Altun Ha/ Belize City Tour

[RJN]

There will be a large group of us, all ages, in Belize in June. I am looking for comments on the Altun Ha & Belize City Tour. Would anyone like to share their experience on this tour?

[rosej]

I just got back last week. I did the Altun Ha and Belize City tour (A tale of two cities) through Princess Cruises (we were on the Coral Princess). The tour of Belize City was quite extensive (IMHO). Apparently there are no building codes there and people just build what they can afford. For many that is not much. Some places are just shacks built out of scraps of this or that. And yet (for me) there was character to the place. A couple elderly folks sitting on an old porch playing what looked like checkers or a young girl in her spotless crisp school uniform climbing some rickety stairs to her home in a faded wooden shed with no windows. We drove past the fish market where fisherman brought in and sold their catches and pelicans waited patiently for a snack. We drove past schools. The people of Belize are obviously proud of their children and focus on education.

 

Our tour guide explained how fortunate we were to have a driver talented enough to safely navigate the very narrow streets. At one point...we had to pause for a trash truck. Next to us was a small waterway (canal). There were some people sitting on an old bench....looking at us...expressionless until a tiny girl waved to us. We waved back and then her mother and the other people on the bench smiled and waved too. It just gave you a good feeling.

 

The highway was fine but once we turned off to go to Altun Ha the road became a series of small curves. Even though there is a bathroom on the bus....I don't recommend trying to use it once you've turned off the highway!! If you get motionsick....well, everyone on our bus was OK but I was wishing I had a little snack to settle my stomach. Just before we got to Altun Ha people on the bus were starting to ask "When will we get there???"

At Altun Ha there is a nice bathroom. Another good reason to wait until you get there. Our guide gave everyone a bottle of water as they got off the bus. There is also a little snack place. One of the small 1/3 size Pringle cans was $1 as were other small bags of chips. But I was happy to buy them.

 

Our guide at Altun Ha was very good and I got a lot out of the tour. You can't climb the actual front steps of the structures but they have built some steps on one side and do allow you to climb to the top of one of the structures. Be sure and bring a hat or something for shade as the main plazas are open and very sunny. There are some trees at the perimeter.

 

There is a tiny gift shop just before you enter Altun Ha and then another little shopping area closer to the parking lot. They have wonderful wooden canes/ walking sticks. I wanted to buy one but couldn't figure out how to get it back on the plane. I think the prices and quality here were better than at the pier. They also had wooden carvings and nice bowls.

 

This tour sold out quickly on our ship. Hope this helps. If you have any questions I'll be happy to try and answer.

[dnrrmil]

How much walking or climbing is there on this tour? We're trying to decide if my Dad should go. He's has past knee surgery and extensive walking or stairs are hard from him. Is it something he could enjoy by just walking the grounds? Is there enough places to sit down if needed?

 

Thanks for your help.

[rosej]

It's all relative. For a Mayan site, AltunHa is quite small and therefore not near as much walking as at Tulum or some of the other larger sites. Of course there are the few steps getting on and off the bus but I'm sure someone could help him. Once off the bus you walk up a cement path to the bathrooms. After that the path becomes dirt. I don't recall any steps at all. I looked in the Princess booklet and it just says "Must be able to negotiate uneven surfaces." I would certainly say no climbing of any kind is required. The dirt path has a very gentle slope (almost flat) and the plazas (he would need to walk across two of them) are amazingly flat.

 

At the very start of the tour, the group stops in a covered picnic type area where there are seats and the guide gives some information about the site.

Then we walk to the first Plaza. There is only shade around the perimenter. We stood in the sun for about 10 minutes. There was nowhere to sit. Next we moved to the other side of the Plaza under a huge tree. There were some places to sit but not enough places for the entire bus group. We were here for another 10 minutes or so. We then walked to the second Plaza and stood or sat under another big shade tree. Again not enough places for everyone to sit. At this point, people who wanted to climb went with one of the guides to the pyramid. The people who didn't want to climb, could shop at the little booths or just walk slowly back to the bus.

 

The big variable here would be how many other tours are there at the same time. We had one other tour that was ahead of us. When they would move from their location....we would take their spot (under the tree, for example). But if there are many tours at the same time....then your group many not be lucky enough to end up under the tree.

 

I really enjoyed seeing the ruins at AltunHa. If your dad likes ruins, this would probably be one of easiest for him to see. When I was on the plane, it seems I saw a special cane that you could fold out a tiny seat from and sit down on. At any rate, be sure and take hats. Hope this helps...

[Butterfinger1954]

We visited Altun Ha Mayan Ruins in early Feb 2005. My 73 year old father in law was with us. He has two artificial knees and had no problems getting around at the site. The ground is quite even. He climbed the steps to the top of the largest temple just fine but did trip on the uneven platform on top. In no time he was surrouned by people who gladly helped him up. He was just fine and grinned about all the attention he got.

 

Kathy in Maine

Butterfinger1954@yahoo.com

 

How much walking or climbing is there on this tour? We're trying to decide if my Dad should go. He's has past knee surgery and extensive walking or stairs are hard from him. Is it something he could enjoy by just walking the grounds? Is there enough places to sit down if needed?

 

Thanks for your help.