What to wear for Lamanai in July?

[cruiser102006]

Doing Lamanai tour 2nd week in July . . . are shorts ok with bug spray or are long pants necessary? Tennis shoes or Teva's? Should we wear socks with the open Teva's or put bug spray on feet? concerned about being comfortable in the heat, but being prepared for bugs and rain. Any advice welcome! Thanks!

[Toyz711]

lamanai requires very good walking shoes...the path is muddy (at time), very uneven, rock/stone steps (path, not just around the ruins).

yes, socks with excellent shoes..make them non-slip soles for walking over stones.

we wore shorts in december...it's very hot, but you are under trees. take sunscreen with the bug spray, also, remember a good hat. if you want to climb the one ruins, good shoes will be a blessing.

if you burn easily, on the boat trip you will need long sleeves. it has some shade, unless you sit in the middle, you will get some direct, intense sun.

[EBallgrl]

Doing Lamanai tour 2nd week in July . . . are shorts ok with bug spray or are long pants necessary? Tennis shoes or Teva's? Should we wear socks with the open Teva's or put bug spray on feet? concerned about being comfortable in the heat, but being prepared for bugs and rain. Any advice welcome! Thanks!

 

 

Sorry this isnt related to your question, but whom are you taking this tour with? And will you be writing a review of the excursion when you get back! I am going to Belizecruiseexcursions in October and I am anxious to hear other peoples experiences. Wish Carnival offered this excursion so that I didnt have to worry so much! Thanks!

 

I went to some ruins in Costa Maya last year in May, it was really hot and humid (had on a tank top and shorts), there were bugs (wear spray) and I had flip flops on and tripped going up some big stone steps in front of lots of people...I intend on wearing tennis shoes this year! Also bring a bottled drink if it is not provided with your tour. We were dying after our tour last year, thankfully there was a small vender selling drinks!

[Pssunshinegal]

What I have worn on several excursions in Belize are those dry weave gym pants. I am sure that they have a name, but I can't think of what it would be. They are very thin fabric pants. Air flows through them. They are not nylon, so you don't sweat. This keeps the sun and bugs off you. I am a bug magnet and I can't seem to spray enough. Since I found this type of material, I don't have to use spray and don't get bit or sunburn.

 

You will love Laminai.

 

Janice

[HRHMadonna]

We are in the same "boat"....wanting to tour Lamanai but Carnival doesn't offer the tour. Belize Excursions offers exactly what we want...our concern is that since it is a full day tour and we are worried about missing the boat.

Would love to hear reviews from anyone who has done this tour recently!

[framerman]

We are in the same "boat"....wanting to tour Lamanai but Carnival doesn't offer the tour. Belize Excursions offers exactly what we want...our concern is that since it is a full day tour and we are worried about missing the boat.

Would love to hear reviews from anyone who has done this tour recently!

Here is our review of La

 

Lamanai, March 12th w/ Belizecruiseexcursions(BCE)

 

We are just back from our cruise on the Carnival Miracle. Like everyone has said Carnival does not offer the excursion to Lamanai so we booked it on our own w/ BCE. We definitely were a little anxious about doing this tour because of the length and multiple means of travel to and from the site.

 

At the beginning of the tour I asked our guide about what time he had as the ship and Belize are on different time zones. He satisfied me with his answers and I told him I would'nt bring it up again as he said 'don't worry I'll get you back in time'.

 

Lamanai is a long tour and you should not expect to have a bunch of time left after the tour. We arrived back at the tender dock w/ 15 minutes to spare before the last tender left.

 

This excursion is a must do for us. We completely enjoyed the whole experience, Although we would of liked more time at the site and less time searching for Crocadiles and birds on the boat ride to the site. We saw at least 15 species of birds and at least a dozen crocs anywhere from 2-7 feet.

 

The Lamanai site is in a dense jungle area so its difficult to get the feeling of how the site would have looked and functioned at the height of the classic period of the Maya. It's not a ceremonial site like Chitchen Itza. It was more of a residential area. There still are pyramids to climb!! And did I mention steep? Very steep steps! But beautiful view from the top.

 

It got to be 2 hours before the last tender was scheduled to leave when I broke my silence and said to the guide that we needed to get going. He again assured me we were right on schedule. Boat ride back is 45 minutes and van ride is is about 55 minutes on the way back. There are no speed limits in Belize. Hold on! At 25 miles out from the tenders the BCE office called our guide just to check on where we were at and how long it would be before we arrived at the tenders. Pretty much the guides are in touch via cell phone in case anything happened.

 

We were the only two people on our tour. So we ended up with a private tour! Guide spoke excellent English and was very knowledgable about the site. I can't say enough about this tour. We highly recomend it.

 

Yes, there is some inherent risk involved because of the distance, van and boat travel but the reward is great. I believe that BCE guides have this down to a science and They would not be able to exist if they were unable to get people back in time for the last tender. Just think of this website alone and how these boards would chatter with bad reviews if someone didn't get back in time. Go to Lamanai and enjoy the longest occupied site of the Maya.

 

If you have any questions e-mail me at framart@bellsouth.net

manai from last March

 

Go and have a great time!

David and Heather

[seafun]

My trip in November through the same company was almost identical -- a bit of fear about getting back on time, but they have cellphones and as noted, and no one has reported missing the boat on these boards (and you know they would... :rolleyes: ) I still managed to have about 10-15 minutes to race through the few shopping stalls at the dock before catching the tender back to the ship.

Definitely wear sneakers/sports shoes if you want to climb the temples -- they are steep and you need secure footwear. And they give extra support as you move through temples, the jungle and a few overgrown tree roots, etc.

The bugs were not too bad in November, but definitely take and use bug spray. I took some Deep Woods Off and shared it with my fellow travelers -- making me quite popular! :) (With the travelers, not the bugs! lol)

I wore shorts and I wouldn't suggest long pants as it's too hot and humid. Bring/wear a hat with a strap or some other way to keep it on your head (baseball cap turned backwards worked). The boat travels fast and many hats might blow off. Maybe sleeves that roll up and down if you're concerned about too much sun in the boat or bugs in the jungle.

I'll try to find some of my pictures from the excursion and post them.

I will go so far as to say it was one of my very best $75.00 investments ever!! (Actually, we got it a bit cheaper since all nine of us booked at once, but I certainly wouldn't haggle over the price -- you will LOVE this trip! :D