Belize: Lamania and river cruise or Altun Ha and Old Belize Rriver cruise

[Guest derry,nh]

Does anyone have any opinions on which of these two excursions is the best. Lamanai is an hour longer according to shore excusion booklet. Any help would be appreciated.

[rjscott]

We did the Lamanai and New River excursion and enjoyed it very much. During the drive to your boat, you'll have the opportunity to see the Belize countryside. The boat ride is very pleasant, and the guide stops along the way to point out various wildlife. Lunch, a typical Belize meal of chicken, rice and beans, is provided before entering the jungle. The ruins are fairly extensive, with some sites fully excavated and others in the process. There is a temple (pyramid) that can be climbed. You'll see and hear (mostly hear) the howler monkeys along your walk through the ruins.

[mared1]

Does anyone have any opinions on which of these two excursions is the best. Lamanai is an hour longer according to shore excusion booklet. Any help would be appreciated.

We did the Altun Ha and River Wallace tour in January. Altun Ha has several buildings that are unearthed as well as some that are not and you are able to climb to the top of one. We had been to Tulum and I think that is more impressive, but this was still interesting.

The ride on the River Wallace turned out to be an adventure. About 30 us were in a boat with a guide who stood and pointed out wildlife on the shore or along the river banks and the pilot of the boat would pull over so everyone could see and take pictures. It was a beautiful Sunny day until about 35 minutes into the tour when the sky darkened and it started to rain. Since there is no canopy on the boat, the guide got out 2 large tarps that we had to put over ourselves and hold onto while the boat continued up the river. It just poured and was windy as well. Even with the tarp, I got soaked! We finally got back to the pier - this took about 20 minutes but seemed a lot longer. I wanted to shop but we were so wet and uncomfortable that I did a quick look at a few shops and then took the tender back to the ship and dry clothes.

[SantaCruzer]

We have done this tour two times now. Our first one was through NCL and our guide was Mario. He was awesome and full of information. There were about 30 people on board a covered high speed flat bottom boat. I just did this again through Princess the week of 2/20/06 and our tour guide was Mel. There were 17 people on this boat and he took our picture at the big temple and then emailed it all to us. Very Cool! Once again he had lots to tell and a great personality. We learned different things each time. This last time we saw many howler monkey, 2 crocs, a few turtles and a huge tarantula that the guide's assisstant held for us all to touch, photo, etc. The lunch is delicious. There were some people on board who had done the other tour and they said they enjoyed this one better. The river is very intriging. It is amazing that they have learned to navigate the many different fingers. I bought a really nice carved walking cane in the form of a cobra for $12. He wanted $25 originally. Another lady with us bought the plain one for $10. I'd do it again, but now I am curious about the other sites. Have fun!

[Guest derry,nh]

Thanks everyone for your input. Am on NCL Dream on March 18 and have booked Altun Ha but think will see if I can switch to Lamanai one. That walking cane sounds kind of neat, not that I need it at moment but always handy to have just in case. Thanks Again.:)

[poohrlc]

Just got back from Explorer of the Seas and we did the Lamanai tour. Mario was also our guide and VERY informative. The rainforest was great and the ruins were amazing. I would suggest this excursion to anyone looking to do something other than the beaches while cruising!

[Scorpiorose]

Is this tour available through carnival or do you book separately? I've been torn now between altun ha and something else, just doesn't seem like it's that great....ideas? We're booked altun ha through carnival.:o

[rjscott]

We booked the tour independently thru http://belizecruiseexcursions.com/Lamanai_Belize.htm

[Scorpiorose]

I didn't see where they said the time line for this tour. Do you cut it pretty close to the time limit? On the web site it said you have to have 4 to book but it is just me and my bf? Any ideas?

[rjscott]

Scorpiorose, there were 4 of us when we booked. Perhaps you could check the roll call for your cruise and see if anyone else is interested? Or, I believe there are a couple of other companies who do independent tours. Do a search of posts for Lamanai. When we did book, I expressed (via email) my concern about the timing and getting back to the ship. Our guide was very cognizant of our concerns (there ended up being 4 others from our ship) and we were back at the port terminal about an hour before the last tender. Hope this helps!

 

Becki

[Scorpiorose]

Thanks Becki! Have you seen Altun Ha? Could you compare? Thanks again!

[rjscott]

Scorpiorose, no, haven't been to Altun Ha, but hope to. I've read good things about it. We chose Lamanai because a couple we knew had done it on a previous cruise and raved about it. I don't think you'd be disappointed in either Altun Ha or Lamanai.

 

Becki

[Scorpiorose]

From the web site it seems like Lamanai is bigger but do you know, is it further away? How long was your tour? Appreciate it!

[rjscott]

Scorpiorose, from what I'd looked at before we chose Lamanai, it seemed Altun Ha was further, and, if I'm remembering correctly, the trip to Altun Ha was all by motor vehicle, and we liked the idea of the river trip. I believe the whole trip was about 6 hrs, including lunch.

 

Becki

[Scorpiorose]

Oh my goodness, 6 hrs. I might be a little worried about betting back in time....I wouldn't want to be trapped in Belize. We are now booked for Altun Ha/river tour so we get there by boat. Maybe we'll do Altun Ha this time and next year do Lamanai. Only because we don't have 4 ppl. thanks Becki!

[rjscott]

scorpiorose, I might be a little off about the total time of our excursion. It was the same as the ship's excursion, and like I said, the tour operator was very conscious of our need to be back and we were early. I'm sure you'll enjoy Altun Ha. I'll be looking for your review of it. :)

 

Becki

[Scorpiorose]

Well, we'll be doing Altun Ha and Costa Maya ruins.....at least we'll be able to compare and I'll be sure to review. Thanks!

[BobbieSu]

Scorpiorose,

 

We did the Lamanai/ river trip and loved it. We were with RCCL and booked through the ship. I wouldn't have done it any other way. If Carnival does not have a Lamanai trip then I would think that the River Wallace/ Altun Ha trip would be very comparable.

 

My sister has seen both Lamanai and Altun Ha (though not on a cruise) and felt they were both worthwhile to see.

 

I hope you enjoy your trip to Belize. We felt it was the most enjoyable day of the cruise.

 

Su

[dlstex]

Scorpiorose, just did the Altun Ha/RiverWallace tour on the Miracle and had a great time. We were to see the ruins in Costa Maya but seas were too rough to dock so will have to try again. From what I gather, Lamanai is a little more impressive but farther out. Belize is a port that you almost need to book through the ships to insure they will be there when you return. Our ship left 40 minutes late due to excursions that exceeded the time limits. Belize’s best roads are worse than anything I have seen. The motorcoach drove on the shoulder most of the time to avoid the potholes. Half the people will take a motorcoach to the ruins than take the boat back to port while the other half will do the opposite. We got back with about an hour to spare. That was more than enough time to check out the port.

[beached]

We went to Lamanai on a ship booked tour on Legend. The day was great, the river trip and ruins were interesting and informative. Our guide Vel and helper Orlando did a fabulous job. We can't wait to return. Ruins, monkeys, Peter Pan crocodiles. What more could you want? We made it back just in time for the last tender, and the ship was on its way before we even got to our cabin. I'd book through the ship for these personally.

[mnsawyer]

Dlstex - what time did the River Wallace tour depart on the Miracle? Was there lunch available? Assume it wasn't included in the cost of the tour? Website indicates 6 hour tour?

[dlstex]

Dlstex - what time did the River Wallace tour depart on the Miracle? Was there lunch available? Assume it wasn't included in the cost of the tour? Website indicates 6 hour tour?

We were to leave the Miracle at 8:30 but did not get off until 9:15. There were loads of cave tubers that got off first. Tenders were my only complaint I had with Carnival. And lunch was not provided. When we got to the resort :eek: where we switched to the boat you can buy lunch. It was good but there were so many other people there for various excursions there was little time to eat. It got a little rushed at this point. But once we got on the boat were could relax and really enjoy the scenery.

[Guest derry,nh]

:) I originally posted the question and did the New River Safari and Lamanai ruins through the NCL ship we were on. The trip was fantastic, bus ride OK, then the river ride looking for animals and birds along the way but then at Lamanai had lunch and then our guide took us through the forest and explained about the various trees etc (some people thought it was boring though and wanted to get to the ruins but it was 95 in the sun so actually enjoyed the shade of the trees) and saw 3 different Mayan ruins but the second one, you could actually climb to the top. The steps are kind of tall but there is a rope to help steady you but I had to do it as may never get the chance again. Also some vendors selling carvings at the boat dock at very reasonable prices before we got back on the bus. It was a long day but well worth it and the bus had cold water bottles for us so that helped. Belize by far was the best port of call out of Cozumel, Roatan and Belize. My husband went snorkelling and he agreed the best place for snorkelling.:)

[glenmo]

I didn't see where they said the time line for this tour. Do you cut it pretty close to the time limit? On the web site it said you have to have 4 to book but it is just me and my bf? Any ideas?

 

You don't have to have 4 to book. They need 4 people going to make it worth their while. If there are other people going at the same time then there is no problem.