Western Caribbean - which ruins to go to?

[brightfeather]

We are on the Jewel to the Western Caribbean in January. This is first time to these ports and I'd really like to get some input on what you think is the best place to see ruins out of the 4 stops.

Cozumel (Tulum)

Roatan - not sure what's there to see for ruins, if anything

Belize

Costa Maya

 

Our main focus when visiting any new port is culture & history (and some beach time is always good too) -- so any help is greatly appreciated.

[roger001]

Belize is a pretty easy one to see. It's about a 45 minute bus ride out to the ruins. The ruins are in an open setting and all easy to walk around. The big one can be climbed. Costa Maya is about an hour bus ride. The ruins are more located in a semi jungle type setting and not quite as accessible but still interesting.

[Oldgoat61]

I have only been to one ruin, and that was Tulum. Wanted to see the ruins in Costa Maya, but the ship couldn't dock. Tulum is great, and the sight from the cliff onto the ocean (which you can go down to and swim) is exceptional.:)

[alrichards4003]

I would say Altun Ha in Belize you don't have to travel very far, I liked the small ones in Cozumel, as it allowed us to see ruins and swim.

[sjbdtz]

The best ruins we've seen have been Tulum, and Lamanai.

 

Since I've forgotten which port you're visiting, look for one of these. ;)

 

 

 

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[Azure Moon]

brightfeather wrote: "Cozumel (Tulum)

Roatan - not sure what's there to see for ruins, if anything

Belize

Costa Maya"

 

 

 

We've been to Tulum (Cozumel), Lamanai (Been there twice. Belize), and Chacchoben (Costa Maya).

 

We enjoyed all three of the ruins as they were all different in setting, number of structures on the sites, etc., and we learned something new at each.

 

Tulum is unique in that it sits next to the water. You cannot climb the structures anymore. There are iguanas everywhere. You can go down the staircase to the beach and dip a toe or take a quick swim while visiting Tulum.

 

Many people think it's a long bus ride to the site, but my husband and I didn't mind the bus ride at all since it gives us time to listen to the guide give information about the country, the site you will be visiting, etc.; see the town(s)/countryside; rest and relax before spending time walking the site and recovering from the early morning departure for the excursion and busy day.

 

Lamanai is an adventure all the way around as you take the tender to get to Belize City, get on the excursion bus which takes you to a place where you get on a boat that takes you on a river to get to the ruins of Lamanai, then do it all again to return to the ship at the end of the day. On the bus ride you will learn about Belize, the site you will be visiting, etc. During the boat ride on the river you may see birds, alligator/crocodile (I can never remember which *roll eyes*), monkeys, plants, and insects you've not seen before. On our second trip to Lamanai, we saw another tour boat that a spider monkey had gotten onto.

 

At Lamanai you are in the Jungle. You may hear and/or see howler monkeys. You can climb the tall temple here (at least you could when we were there in 2009 and 2011). Our ship-booked excursions included a lunch and during the visit in 2009 we ate at Lamanai right before touring the site and during the visit in 2011 we ate at the stop along the river where we got the boat that took us to and from Lamanai.

 

If you'd like to learn some extra information about Belize, Lamanai, and the Mayans, check out the television program called "Cities of the Underworld" which had an episode about Belize. It was a very interesting series and this episode was especially interesting since we'd been to the places this show covered *cool*. On rare occasions episodes are shown, but you may find it on itunes or some other place television shows can be seen or purchased.

 

Chacchoben required a van ride (private-booked) to the site so we got to see the countryside along the way, and get some information from the guide as to the country and the ruins we would be seeing. We were able to climb a structure. We learned a lot about the Mayan calendar during this visit.

 

Tulum and Lamanai tie as our favorite Mayan ruins. They are very different from each other and both very interesting.

 

No matter which site(s) you choose, you will have a terrific time learning about the people, their way of life, the countryside, and the buildings they created. Have fun!

 

Roatan, I'd suggest going to Tabyana Beach for swimming, snorkeling right off the beach, seeing fish and coral. Or go to one of the hotels or other businesses next to Tabyana on the West End (If I recall correctly that being the area's name) where you can do the same - snorkel right off the beach, swim, etc. We went to Tabyana Beach in 2008 and 2009. In 2011 we took a private tour of the island.

[quercus alba]

We enjoyed Tulum a lot--spectacular setting, easy walking for the most part.

If you're doing it from Cozumel, definitely book it through the ship. We got back quite late, what with the ferry and bus transfers, and it was good to know we wouldn't get left!

[brightfeather]

Thank you to all who repkied. Its been very helpful! !!

 

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[rbrugler]

In Cozumel book the Chitzunitza tour. It is a long bus ride, but worth every minute. We have been to many ruins, and this was by far the most fascinating. I would do it again in a minute. In Belize, El Capitan cannot be beat. It was incredible. We went to Tulum and thought it was a wast after seeing these two ruins. Altunha with its masks is neat as well. We went thre from Costa Maya.

[caribsun]

I highly recommend this tour in Costa Maya.

http://www.thenativechoice.com/mayan_experience.php

[lacrossemitch]

As others have mentioned, each port has a unique set of ruins for you to be able to visit. That was pretty high on our list the last time we did Western Caribbean as we are both history buffs. Id recommend checking out findmyexcursion.com. It's where we found all of our tours at. Enjoy!