Belize Ruins Question

[ghp]

NCL offers excursion to two Mayan Ruins Lamana & Altun HA in Belize. Has anyone been on both. Would appreciate any help in making a choice.

Thanks,

ghp:confused:

[HRHMadonna]

I have only been to Lamanai....But when I posed this same question the answer I got from locals as well as fellow cruisers was that the ruins at Lamanai were much more impressive....However, I understand that Altun Ha takes a little less time to get to and has easier access. I was hesitant to post "second hand" information, but since no one has replied to your post, I thought I would share what we were told.

 

We thoroughly enjoyed the boat ride, lunch and tour at Lamanai...Highly recommended.

[NSgal]

I haven't been to either one, but was debating the same question. After all me researching, and advice given, we are going to Lamanai.

[Toyz711]

that's what happened to me...as i researched, the reviews for lamanai were sooooo great..lamanai won! (and it was sooo worth it, one of the best tours ever)

this website helped:

http://www.belizeexplorer.com/cgi-local/explorer.cgi?db=explorer&uid=default&Category=Mayan+Sites&view_records=1&nh=1

 

2 things won me over...(though i hope to go to altun ha soon)

1. lamanai is a a fairly recent discovery

2. not over-run by tourists, since you can only get there by the river

[gracie65]

you may also want to check with a private vendor. We just got back from Belize, we didn't do the ruins but did use Nacho & Cynthia. We did Zipline & Cave tubbing. Nacho however is somewhat of an expert with the Mayans. Next time we go back we are sticking with them & doing the Mayan Ruins. Here is the web site: http://www.ncqadventuretours.com/tours.html

[ghp]

Thanks sooooooooooo much for all your help. We booked the Lamanai trip. This is our first trip to the Caribbean. We are on the Jan. 18,2009 cruise on NCL Spirit leaving out of New Orleans. Since we've never been to NO we booked a couple of days there before the ship leaves. Have any of you been on the steam boat tour?

[traveler523]

Thanks sooooooooooo much for all your help. We booked the Lamanai trip. This is our first trip to the Caribbean. We are on the Jan. 18,2009 cruise on NCL Spirit leaving out of New Orleans. Since we've never been to NO we booked a couple of days there before the ship leaves. Have any of you been on the steam boat tour?

 

Haven't been on a "steam boat" tour, but DW and I have been on a paddle-boat tour on the Mississippi River. We enjoyed the short trip, although there was nothing really to look at. If you enjoy live music, there are plenty of places that have local musicians that play daily, several blues-type establishments (House of Blues the most famous). House of Blues has "open-mic night" and Margaritaville has live music, good food and great margaritas:D . Pat O'Brien's has nice souvenir glasses and if you like fruity alcoholic drinks, you must try a hurricane. If you are traveling with children, I would steer clear of most of the French Quarter, as the alcohol flows freely, and you never know what you'll see ;) .

Something else to pass the time is a horse drawn carriage tour of the cemetaries that can be pretty good if you get a good driver. Several walking tours of the area are also available.

 

Be safe and have fun!

 

Traveler 523

[ghp]

Thanks travelor. We will be sure to try The House of Blues nothing better than jazz and a good margarita or two or five.:D

[rivercruiser]

I have only been to Lamanai....But when I posed this same question the answer I got from locals as well as fellow cruisers was that the ruins at Lamanai were much more impressive....However, I understand that Altun Ha takes a little less time to get to and has easier access. I was hesitant to post "second hand" information, but since no one has replied to your post, I thought I would share what we were told.

 

We thoroughly enjoyed the boat ride, lunch and tour at Lamanai...Highly recommended.

I'm going to be in Belize on the Legent in a few weeks. Who did you use as your tour operator to go to Lamanai? Heavy bug spray required? General cost?

Thanks.

[Toyz711]

i would have loved to go with a local, private vendor...BUT with the length of the tour and the tendering, we went with our ship's tour (NCL)..

even though the bus wasn't great (engine ran great, but interior needed help...bathroom worked!). we lucked out, had one of the best tour guides...top 2 in our travel history.

glad we did, we got back in time for the 2nd to last tender...(jewell, the tour guide, said it was the earliest they have been back in WEEKS)

left the ship, on the 1st tender, at 8:15am, was on the bus and heading out of town..by 8:30...on the tour boat by 10am...at Lamanai about 11am..got back to dock 4:30pm. it's a VERY long day!!

[Jenbo57]

Here's the link to my pictures from Altun Ha. We had a great time there, and although it's considered a minor site, it's very, very interesting. (We considered Lamanai, but I wanted to be able to see some of Belize City, and we wouldn't have been able to do both.)

 

http://www.jenbo.smugmug.com/gallery/5014836_WAVMX#P-1-20

[tonyt]

Thanks for the pictures.

tonyt

[ghp]

Great pictures thanks for sharing.

[Rossey]

About 3 years ago, we did the speed boat escursion up the river plus the lunch and Lamanai tour. It was one of the best excursions we've ever been on. Lunch was quite good and Lamanai was excellent. Hearing the howler monkeys was an added treat. Remember to bring bug spray. It's quite wooded there. This is a very long trip but well worth it.

[ghp]

Thanks for the info we are going on the same trip January 2009. We are counting down the days. :D

[Starfire_rules]

Thanks JenBo for the pictures. I was wondering if Altun Ha was good for our group. (One has a oxygen tank) and now I know it is perfect. Great pictures.

[MDSue]

We did a ship excursion that included a river cruise one way to the ruins and then a bus ride back. I really enjoyed the trip. On the river part we saw lots of native wildlife including monkees, iguanas, dolphins, manatees and more. Our boat had a canopy, but I noticed some other tour boats didn't. I'm glad that ours did as it would have been too hot otherwise. The roads to and from the ruins at Altun Ha were very bumpy, but once there, I really enjoyed seeing ruins. Since I have never visited any other ruins I can't compare, but I found these very interesting. We were allowed to climb to the top of one for a nice panoramic view. There are a series of local vendors nearby that sell mostly wood carvings and other local goods. I bought a small wooden bowl with a lid for a souvenir. I paid a good bit less than similar ones in the port stores. I'm anxious to go back next year to buy another piece.

I'm really glad that I combined the river cruise with the visit to the ruins. The ruins can be seen and toured in a little over an hour after the bus ride there. It made for a really interesting and entertaining day.

[vfb2girls]

MDSue, did you do this tour through Carnival? We will be on the Legend this November and I am trying to figure out if this would be a good tour to do. We were going to do cave-tubing but decided to go fishing instead but unfortunatly I had to have surgery so no heavy lifting, which of course means no fishing so I am thinking about doing a ruins trip. Was there any places to purchase food?

[MDSue]

Actually on our trip to Belize and Altun Ha, we were sailing with Princess and it was a ship tour we took. We started out on the water and ended up at a local restaurant on the water that fed us all lunch. It was a decent chicken and rice dish and there was a few local vendors there. The neatest thing about the stop was the lady who ran the restaurant lived across the street and had a family of Howler monkees that lived in the trees behind her house. She welcomed anyone who was interested to come over and see them. Our river guide was also real good at finding and pointing out native wildlife. I really enjoyed seeing so much wildlife in their natural environment. The scariest thing was seeing two local boys using a rope swing that swung over the river. Large crocodiles live in that water!

Once we ate our lunch we switched to a bus for the rest of the trip to the ruins. It is only a short walk from where the bus parks to the actual ruins and everyone can walk at their own pace to see them. My sister was not up to climbing the ruins and found a shady spot to relax while I climbed. I also have a very bad back and limited energy due to health issues, but had no problems on this tour other than the bumpy bus ride. Our tour driver reminded us that we were in a country that didn't have the budget to maintain the roads as well as the US. Hopefully they have been upgraded somewhat, but I wouldn't let it stop me from going. There is limited food available once at the ruins as they are fairly remote. Drinks and snacks can be purchased there along with some souvenirs. The shops are hidden from the actual ruins so they don't impair the views

I really enjoyed this tour- there really isn't much to do in the port of Belize, so a tour is a must for me on this island.

I am also going back to Belize this spring on the Legend so I hope you'll post a review when you come back

[ILVMM]

Here's the link to my pictures from Altun Ha. We had a great time there, and although it's considered a minor site, it's very, very interesting. (We considered Lamanai, but I wanted to be able to see some of Belize City, and we wouldn't have been able to do both.)

 

http://www.jenbo.smugmug.com/gallery/5014836_WAVMX#P-1-20

 

Thanks for sharing your pictures; we're just back from Belize. It was our 1st time there, so just did the Trolley Tour of the city ala RCCL EOS. Cost was $30.00 pp.

 

Next time I think i'll check out the more antiquated sites such as Altun Ha.

 

Didn't look like there was anyone else visiting Altun Ha when you were there - - is it usually that deserted?

[vfb2girls]

Thank you for the review on Altun Ha, I went ahead and booked this tour through Island Marketing. We have tours book through them in Cozumel and Grand Cayman so I figured I would use them for this tour in Belize. I will post a review once we get back. We leave November 30th, on Carnival Legend.

[Cooper333]

New Orleans is my favorite city!! I love everything about and the Natchez is a great tour! If you have time (between 9 am and 3 pm) head to Johnny's Po Boys (st. louis & decatur) ! Best in town. Also, check out the Southern Candymakers (on Decatur) for delicious pralines.

 

The aquarium is a short tour but worth seeing -- if only for Buck and Emma -- the otters!!!

 

Red Fish Grille has delicious Bread Pudding. My husband and i spent a week there determined to find the best.

 

Finally- if you have time and inclination toward a traditional cajun soul food restaruant go to Praline Connection on Frenchmen Street. The cabbage is worth the trip!

 

email me if you want any other info-- nestcooper@gmail.com

 

Also, feel free to check out some pics I did www.photobucket.com/nestcooper

 

HAVE FUN!!!

[chatdad]

Thanks sooooooooooo much for all your help. We booked the Lamanai trip. http://boards.cruisecritic.com/images/icons/icon10.gif[/img]

 

GHP, just did Lamanai last week. Best advice - take bug spray. You'll need it and will make a lot of friends who forgot.

 

chatdad