Xunantunich

[Ontariotrekker]

I've read the reviews here and on Trip Advisor and all are saying it's a walk of about 1 mile then uphill to the site. I did see where someone said that you get a drive up the hill with a Carnival shorex.

 

I'd appreciate an info re this from someone who has done this tour. I'm really not up to a climb but would love to see this one rather than Altun Ha. Neither my local TA or the rep I talked to at Carnival could help.

 

Thanks Shar

[marym933]

I've done this tour with Carnival. You take a bus to the hand bridge at the river. Get out of the bus and stand on the hand bridge to cross the river. Vans are waiting on the other side to take you to the entrance of the site. The vans dropped us off at the restroom area. We walked with a guide up a very steep hill. It was a challenge. My DH has A-Fib, so I must say I was worried about him. The guide stopped about half way up the hill at a pile of rocks. I thought he was going to tell us about some historic site. He said he was just stopping so we could catch our breath. After we reached the top of the hill, it was a further walk to the ruins.

 

I was a little concerned coming back down the hill. It was lightly raining, so I was afraid I'd start sliding down the hill.

 

I really don't think there are any provisions for getting handicapped folks to these ruins.

[stargate fan]

I've read the reviews here and on Trip Advisor and all are saying it's a walk of about 1 mile then uphill to the site. I did see where someone said that you get a drive up the hill with a Carnival shorex.

 

I'd appreciate an info re this from someone who has done this tour. I'm really not up to a climb but would love to see this one rather than Altun Ha. Neither my local TA or the rep I talked to at Carnival could help.

 

Thanks Shar

 

We booked this tour through Carnival for our Liberty cruise in April. It was amazing!! As previously stated, we drove to the entrance of the site, when our vans drove onto a hand-cranked bridge. (That was cool.) On the other side, we were all asked if anyone had difficulty walking up the hill. Those that did got into one of the vans and were driven to the ruins. The rest of us walked.

 

Note-it was very hot so we were glad we took water with us.

Note, part deux-we were especially glad that we booked through Carnival. (We almost always book independent tours, but with the distance and length we went with Carnival) Our tour left the ruins late, we had lunch late, arrived at the port late, had a private tender waiting for us, and made it back to the ship an hour late. Since this was a Carnival tour, the ship had to wait for us. Fun!

[hloakes]

I really enjoyed it, but if you have trouble walking long distances it may not be the right excursion for you.

[Bluewake]

We just did this excursion two weeks ago. Marym933's description is accurate. Although you will be taken from the bridge to the site by van, there is a walk up a hill and one flight of stairs to enter the ruins. And the walking around the ruins can be strenuous depending on whether you try to climb the ruins (a lot of steep steps!) or not. There were 2 or 3 people in our group who had difficulty walking and had to sit down to rest. We wondered why they had chosen this excursion. But if you just take it slow and don't want to climb up any ruins, it could be okay. Trouble is that the best views were from the tops of the buildings.

[lv2czlady]

We had a large group that did this tour last summer. My mother-in- law was with us and she has issues with her feet and has a difficult time walking. After the bathrooms, they asked if anyone in our group needed a ride to the top, we told them my MIL needed a ride. She met us at the top. She was not able to climb the ruins, but she did walk around the grounds and enjoyed the tour. This area is HOT!! Bring lots of water, stay in the shade when you can and ask for help when needed and I'm sure you'll be fine. We also do not usually book Carnival Excursions, but we are sure glad we did for this tour. Like Stargate fan mentioned, we also made it back to the ship late, we were the last tender back to the ship, in fact, my husband was the last one to step foot off the tender, the second he stepped on the ship they closed the ship doors, and before we were through security the ship was moving.

[vacruizer]

One of the best tours I've ever done. For those who are able, standing at the top of the main temple is a spectacular experience. It's scary getting up and down since the steps are steep, narrow, and have no railings but completely worth it in the end.

 

Once our bus got us to the ferry, we all got out and crossed the river on the hand crank ferry. Then small vans took us to the visitor center up the the hill. From that point most of the group walked the rest of the way up the hill to the actual ruins but a van was available for those who couldn't walk it. You don't have to climb the ruins, but a walking on uneven ground and some stairs are necessary to get around the site and be able to walk/stand for an hour or so.

 

This excursion wouldn't work for those who are very limited in mobility or in a wheelchair. But would be ok if general walking is ok. The site covers a good size plot of land. You do have to be able to get in and out of a small van easily and get around the site itself even if you don't climb the structures. It's a remote location on a mountain so there aren't paved walkways a lot of conveniences around. Definitely bring a hat, sunblock, insect repellant, and water.

[Ontariotrekker]

Thank you all for your quick concise replies... I got exactly the right info for me. I'm still pondering this trip since I really like seeing the countryside whenever possible. I did a land tour in Mexico a couple of years ago and was able to walk around several of the temple plazas so hopefully this will not cause a problem for me this time. As for climbing, well, bad knees & fear of heights = no temple temple steps to worry about. :)

 

Shar

[stargate fan]

We had a large group that did this tour last summer. My mother-in- law was with us and she has issues with her feet and has a difficult time walking. After the bathrooms, they asked if anyone in our group needed a ride to the top, we told them my MIL needed a ride. She met us at the top. She was not able to climb the ruins, but she did walk around the grounds and enjoyed the tour. This area is HOT!! Bring lots of water, stay in the shade when you can and ask for help when needed and I'm sure you'll be fine. We also do not usually book Carnival Excursions, but we are sure glad we did for this tour. Like Stargate fan mentioned, we also made it back to the ship late, we were the last tender back to the ship, in fact, my husband was the last one to step foot off the tender, the second he stepped on the ship they closed the ship doors, and before we were through security the ship was moving.

 

That was us. No sooner were we on that the gang plank was pulled in, door was closed, we felt the rumble of the engine, and THEN we walked through the security line.

 

The trip from land to the ship is normally around 25 minutes. The captain on our tender gunned the engine. When we looked out the front windows, all we could see was sky The aft end of the boat was nearly in the water. We made it back to the ship in 18 minutes!

[stargate fan]

Thank you all for your quick concise replies... I got exactly the right info for me. I'm still pondering this trip since I really like seeing the countryside whenever possible. I did a land tour in Mexico a couple of years ago and was able to walk around several of the temple plazas so hopefully this will not cause a problem for me this time. As for climbing, well, bad knees & fear of heights = no temple temple steps to worry about. :)

 

Shar

 

We had quite a few people who did not climb the main ruin. Even so, they said the sights were amazing and that it was worth the trip!