Chichen Itza & Tulum Ruins VS. the ruins in Belize??

[Deemuch]

Hello.

 

I have been to Chichen Itza & Tulum , both in Mexico. Both were amazing!

 

On our cruise, the only port stop that seems to have decent ruins is Belize. I am stuck between deciding whether to snorkle in Belize or do one of the ruins tours. I have done some research & saw some pics that people have posted, and overall, it doesnt appear that the ruins in belize compare to that of the ruins I have seen , especially Chichen Itza. We had climbed to the top & it was awesome & the ruins had more than just crumbling rock, they have engravings in the stones etc....very interesting place.

 

Anyone done the ruins in Mexico & Belize, that can offer some advice? If the ruins are not as exciting I may want to pass & do snorkeling or the cave tubing instead.

 

The time ot takes to travel to these ruins or price is not issue, as whether they would be worth it in comparision to the Mayan Ruins I have already seen. I want to see more of Belize than just the beach, so even if the ruins may not be as great, is the view of the jungle worth seeing, or a combo tour of the river etc...?? What ruins would be the best, Altun Ha, Xunantunich or Lamanai? I wouldnt mind a full day tour as long as everything like the scenic views of the country were nice to enjoy as well, especially if its a long ride. When we went to Mexcio, the tour to Chichen was a long day, we left early morning & arrived back late evening....but I thought it was worth it. ( even with a 2 yr old & 5 year old at that time :)

 

 

Any advice would greatly be appreciated!

 

Thank-you

[Tarheelbelle]

Hi, Deemuch,

I have been to Chichen Itza [tour from Progresso] and also Tulum [from Coz]. I did an excursion to Lamanai in Belize 2 years ago. I did the New River Safari excursion that goes to Lamanai. I found the ruins themselves to be more impressive than Tulum, and less than Chichen Itza. I found the approach to Lamanai via river to be quite impressive too. The jungle setting of Lamanai is also wonderful. I was happy I did the excursion, as the river portion was lovely as well. Certainly the bus trip to the river was not too long[1-1.5 hours] and was interesting since the guide gave commentary about the sights.

I was also in Belize last year and went cave tubing----wonderful!!

This year in Belize, I am considering Altun Ha due to time constraints, since it is rather close to the tourist village. I have read that Xunatunich is also quite impressive, but a much longer trip. There are rather wonderful carvings on Xunatunich in many of the photos I have seen.

I hope this was helpful! Have a great trip!

[Deemuch]

Thanks for your info....

 

If you had only one ruin to visit in Belize, which would be your preference?

 

If you had only one thing to do in Belize, choice between ruins or cave tubing, which would you chose? I'm not sure if we would come back again, so i want to make my decision based on if this was the only time I went to Belize, what would be the one thing I shouldnt' miss. I have never gone cave tubing before...and there seems to be alot of talk on that. My kids are 8 & 11 yrs...and me & the husband thought if the ruins weren't as impressive as Mexico, maybe we would try the cave tubing, as it sounds exciting, and its also something we have never done before.

 

Since you've done a bit of everything, maybe you could shed some light on what the betetr choices would be in your opinion. I was also concerned with the safety of the tubing, did you go with cruiseline or private tour? If private can you name the company & if you booked online?

 

Thanks alot

 

 

Hi, Deemuch,

I have been to Chichen Itza [tour from Progresso] and also Tulum [from Coz]. I did an excursion to Lamanai in Belize 2 years ago. I did the New River Safari excursion that goes to Lamanai. I found the ruins themselves to be more impressive than Tulum, and less than Chichen Itza. I found the approach to Lamanai via river to be quite impressive too. The jungle setting of Lamanai is also wonderful. I was happy I did the excursion, as the river portion was lovely as well. Certainly the bus trip to the river was not too long[1-1.5 hours] and was interesting since the guide gave commentary about the sights.

I was also in Belize last year and went cave tubing----wonderful!!

This year in Belize, I am considering Altun Ha due to time constraints, since it is rather close to the tourist village. I have read that Xunatunich is also quite impressive, but a much longer trip. There are rather wonderful carvings on Xunatunich in many of the photos I have seen.

I hope this was helpful! Have a great trip!

[kftw]

We've been to Chichen Itza, Tulum, Altun Ha & Xunantunich. All four while on land vacations. This Dec we are booked on the Lamanai & New River tour. Can you tell we enjoy ruins?

 

I was really torn between the ruins & cave tubing this trip. I think both are unique experiences. From what I understand there is a walk through the jungle to the caves. So each would provide some type of jungle experience. It's a hard decision. Mine was made easier as my DH doesn't like getting wet. :D

 

If I were you, I'd be leaning towards the cave tubing. I think the whole family would enjoy it & it's a chance to experience something different since you have been to two ruins. If you choose ruins, then I would go to Lamanai for the ride on the river & setting of the ruins. I would pass on Altun Ha & Xunantunich.

 

Just my two cents.

[Deemuch]

Thanks , that makes the decision a little easier:)

 

I was originally torn between the ruins or snorkeling as I heard Belize has amazing reefs. Then I read that Roatan also has excellent snorkeling, so I figured since there didnt seem to be as much to do in Roatan, we would do the ruins in Belize & do the snorkeling in Roatan.

 

I thought it was all settled until I started reading all these posts about the cave tubing, it sounded like fun. I am concerned becuase our cruiseship tour has minimum age of 12 yrs so we cannot book via cruiseship & would have to book with another company offshore. I see many online BUT I have no idea which ones are reputable. From what I read, younger children can go on these tours, so not sure why the cruiseship has a minimum age of 12 yrs? I'm a little apprehensive about that...so if anyone has more info, or can recommend a company they used & whether younger children were on the tubes etc...I'd appreciate that. I don't mind booking in advance online but only if I get some feedback on who is reputable, safety being factor for the kids & whether they provide lifevests etc...

 

 

After more research today, and your advice as well, I think if we decide to do the ruins, we will definelty do Lamanai & the river safari. It sounds exciting, and now I want to do both :(

 

So now it's a tough choice between that, or cave tubing. Like you said, both offer a jungle experience, so I'm sure I can't go wrong either way....eeinei meenie mineei moeee...:)

 

 

help...anyone ? :0

 

 

 

We've been to Chichen Itza, Tulum, Altun Ha & Xunantunich. All four while on land vacations. This Dec we are booked on the Lamanai & New River tour. Can you tell we enjoy ruins?

 

I was really torn between the ruins & cave tubing this trip. I think both are unique experiences. From what I understand there is a walk through the jungle to the caves. So each would provide some type of jungle experience. It's a hard decision. Mine was made easier as my DH doesn't like getting wet. :D

 

If I were you, I'd be leaning towards the cave tubing. I think the whole family would enjoy it & it's a chance to experience something different since you have been to two ruins. If you choose ruins, then I would go to Lamanai for the ride on the river & setting of the ruins. I would pass on Altun Ha & Xunantunich.

 

Just my two cents.

[bguppies]

I thought it was all settled until I started reading all these posts about the cave tubing, it sounded like fun. I am concerned becuase our cruiseship tour has minimum age of 12 yrs so we cannot book via cruiseship & would have to book with another company offshore. I see many online BUT I have no idea which ones are reputable. From what I read, younger children can go on these tours, so not sure why the cruiseship has a minimum age of 12 yrs? I'm a little apprehensive about that...so if anyone has more info, or can recommend a company they used & whether younger children were on the tubes etc...I'd appreciate that. I don't mind booking in advance online but only if I get some feedback on who is reputable, safety being factor for the kids & whether they provide lifevests etc...

 

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=387292

 

If that thread doesn't answer your cave tubing questions, nothing will.

 

Bill

[Zeno]

Of the the Mayan ruins mentioned (that I have been to) - (strictly my opinion) - I would rate as follows:

1. Chichen Itza

2. Lamanai (the boat ride and wildlife views were fun too)

3. Tulum

[DL10]

We love visiting ruins. On land trips, we've been to:

 

Chichen Itza twice,

Tulum, Coba, Uxmal, Labna, Kabah, Teotihaucan, Tula, Mitla, Monte Alban

 

We took an NCL excursion to Lamanai with a river boat ride and it's my favorite of all cruise ship excursions

The ruins are nice, not fabulous. They are in no way comparable to Chichen Itza, but the boat trip was really fun and interesting and the setting for the ruins was unlike the setting for any other ruins we'd visited.

 

The setting is a rain forest jungle with giant towering trees and palms. It was my idea of the jungle from Tarzan movies. That's what I had expected the Yucatan to be. We also saw howler monkeys, but not up close or in action.

 

We went in November '05 and apparently were there one of the first weeks after the rains ended that year. If you're going in mid Nov. or later, I would recommend it! It wouldn't be much fun in the rain.

 

Don't forget sunscreen! You'll need it in the boat. Ours had a top, but that didn't keep everyone out of the sun.

 

The boat went fast which was also kind of fun!

 

We're going on a HAL cruise this Dec., and they don't offer this excursion. I might take it again if they did.

[Deemuch]

Thanks for all the great info :)

 

You make Lamanai sound just like I imagined....I was envisioning it being an exotic jungle adventure, just like out of the movies...and that's exactly the description you gave...

 

Now I really don't know what to do! I really want to do lamanai /river tour & I also really want to do the cave-tubing. Both are one of a kind tours & not available from any other ports either!

 

but thank-you, your information has been helpful....I will just have to make a decision, I know I won't be disappointed with either.

[Tarheelbelle]

Deemuch, When we did the cave tubing last year, we researched the boards about cave tubing, then looked at websites, and we booked with X-stream. There were only 4 of us---all adults--- with one guide. There is a 40 min hike to the point on the river where the tubing starts. Some of the hike is through jungle, on a nice path, and some through 2 caves. The X-stream website mentions a special cave tubing with children excursion as well, so check that out.

 

Also, I totally agree with the description of the Lamanai/New River excursion by D10 above.

 

Have a great time whichever you choose to do.

[Thoth]

I've been to Tulum and Uxmal in Mexico and Xunantunich in Belize. Uxmal was the best, Xunantunich, then Tulum.