Ruins in Costa Maya or Belize?

[onelkytraveler]

We will be on Carnival Valor the first week of November and would like to see some ruins/pyramids. I have never been to anything like this, so I have a question - do you go inside any of them?

 

We are considering Dzibanche or Chacchoben in Costa Maya and/or Lamani in Belize...but am open to suggestions. I'd appreciate any comments in regard to size of ruins, jungle or barren landscape, wow factor, length of tour, availability of food (do we need to take lunch?), tour operators you used, etc.

 

Please and thank you for helping me decide!

[Pssunshinegal]

We will be on Carnival Valor the first week of November and would like to see some ruins/pyramids. I have never been to anything like this, so I have a question - do you go inside any of them?

 

We are considering Dzibanche or Chacchoben in Costa Maya and/or Lamani in Belize...but am open to suggestions. I'd appreciate any comments in regard to size of ruins, jungle or barren landscape, wow factor, length of tour, availability of food (do we need to take lunch?), tour operators you used, etc.

 

Please and thank you for helping me decide!

 

I have not been to the ruins in Costa Maya, but if you really want to go to the Rolls Royce of ruins, I would pick Lamanai. Having been to many ruins in Mexico, what is different about Lamanai than any other site I have seen, is they have peeled back the layers as the ruins have changed over the years and so in one viewing you can see what it would have looked like 500 years ago and 1500 years ago and 2000 years ago. It is also the second largest Mayan ruins. It is very impressive and the knowledge imparted to you by a good tour guide makes it all that more interesting. Most guides prepare lunch which is always Belizean rice, beans, stewed chicken, cole slaw, orange Fanta and desert, although I cannot remember what that was. This is the national dish of Belize and something everyone should taste as it is very good. I can't recommend a tour guide, because we have always taken a private guide while staying on Ambergris Caye. Plus you take a boat down the New River to get there and get to see many birds and crocs.

 

Janice