Lamanai in Belize

[mellygo]

Anyone taken this tour? Shall we book our own or go with NCL's? Contact me okay - Psychobabbl@msn.com

[World Gallery]

We did this tour with NCL a few years ago. It was interesting but took a long time to get there. I remember wishing that they had explained just how long it took but that wasn't in the description. I remember it taking well over an hour. Part of the trip was a boat ride to actually get to the ruins. I don't mind boat rides but it was very windy on the boat down the river to the point that I had to put a t-shirt over my head because at one point, I was getting too much wind. I think I would recommend NCL or a private group that can absolutely get you back in time so you don't miss the ship. Since it is a bus ride then a river ride, you need to make sure the company has experience with "tour timing" for cruise ship passengers. Hope this helps.

[Toyz711]

even though i haven't heard of anyone having trouble with a local vendor getting them back on time...to save us worry, we went with NCL.

loved it...had one of the best tour guides we have ever had. everything went smoothly and we were back to the ship on time.

it's about 45 bus ride to the river, you get a rest stop before loading the boat for an hour ride to the ruins. on the boat, they stop for wildlife viewing before a speed ride to make up time.

at the ruins, we did the tour 1st and lunch after..it kept distance between our group and a group from another ship. since lamania is a "new" discovery and very hard to get to, it's not being run-over by tourists. it's very quiet, you can hear the howler monkeys..it's a great day's adventure and i highly recommend it.

http://www.belizeexplorer.com/cgi-local/explorer.cgi?db=explorer&uid=default&Category=Mayan+Sites&view_records=1&nh=6&mh=1

[Tigergenesis]

We did this in 2007 and loved it! We didn't notice the length of the ride because our guide kept answering questions and we talked among ourselves. On the ride back to the ship most of us napped. The boat ride was great - we learned a lot about the area and saw a good amount of wildlife. The lunch was really good as well. We enojoyed the ruins and got to even climbed one. I highly recommend this tour.

[travelnman70]

We have done the Lamanai Tour twice with the local tour operator Allen from Experience Belize Tours. We had a great time and got a tour of Belize City on our way out of town. The boat ride down the New River was great fun and the ruins were some of my favorite that I have been to, because they are harder to get to, there are not very many people there and so we basically had the place to ourselves. It also came with a great lunch and we learned a ton about the ruins and also the wildlife there in Belize and had no problem getting back on time. You can see all the buses from the cruise ship tours and as long as you beat them back, you are OK. We are going back in March of this year on the NCL Spirit and as much as we loved Experience Belize Tours, they are a little bit more money unless you have a big group. (For 6 or more it is $87 per person) I am wondering if anyone has used the Island Marketing Ltd group for the Lamanai tour? They list basically the same tour for just $75 per person.

[jocpowell]

I too would like t know if anyone has used Island Marketing Ltd. as I am thinking of using them for up to 3 of our ports.

I am also looking for advice for cave tubing vs lamanai.

I have never been to Belize and 1st thoughts were for the tubing but sympatico had an article on their travel website for the 8 "new" romantic places to visit and the Lamanai ruins was one of them. Since this is my 20th anniversary cruise I thought that might be appropriate.

Any thoughts would be appreciated.

[Lard Greystoke]

I have never been to Belize and 1st thoughts were for the tubing but sympatico had an article on their travel website for the 8 "new" romantic places to visit and the Lamanai ruins was one of them. Since this is my 20th anniversary cruise I thought that might be appropriate.

Any thoughts would be appreciated.

 

I don't know how romantic cave-tubing is. Lamanai is certainly a unique spot. Definitely off the beaten path, pretty much deserted today, yet obviously a thriving metropolis a thousand years ago. Take your imagination if you go. Make sure you get off the boat early and are clear about time.

[sesquius]

Definitely recommend Lamanai. What I didn't know (and as other's have mentioned), is that it is a 45 minute ride by bus to the river. However, our tour guide kept us captivated with information of the area and history. Btw, we had to go over the only toll booth in the country to get to the river. Also, we were only about 40 miles from the Mexico border.

 

Overall, and interesting ride. The boat ride as someone mentioned was very windy. But the excursion at the Lamanai ruins was very interesting. At one of the ruins (the one with the rope) people were able to climb to the top. I didn't because of my fear of heights. :)

 

Ride back was quick and very windy, and we returned in time for lunch which was quite tasty.

 

Definitely would recommend this trip. .Btw, don't forget to take your bug spray (or they will try to sell you bug spray for $5).

[jluddy01]

We too are thinking of booking the Lamanai excursion thru NCL, one concern though... is it really a mile and half hike from the river boat to the ruins? I read that on one site. I have a very bad knee and am concerned I wouldn't be able to make that kind of walk just to get to the ruins. If it is that long, does anyone know if Altun Ha is less of a trek?

[pokyjones]

The hike definitely did not feel that long. You walk through the jungle a little bit, and then stop at the various ruins. You will get a long rest while some people in the group climb up one run (I assume you will skip that due to a bad knee).

[Toyz711]

it's about a mile to mile 1/2 around the circle. can you handle stepping over tree roots, up irregular stone steps? will walking through mud bother you. the path is not paved, some times you are on dirt, sometimes grass.

there's a couple of "uphill" areas, not bad, unless it's muddy.

we had a young man with us, he was the tour guide's helper. he watches for rear of the group, helped those that had trouble walking, helped a man with his climb up the one site, watched for critters.

we did have people in flip-flops and folks that didn't understand what they were in for. you need to walk up grassy, stone steps to get to the mask temple, a grassy meadow around the jaguar temple. then the tree roots and wood steps in the path near the start of the walk.

[Toyz711]

plus you need to step down to get into the boat and up to get out. the boat's driver will help...but the step can be iffy when you get to lamanai, the dock is a couple of wood planks nailed together. it's not real secure dock area (part of it's charm is how non-touristy lamanai is)

[debshomespun]

We did this tour from the Navigator (through the ship). It was a very interesting day. We enjoyed it very much. The bus ride is almost an hour, then we got on the boat ride. The river is very curvy, and the ride is windy. Takes about 45 min. There are restrooms once you get to Lamanai. There is also a small gift shop area to buy trinkets. Then we walked through the jungle path to the first set of ruins, small area. Then, on to the tall one, that has the rope, and you can climb. It is very steep. Once on top, you can look out over the valley, and see the New River. Great shots. We didn't eat until we got back from the boat ride, right before we got back on the bus. It was easier for them to feed everyone at the boat dock.

 

It was a nice day, and glad we went.