Xunantunich : The Castle or Lamanai & The New River Safari

[Charlot07]

Hi,

We are going in Roatan in March.

We don't know which excursion take.

 

Xunantunich : The Castle or Lamanai & The New River Safari

 

Each are long excursion. Each seems interesting.

Somebody can help us ?

 

Charlot:confused:

[socalgal3]

I believe Lamanai is in Belize. You may want to try posting on the Belize port of call forum to get a response. Good luck!

[driftwood]

. . . in a couple of weeks (leaving Swampland tomorrow before the vultures wake up); we hope to visit both sites and more besides; I will try to give you some comparisons when we return.

 

Every tour operator in Belize wants you to visit Lamanai--tour v. romantic, and they like to take it themselves. Xunantunich is far inland on the border with Guatemala, and may cause more wear and tear on tour guides. We'll see! :D

[Toyz711]

didn't do Xunantunich, it was listed when we first booked our cruise...we booked to do quiriqua in guatemala. then found out that Xunantunich wasn't available, due to some problems with time in port?

lamanai and the river safari is outstanding. with the transportation broken up by bus (over an hour) and boat (over an hour) each way, it's more pleasant then just a long bus ride. the site is wonderful, howler monkeys in the trees (mostly saw them with close up of camera, hard to see with the eye). it's a very long day...

the bus they used in guatamala was great, almost new..but the drivers..well, don't look out the front windows, they will scare you with their driving. in belize the bus was pretty bad, but the driver was much safer then the day before. photo are linked in my signature, if you want to peek.

[kmacht]

I will second Lamani and the New River Safari. We did it last year and it was the highlight of our trip. Do a search in the Belize forums for Lamani and you will find my review as well as a few others.

 

Keith

[vermonter16]

Xunantunich wasn't listed in our shore excursions until we actually boarded the ship. It was well worth it. A long ride out there but seeing the Belizean countryside was pretty cool! Plus the lunch was more than FANTASTIC!

[driftwood]

Hi Everyone!

 

We have been to Xunantunich (last week) and it is glorious, as we anticipated. We are going to Lamanai Friday. Etc. etc. more when we return. But what we have observed from our beautiful room in the Club Tower of the Radisson Fort George is that most ships (yes Carnival too) are out of the Bay by 5 PM, and although Xunantunich is at the far end of excellent highways, it is still a real stretch to go from a ship to Xunantunich and back in one day. I would really recommend a sponsored tour if it is offered; I would really recommend not attempting it if it is not.

 

Best wishes for an excellent voyage. Belize City's streets are not clean and the sidewalks must be carefully watched, as there are many holes and cracks, but the people here are wonderful and wonderfully friendly and extremely intelligent--so don't visit Belize to be a smartass, as you will hurt everyone's feelings--including mine! :D

[NEW 2 CRUISIN]

Hey DRIFTWOOD!

 

We're officially booked for Lamanai on our March cruise.

 

Let us know how your trip on Friday goes!

 

HAVE FUN and BE SAFE!

 

:)

[driftwood]

I sure will! We should be home by Saturday night, and after that the floodgates will open for sure!

 

I suspect you are onto the best idea, as a visit to Altun Ha, beautiful as it is, will shake ALL of your fillings out--the Old Northern Highway should be called "the Old Abandoned Highway," and the sitting government--perhaps very soon to be replaced, perhaps by honest men--is not about to fill the first pothole. I wonder that any tour guide will go there, as the wear and tear on their vehicles must be ENORMOUS--aside from the wear and tear on THEM!

 

The Northern Highway, I am told, was built by members of the U.S. National Guard as a sort of "military exercise," perhaps to improve the gunrunning/drug exchange (remember the "Contras"? Remember anything else about Central America?) from the United States to Guatemala, Honduras and Nicaragua during the halcyon days of the elder President/Vice President/CIA Director Bush--goodness, that's a long period of time and SO MUCH POWER--who can say? But I assure you it is smoother and straighter than anything at home, so HALF the trip to Altun Ha is quite pleasant, and I hope the entire trip to Lamanai will prove to be so.

 

Try always to be nice to the Belizeans, as they have always been nice to us, and they have suffered enough for it. :D

[sarahsema]

Thanks for all of the great advice!

 

We are cruising to Belize in July and want to do ruins. We have seen information about Altun Ha, Lamanai, and Xunantunich. Can you give me the rundown on distance, authenticity and size (overall appeal).

I truly appreciate a seasoned opinion!

[driftwood]

. . . I hesitate to attempt to be "definitive." What you can see is comfortably "doable." All three of the "cruise ship ruins" were significant sites; none of them have been completely "restored," so each of the sites is like an iceberg, 90% under, and what you see is a representation of the whole. This fact is even more striking at Tikal in Guatemala, which in fact is a site which stretches for miles and literally takes your breath away when you gain even an inkling of the mass that you are not seeing.

 

Altun Ha appears to have been the oldest of the sites, and to have survived perhaps longer than the others for reasons still theorized about. Xunantunich's major structure was uncovered by archaeologists to discover what it really looked like and what it contained, and then a replica was constructed over the gingerbread portion of the actual site so as to protect it with earth from the ravages which afflict everything in the tropics. So the gingerbread you see there, although scrupulously authentic, is, like Michaelangelo's David in Florence, NOT the original article, but a reproduction made to protect the original, which lies reburied.

 

The Maya used relatively local materials for building; in Belize this was quarried limestone and phenomenally durable wood, and everything from plants to rain to acid rain to wind have taken some toll. The effect of lush tropical plant growth on limestone cannot be minimized, and it is considered the most destructive force in nature. Once the Maya had "abandoned" the sites--hundreds of years ago--the jungle took over, and tour guides have to remind us frequently that in antiquity what is now jungle was a vast clear area containing precisely aligned structures which could be used both for stellar and planetary observation, and for calculating time to a precision which has only been equaled with the advent of the atomic clock. Now one is fortunate to be able to see one structure from another through the under- and overgrowth in some places.

 

So whichever site you choose, it will have been "significant"; none are tiny or disappointing; you will not "look on beauty bare," as Belize has taken giant strides under the direction of Dr. Jaime Awe to protect, preserve, restore and make available the sites. But I doubt anyone who has seen any of the sites has been disappointed.

 

Even in January each site is hot as blue blazes; also, listen to no one who tells you there are no bugs at any given site, because there are, and they will find you and may work their will on you. A light coating of Deep Woods OFF!, with its 25% DEET formula, proves quite adequate to protect you, but of course it should be applied BEFORE you arrive at the site. It would be wise to apply insect repellent BEFORE leaving the ship, for that matter, as although there seem to be no mosquitoes in Belize City, there are invisible biting gnats or something which you will not notice until the evening, when your ankles and calves will begin to itch. There is good shade at the sites we have visited, but if you must clamber up the monuments you will find the sun at the top, and the sweat will pour off you even if, as I, you are not particularly a perspiring person. I removed my cap at the top of a monument at Cahal Pech, and suddenly what must have been a half-cup of sweat from my head alone splashed onto my camera. Very surprising! You just are not conscious of how much fluid you are losing--just KEEP ON HYDRATING YOURSELF! ;)

[Barefoot & happy]

My husband and I did the Lamanai/ New River Excursion a few years ago through an NCL cruise and loved it. It's still one of my favorite things that we've done. The people we met in Belize were very friendly and the tour guide was amazing - he'd grown up near the ruins and was knowledgeable about the whole area - on the river he made a point to bring the boat close to some of the animals we wouldn't have spotted otherwise and told us all about them. Unfortunately, I can't remember his name or the group he was with. We took a bus ride to the river access and then rode in a speedboat up the river to the ruins and back. The whole trip was so much fun- the combination of touring the ruins and traveling up the river made for a good mix of things to do.

[driftwood]

Hello everyone! We just got back from Lamanai! "That is no country for old men!" Belize City to boat area 49 mi along Northern Highway (in excellent repair all the way except for perhaps five potholes); boat ride one hour down the New River to Shipyard (leisurely observation of birds, animals, trees, people in dugout canoes and flat-bottom boats), high-speed zoom for thirty more minutes to reach Lamanai. Might or might not prove tedious to young children--most of us were pretty happy to arrive. Good ethnic lunch: chicken thighs, rice and beans, potato salad, cole slaw, onion and habanero relish. Very well prepared, and plenty of food. Water and cold drinks--16 oz. Coca Colas in bottles, for example. Then on to the ruins: safe pathways of rock, but single steps with high rises--not great for people with knee or back problems. If you want to climb the tallest structure, do not scamper up the Jaguar Temple as one rash photographer did, tiring himself out before he reached the piece de resistance deeper in the jungle. Breathtaking views, rather generous hikes from site to site, VERY interesting structures, large and small. I think anyone's taste for the Maya will be satisfied at Lamanai! Certainly anyone's taste for exercise will be exercised in full! Anyone's expectations of riding in riverboats will probably be exceeded . . . .

 

There are steps at the sides of the temples (rather subtle and hard to notice at first) which they desire you to climb so that you will not damage the ruins themselves. The steps are somewhat steep and not all intact, but with care (at least on the Jaguar Temple) it is possible to carry an absurdly heavy camera and a tripod to the top without obvious injury.

 

We plan to return home to Swampland tomorrow where we will have access to our own computer and can see for sure if any photographs turned out. Everyone get a good night's sleep--and if you are going to Lamanai, STAY IN SHAPE! :D

[NEW 2 CRUISIN]

Thanks for the update DRIFTWOOD!

 

Sounds like you had a WILD two weeks!

 

Glad to hear Lamanai is a good trip, as we are allsigned up for it in March. Hopefully it will not be too rough for Mom and Dad, though I assume that once you are at the site, if you do not feel up to climbing or walking all around, you can find a place to sit down or that there are other things to look at all around?

 

Glad you had a geat trip!

[Toyz711]

there are stones around to sit on. only one path, if you really have problems, you can follow the path back to the restrooms/vendors and lunch area. the jaguar site was the only site we didn't have anything to sit on. our tour guide had us gathered in one area for a good view and there wasn't any stones in that area.

i am still trying to figure out the ball court..most of the ball courts (like quirigua in guatemala) the court is a big open area. at lamanai, with all the trees, i am still trying to picture how is was in their times.

[framerman]

Hello everyone! We just got back from Lamanai! "That is no country for old men!" Belize City to boat area 49 mi along Northern Highway (in excellent repair all the way except for perhaps five potholes); boat ride one hour down the New River to Shipyard (leisurely observation of birds, animals, trees, people in dugout canoes and flat-bottom boats), high-speed zoom for thirty more minutes to reach Lamanai. Might or might not prove tedious to young children--most of us were pretty happy to arrive. Good ethnic lunch: chicken thighs, rice and beans, potato salad, cole slaw, onion and habanero relish. Very well prepared, and plenty of food. Water and cold drinks--16 oz. Coca Colas in bottles, for example. Then on to the ruins: safe pathways of rock, but single steps with high rises--not great for people with knee or back problems. If you want to climb the tallest structure, do not scamper up the Jaguar Temple as one rash photographer did, tiring himself out before he reached the piece de resistance deeper in the jungle. Breathtaking views, rather generous hikes from site to site, VERY interesting structures, large and small. I think anyone's taste for the Maya will be satisfied at Lamanai! Certainly anyone's taste for exercise will be exercised in full! Anyone's expectations of riding in riverboats will probably be exceeded . . . .

 

There are steps at the sides of the temples (rather subtle and hard to notice at first) which they desire you to climb so that you will not damage the ruins themselves. The steps are somewhat steep and not all intact, but with care (at least on the Jaguar Temple) it is possible to carry an absurdly heavy camera and a tripod to the top without obvious injury.

 

We plan to return home to Swampland tomorrow where we will have access to our own computer and can see for sure if any photographs turned out. Everyone get a good night's sleep--and if you are going to Lamanai, STAY IN SHAPE! :D

 

We are going to Lamanai on March 12, 2008. Really looking forward to this tour. We are using Belizecruiseexcursions. What company did you use for you tour?

[DonMar]

We are going to Lamanai on March 12, 2008. Really looking forward to this tour. We are using Belizecruiseexcursions. What company did you use for you tour?

 

We used belizeexcursions in Feb 07 and had a wonderful time. They were very attentive to time and quality of experience. Richard was our guide/driver from the port to Orange Walk and back. Junior was our boat "captain" and ruins guide. Both were wonderful.

 

Have a great time. I can not wait to go back.

[driftwood]

. . . except at Caye Caulker, was with Major Tom.

 

You may I think write me at dreynolds@aol.com if you like and I will be happy to provide you with the information you may want. A casual search of the Internet for "Major Tom - Belize" will have the same effect, I think.

[sarahsema]

Thank you all for the great information! I can't wait to go in July!

[parrotplay]

I have decided to also go on the Lamanai and New River Safari tour. I have a question for everyone who has done this tour. I am very interested in seeing wildlife, but especially Parrots. I have done my research and I belive there are parrots in this area. I was wondering if any of you who have been on this tour have seen any on their tour? Also wondering if anyone spotted Toucan's.

Thank you! Arlene

[driftwood]

. . . on the Lamanai trip. There was a toucan (which managed to peck me :confused: as I tried to photograph him) at the Belize Zoo, the only toucan we saw in two weeks; and when we stopped at a resort after a visit to Cahal Pech near San Ignacio town, two parrots flew across part of the jungle--very rapidly, in a straight line. There were others at the Zoo, but those were the only ones we saw in the wild.

 

On the New River there are a variety of herons and egrets, marsh birds and hawks--all kinds of fish-eating birds, I suppose, and some very attractive mosquito-eating bats. The river was very high when we went last Friday. But I suspect most parrots and toucans are in the deeper and wetter jungles to the south and west of the country. Xunantunich might more likely harbor them, and Cahal Pech . . . . At Lamanai there were howler monkeys, and they did throw things at tourists from high in the trees. We saw them, but they were targeting other visitors. ;)

[EBallgrl]

. . . except at Caye Caulker, was with Major Tom.

 

You may I think write me at dreynolds@aol.com if you like and I will be happy to provide you with the information you may want. A casual search of the Internet for "Major Tom - Belize" will have the same effect, I think.

Driftwood, I checked out Major Tom's website and only see options for cave-tubing and zipline tours, was your tour of Lamanai off of a cruise ship? Or were you actually staying in Belize for more than a day? If you were on a cruise could you possibly provide info on how to book the Lamanai tour through them? Thanks! Also, do you remember how much they charged for this tour?

[driftwood]

. . . but we stayed in Belize City, two blocks from the Cruiseship Terminal, so the excursions we went on (although not delimited by time constraints) were often the excursions offered to cruiseship passengers, with a few extensions. That is, we had to get there from Belize City, and we had to return ordinarily before darkness clothed the highways. Light pollution is unknown in Belize: they have their fun during the day, and the sun gives them plenty to think about.

 

The day we visited Xunantunich, for example, we stopped off for a short while in Belmopan, the amusingly complicated national capital; had breakfast and some excellent coffee in San Ignacio; toured the very different Mayan site Cahal Pech and its museum; and only then proceeded to the more distant Xunantunich for a very hot afternoon indeed. We stopped off in the early evening at the San Ignacio Resort Hotel where we had some refreshing drinks (I should note that I observed on many occasions Major Tom confines himself to nothing stronger than Coca-Cola, of which he seems fond; mostly just water, which is HIGHLY RECOMMENDED FOR EVERYONE), and watched a pair of green parrots fly across the canopy of the rain forest from our table on the patio; and then we returned in increasing-to-pitch darkness to dine in Belize City. Obviously this is not Major Tom's usual occupation when cruiseships are in port, as he does have a prospering cave tubing company with his son and a number of other highly-qualified guides: but as the most highly-qualified guide in Belize, he is sometimes lured away from his normal pursuits--he loves to visit the Mayan sites when he is able.

 

For Lamanai, however, the tour is always essentially of two elements: a round-trip motor vehicle ride from Belize City up the Northern Highway (which is one of the excellent roads, 49 miles one way); and a boat ride down the New River and lunch and guided tour given by the crew members on your boat--who are well trained for their profession, but who can become uncomfortable with other professional guides along for the ride. So on that occasion Major Tom drove us up to the riverboat dock, and returned in the afternoon to meet us once again at the dock. Obviously--but for Major Tom's excellent company on the ride--another individual could have provided the ride to and from the boat dock: and indeed, it turned out that one of our favorite [safe and intelligent] taxi drivers/licensed tour guides from the Radisson Fort George, Daniel Itzá, who as Major Tom has a very comfortable Toyota van of his own, was there with another couple from a cruiseship. So we might have saved Major Tom the trouble--and the gas--on that day!

 

All taxi charges booked directly with drivers in Belize are pitifully inadequate in proportion to the value of the services provided, considering the fact that most excursions are at least thirty miles inland, that drivers generally own and maintain their own vehicles, that gas is over $5 US per gallon (and may of course already be higher than when we were there in January 2008). So I did not really note what was charged me, as ordinarily I tried to tip well beyond "normal American" standards--although unfortunately I am not rich enough to make anyone's day. The drivers do have flat-rate fees that they charge if you deal with them directly, and these are for a package--they deal with the boat dock tours or the zoo or Mayan site fees and the food providers, as it increases their stature among vendors, generally insures that you are well-treated, and usually will net the driver a free meal at lunchtime. I do recommend NOT BOOKING THROUGH A TOUR COMPANY (except for Major Tom's), as all other companies add a layer--or six--of overhead and then will introduce you to the exact same tour guide who has been waiting in his cab as you walked past him parking outside the Radisson Fort George.

 

All your specific questions would be cheerfully answered at length by Major Tom by email--and even, it seems, by telephone--, and one reason I gave my email address in the earlier post is that Cruise Critic tries to see that you don't get Major Tom's--as he is not an advertiser on this site. He is the one who will answer you if you write to the email addresses on his websites, and he, I am sure, would be happy to arrange any sort of tour--in advance, if it makes you more comfortable--that you might be interested in taking during your hours in Belize.

 

I'm sure you will have a wonderful time--all our time in Belize was pretty wonderful! Although DW hastens to remind me to tell you NOT to purchase ANY food from street vendors, no matter how good it smells! She did pay a rather high price for her optimism . . . . The places Major Tom and his recommended guides would take you are all quite safe to dine in; and on the Lamanai trip the picnic lunch brought by the guides to the site is excellent although simple homestyle food. The food itself is very plain and nutritious, but watch out for the habañero pepper relish (a carefully segregated condiment about which you will be warned onsite) if you are not familiar with the nature of habañeros . . . . :rolleyes:(me) :eek:(DW)

[framerman]

Driftwood, I checked out Major Tom's website and only see options for cave-tubing and zipline tours, was your tour of Lamanai off of a cruise ship? Or were you actually staying in Belize for more than a day? If you were on a cruise could you possibly provide info on how to book the Lamanai tour through them? Thanks! Also, do you remember how much they charged for this tour?

We were on the Carnival Miracle and visited Belize on March 12th. We booked our tour to Lamanai with Belizecruiseexcursions.com. We were the only ones on the tour, so my wife and I had a "private" tour all to ourselves. Guide was Javier. Excellent English and good knowledge of the site. Kept us right on schedule, we got back with about 15 minutes to spare before the last tender departed.

[Loving My Life]

We were on the Carnival Miracle and visited Belize on March 12th. We booked our tour to Lamanai with Belizecruiseexcursions.com. We were the only ones on the tour, so my wife and I had a "private" tour all to ourselves. Guide was Javier. Excellent English and good knowledge of the site. Kept us right on schedule, we got back with about 15 minutes to spare before the last tender departed.

 

Thanks for the info. We are booked for Lamanai with belizecruiseexcursions in June and we are a little concerned about missing the ship. Glad to hear they were good about getting you back in time. I'd love for dh and I to be the only ones on the tour!