Is Xunantunich strenuous?

[mafig]

Trying to decide between Altun Ha and Xunantunich for an excursion on Carnival Legend in December.

 

They both sound good, although Xunantunich seems to be getting better reviews on this board.

 

However, I'm a little concerned about the climbing and the uphill walking.:o

 

Before a cruise I try to lose a little weight and part of that plan is exercise. So by the time of the cruise I'm used to walking several miles and biking between 7-10 miles is not a problem. However, I live in Florida (no hills) in a ranch (no stairs), and hills just kill me.

 

So just how strenuous is this excursion? I want to climb the pyramid (I'm not afraid of heights). Will I be able to?

[qaperson]

We're trying to decide between these sites in terms of which are the more interesting, or more magificent ruins. Any input would be appreciated!

[gjules]

I was on the Miracle in 2004 and went on the Xunantunich ruin excursion...it was awesome and I enjoyed it so much I am going on it again when I'm on the Legend in October.

 

There is a little hike to the visitor center and then to the site itself. Be prepared for the heat...that bothered me more than the hiking. The tour guides do have bottled water and I would advise that you take advantage of it. The hike to the visitor center is up a small hill, but the hike to the ruin is relatively flat. It is quite a climb to the top of the ruin, but not everyone climbed to the top. If you do, the view is amazing! Just take it slow and I'm sure you'll be fine.

 

So, enjoy the excursion (the lunch was great!) and don't forget your bug spray, sunscreen, comfy shoes and a hat. Have a great time!

[mafig]

Thanks!!!

 

Just what I wanted to hear.:D

[HokiePoq]

Just what I'm trying to decide to do! Is the Xunantunich tour much better than the other one? It's wonderful to go on this board and find folks who are trying to make the same decision I am! I am not finding either online with Holland America the day after we booked the cruise. I can call them and get wait listed or are there other alternatives?

[gjules]

Sorry, i don't know about Holland's excursions. On Carnival, they offer the excursions to both. Altun Ha costs less than Xunantunich and I think it's smaller. That excursion is also shorter and there's no lunch provided. The Xunantunich excursion is a little bit longer, only costs about $6 more and there's a nice lunch provided. That's what sold us! When I went on it before, the lunch was at a nice resort and was absolutely delicious! Plus it's in an air conditioned bus instead of an open air boat out in the heat and I'm traveling with an 80 yr old and a 77 yr old and I don't think they'd do so well in the heat.

 

Have fun with whatever you decide!!

[OttoCal]

Here's our group at a resting point on our climb up the large pyramid at Xunantunich. OUr guide had us stop at least twice, and we did climb the smaller pyramid first. It was a bit strenuous, but we loved it.

 

[OttoCal]

And here are some stairs- these were pretty narrow, no railings- it is not like climbing up an enclosed staircase, and the people in our group who were afraid of heights clung to the walls at the top of the larger pyramid and wouldn't go near the edge at all.

 

 

But it is a beautiful site, and going over the small hand-cranked ferry to get to the park is really fun.

 

[mafig]

Thanks for those pictures. :)

 

I notice alot of you pretty covered up. Was this because of the bugs????

Do you feel it was necessary, or overkill? I was going to wear capris, a t-shirt and sneakers with socks. However, if you advise it, I'll switch to long pants and a long sleeved blouse and advise my dh to wear long pants too.

[OttoCal]

Actually, we found Xuantunich to be relatively bug-free- but we had spent several days deeper in the jungle and some of us were covered in bites on our legs if we wore shorts or capri pants. Even the 90% deet didn't cut it :eek: on the rivers in the jungle. So we were in 'better safe than sorry' mode by that time of our trip. And the hats were because we had been in areas that had monkeys. Monkeys stay in the trees and you don't want to be underneath them without a hat. :cool:

 

This was in January, temps in low 80's maybe? We were also there in the morning, on a non-cruise ship day, so there were fewer crowds. And the bugs didn't seem to go high up on the castillo anyway.

 

But a tank top under a light airy long sleeve button down shirt isn't a bad idea- then you can have some sun protection if you want, or take it off and tie the shirt around your waist.

 

Some of the guys I think had on those convertible pants that the leg zips off and they turn into shorts. They have them at Old Navy and Land's End, usually.

 

 

Wish I could offer an opinon about Altun Ha, we were going to go there at the end of our trip, but after 4 jungle days out of our prior week, I just refused to do any more activities that involved going to the jungle. I would go on our next trip, but after being in Belize for over a week, I wanted more sea!

[HokiePoq]

Thanks gjules and Otto. HAL goes to the same two places. The pictures have sold me on X. Thanks so much!!!

[driftwood]

"Xunantunich, visually impressive and easy to reach, has a crenellated top and magnificent frieze. Lamanai centers on a pyramid dating to the time of Christ, and waits at the end of a dreamy New River jungle cruise. Altun Ha, closest to Belize City, is a well-manicured park."--Destination Belize 2006

 

Xunantunich is nearly on the western border with Guatemala; Altun Ha and Lamanai are northwest of Belize City, although Lamanai is on the far side of the New River from Belize City--which is why tourists are usually taken there by boat.

 

The photographs of the ruins in this free fat publication show even women wearing slacks while touring--it looks like it would be fairly easy to get a bit scraped on the ruins, aside from mosquitoes and much sunlight. Even the Tourist Board advises long-sleeved shirts and pants for any travel to a jungle location. Outside Belize City the U.S. State Department advises that there is a risk of malarial infection, and the CDC has noted an increase in the incidence of dengue in the remoter areas of Belize. Mosquitoes are the vector for both diseases.

 

I really appreciated OttoCal's photographs, as I have not seen many of Xunantunich, and I hope to have a few of my own when we visit in January . . . . :D

[gjules]

I didn't really notice bugs either and wore shorts and a tee shirt. I will, however, use bug spray and wear a hat, mainly because I've seen what Bot Flies can do and they look totally NASTY!!! :eek:

[SqueakyDust]

Thank you for the photos - those stairs look really scary to me!

 

We have the choice of ruins in Belize and/or Mexico on our cruise so it's great to see/read otehrs opinions.

[lgfromdg]

Do you have the option of not climbing the pyramids? I could make it up the stairs but fear going down.

[driftwood]

I have never known an occasion when anyone had to climb any pyramid. At Nohoch Mul in Coba, I think probably fewer than 5% of us even attempted to climb. You will find that the guides are all very considerate, seldom desire to climb themselves, and it is quite possible that the fewer people who climb the pyramids, the better everyone likes it, as the wear and tear on the monuments from plant life is bad enough. But every site tries to cater to every tourist, and some of us are more enthusiastic than rational . . . . ;)

[OttoCal]

No- you don't have to climb the pyramids, and the stairs weren't really that scary. Would advise not climbing the larger pyramid if you are afraid of heights. There isn't a railing! Go ahead and climb the smaller one though, it seemed to be easier for those in our crew that didn't like heights.

 

The malaria bearing mosquitoes are more in the southern part of the country- and really, this is not at all jungly compared to the places we were in Placencia where a guide had to hack back branches with a machete on the paths and there were many jungle creatures to be found. The only thing we saw for any insect was a funny orange caterpiller thing at Xunantunich. Not even any birds, which was a dissapointment, as there are magnificent birds in Belize- couldn't belive it when we saw a toucan outside our lodge one morning in Cayo.

[warjo2611]

Thanks everyone, this thread sold me on a excursion to Xunantunich in July or Aug of '08 with family. We are going on RCI Enchantment of Seas, and wanted to see the ruins. I have one more question-If anyone knows the excursion from the ship is 7 hours long, I found out that the ride from the port is 3 to 3.5 long, is this true? Thanks for info and picturs.

warjo2611

[driftwood]

Although you do travel across Belize to get to Xunantunich, Belize is not so very wide, and except for a hand-cranked ferry across the Mopan River there isn't much that could interfere. The day tours of Xunantunich that are on offer seem always to have lunch and a visit, whether to Belize Botanical Gardens or the Belize Zoo or the Trek Stop Butterfly Tour, thrown in, for about a per-person $99 US package.

 

As the country is small, they would probably have noticed by now whether a lot of Shanghaied cruise passengers were standing around outside the gates to the port area. So my suspicion would be that it will be an "all-day" trip as all-day trips go, but your tour guide will be watching the clock more closely than you will.--You may even get in some shopping time if you don't linger over your beans and rice!:p