour. Instead, we went to Lamani which was spectacular. I can't tell you how beautiful and remote it was. A long bus ride, then a riverboat and then a hike through the rain forest following a picnic lunch before we hit this unbelievable ancient city. We did NCL's ship tour and it was a high point of our cruise.

[saltmom1]

How much of the island do you see on the Altun Ha/River tour ?

TIA !

[MDSue]

Do you think this would work for someone not too steady on their feet?

 

Thanks,

 

MGH

The land is very level where the ruins are and it is not a far walk from where the buses park. It should be a fairly easy walk to see the ruins. It may be too difficult to climb as the steps are quite steep, but it is worth seeing even if you don't climb to the top. The river part should also be okay as the guides would be able to give a helping hand to step on and off the boats. Fortunately the boat we took was covered so we were able to get some shade- I did see quite a few boats that weren't.

I would bring along some bug wipes. For the most part, the bugs weren't bad but I seem to remember there being some when we stopped along the river for an outdoor lunch

[karen327]

For the Lamanai tour, did you see much wildlife on the river boat? How long did you get to hike in the jungle? Did you see wildlife there? I would like to see ruins, a rain forest, and wildlife on the same tour. Would this be the best one? I will be on NCL Pearl in March

[Lindypc]

For the Lamanai tour, did you see much wildlife on the river boat? How long did you get to hike in the jungle? Did you see wildlife there? I would like to see ruins, a rain forest, and wildlife on the same tour. Would this be the best one? I will be on NCL Pearl in March

We saw a TON of birds, animals, even alligators on the river cruise. The hike into the jungle was extraordinary--level with the most beautiful foliage I have ever seen--a canopy of ferns overhead, I can't describe what a wonderful walk this was. We also saw howler monkeys at the dock and before entering the rain forest. I can't recommend this tour enough if you want to see all the above. Oh, and before you get on the boat there will be a little area where the local people are selling the most spectacular and reasonable crafts. I bought a ton--I actually picked stuff out and paid for it on the return trip. You will love this tour--let me know how it went.