Loved Belize & Lamanai

[BiggerBob]

We just returned Dec 10th from our cruise. We did the Lamanai River tour thru RCI and it was the highlight of our trip.

 

We had a one hour drive on a air-conditioned tour bus thru the country side of Belize. Randy our tour guide was very interesting and gave us a lot of information on Belize and the people. He was very proud of his country and the people of Belize. When leaving the bus they handed out water bottles to all passengers. We had a total of 19 people on the tour that day.

 

Beside the river there is a quaint little area with a few vendors and washroom facilities. We then got in our boat and headed down or up the river (I'm not sure which) on a spectacular ride. The scenery is amazing and the boat driver kept stopping to point out different birds, lizards, alligators, plants etc. He even had a bird book he would pass around after we had spotted the different birds. The boat ride is approx 40-50 mins in length.

 

We arrived at the ruin site and right away were greeted by a family of howler monkeys making their way thru the tree tops!! The ruins and jungle are breathtaking, it is indescribable and beautiful. We wore shorts and running shoes for the trip, also used the bug repellent wipes. However no one in our family had bites or did we notice insects.

 

After touring the site we had a traditional Belize lunch made and served by the locals. There was rice, cole slaw, salsa, chips, chicken, coconut tarts and bottled pop to drink. They had Fanta in bottles, that took me way back in time! The food was delicious.

 

At the site there is a small shopping area with about 3-4 huts with local crafts for sale. The people were all very friendly and prices were fair. They are not pushy like the vendors at other locations.

 

The ride back on the boat was a bit shorter as they did not stop as often to point things out. Once we returned we had time to purchase items from the vendors. I bought a beautiful hand carved wooden bowl that I love made from Zericote wood. Also bought a bottle of Belkin beer that sure quenched my thirst for $3.

 

We then boarded the bus for the ride back to the port. It was a nice quiet time to reflect on all the wonderful things we had seen that day. We still had about 45 minutes left to spend in the port area before catching the last boat tender back to the ship.

 

This day was the highlight of our trip and I am glad we were able to share it with our two children 15 & 16 yrs old, they loved it too!

__________________

[LogCabinMom]

Thanks for the great review! I just booked this tour for our end-of-April cruise. Do you think it will go over well with a six year old?

 

~ Lore'

[sportsterjohn]

A 6yr old may get a bit tired and perhaps cranky, but then again you may get lucky and the kid may be fine during the tour and crash early that night, giving you some 'free time' I saw a few 8-10yr olds that did fine on the tour. There is nothing real difficult about the tour but it is a long day and a fair amount of walking.

[BiggerBob]

1st explorer cruise-I think a 6 yr old will enjoy it. The boat ride will be a thrill for him/her, as you cruise along the winding river. There was a fair bit of walking, but there is so much to look at around you that you hardly notice the walking. Make sure you have your 6 yr old on the look out to see and hear the howler monkeys!!

 

You will love it!

[marion10]

We've booked this with our 17 and 14 year olds. Thanks for the review.

[LogCabinMom]

1st explorer cruise-I think a 6 yr old will enjoy it. The boat ride will be a thrill for him/her, as you cruise along the winding river. There was a fair bit of walking, but there is so much to look at around you that you hardly notice the walking. Make sure you have your 6 yr old on the look out to see and hear the howler monkeys!!

 

You will love it!

 

Thanks BiggerBob! DS was keeping a close watch on Survivor Guatamala episodes this fall, and is totally ready to hunt howler monkeys. :) I think he'll do OK with the walking. We walk a brisk mile or more at stretch here at home, and with the boat and bus time on either side of the ruins I'm figuring he'll have time to recover. We're really looking forward to it!

[Diva Onboard]

Thanks BiggerBob -

 

Your review is the reason I booked this excursion through RCCL for my upcoming cruise on the Legend. Thanks for the objectivity. Hope I have as much fun as your family did.

[BiggerBob]

ebielik-Glad you enjoyed the review! You will have a great time and you will love LOS too. We keep reliving our day at Lamanai thru our pictures and video.

 

Sure wish I was back there and back on board. Have a great cruise!

[jetskier]

I have to agree with Bob, Lamanai is a great place to go. Climbing the ruins was optional but the view at the top was excellant. Here is a little spider our tour guide was able to coax out of the ground.

Dave