Help me: Altun Ha OR Snorkel Tour?

[Floracruise]

I booked an excursion (not from Carnival but from an independent shore operator) to go to Altun Ha, then to a Belizean lunch and Baboon Sanctuary, for late December. I am second-guessing myself, thinking about scary driving conditions in Belize, about the tour van breaking down and it not being a Carnival run tour... and if we will be missing out on amazing snorkeling if we stick with Altun Ha.

We (and our 2 kids) will be doing water-oriented activities at ALL our other ports so I thought it would be nice to do a land-based tour in Belize. But we do love to snorkel. Any advice on the pros/cons? Should we stay with the Altun Ha-Baboon non-ship tour, or switch to a snorkel tour? Choices seem to be Turneffe, Goff's or Sergeants Cay if we do that instead. Or should we just book a ship-run tour to Altun Ha? (more money but 'safer')

[SingingPixie]

I booked an independent tour to Altun Ha and the Belize Zoo on my first cruise and had no regrets. The reputable independent operators all have backup vehicles that could come and get you in the event of vehicle trouble. As far as "scary driving conditions," it's true that many of the roads are bumpy and some necessitate pulling over to let someone coming in the opposite direction pass, but the main roads aren't this way- they aren't superwide interstates or anything, but they are paved and have a full lane in each direction. From what we experienced, it's really just the immediate road that takes you from the highway to Altun Ha (maybe 15 mins?) that's like this- and it's not dangerous, just a bit slower-moving than we're used to.

 

If you're doing water activities in all your other ports, then I agree with doing something different here. As long as you've booked with a reputable company, I wouldn't have any hesitation. Personally, I think you'll enjoy an independent tour much more than one with the cruiseline- it should be a smaller group and you should get more interaction with your guide- necessary to find out what there is to discover at a Mayan site like this.