Ruins to see

[traveler523]

I am looking into a cruise with a stop in Belize, and I am more interested in seeing the ruins than cave-tubbing.

 

Has anyone been to either Alun Ha or Xunanunich or both?

 

Is one recommended over the other and why?

 

Thanks for the info!

 

Traveler523

[wdowns9]

We've been to Xunanunich and plan on going to Lamanai in Dec. Both these excursions are extremley long days but well worth it. The main temple at Xunanunich is 125ft height and you can climb it. From the top you can see Guatemala. Look the my pic's on http://wdowns9.smugmug.com/ and you will see Xunanunich. Hope this helps.

[traveler523]

wdowns9 - those picures are awesome, and I'm surprised to see a lack of people there too!

 

Do you remember what time of year it was, the weather looked perfect!

 

Thanks for sharing.

 

T523

[wdowns9]

We were there at the end of Feb, total number of people on sight were the 15 on the NCL excursion and 5 others who were backpacking. It was well worth the price plus we didnt have to worry about missing the tender because we were on cruise sponsored tour. We made it back in time to do about 40mins of shopping before taking the last tender. We are going back in Dec on the NCL Spirit and going to Lamanai. For you it is going to be a toss up. After going once we instantly wanted to go back to see Lamanai.

[ghp]

wdowns9 all I can say WOW :eek: great pictures. We're going in January on the Spirit your pictures make me wish it was tomorrow. Thanls for sharing.

Sara

[brown_eyed_poet]

My husband and I just returned from our cruise yesterday. We visited the Xunantunich ruins in Belize. It was absolutely the most amazing thing we have ever done! It is a seven hour tour so make sure to book thru your cruiseline instead of booking independantly. Our tour included an amazing tour of the city and beautiful landscape, the tour of the ruins, shopping and lunch at a beautiful outdoor restraunt. I have lots of pictures on my site on myspace. You can check them out here http://www.myspace.com/simplyemilys Click on view my photos. Its under the Belize folder.

 

The ruins are pretty big. You can see several places where they havent excavated yet. Like the other person said, you can go to the top of the main structure. The view is beautiful. I would never miss the chance to take this tour.

[wkelly5688]

We've been to Xunanunich and plan on going to Lamanai in Dec. Both these excursions are extremley long days but well worth it. The main temple at Xunanunich is 125ft height and you can climb it. From the top you can see Guatemala. Look the my pic's on http://wdowns9.smugmug.com/ and you will see Xunanunich. Hope this helps.

 

We are looking for a ruins excursion on December at either Belize or Cozumel. Just wondering if one place is better than the other. Why the long days? Is it travel time?

[traveler523]

We are looking for a ruins excursion on December at either Belize or Cozumel. Just wondering if one place is better than the other. Why the long days? Is it travel time?

 

Most of the excursions I've looked at have been offered at ports other than Cozumel. As you probably know, Cozumel is a island, and travel time would be a factor in planning events. Most of the excursions I've seen offered deal with water activities @ Cozumel.

 

http://www.worldatlas.com/webimage/countrys/namerica/caribb/cozumel.htm

The above link is a map of Cozumel;

http://www.worldatlas.com/webimage/countrys/carib.htm

This is a link to a map of the Caribbean area to help you your bearings.

 

If you are looking for information on the different ruins, check out:

http://mayaruins.com/yucmap.html - map of the Yucatan Peninsula with the location of the better known ruins in a scale that makes it easy to see where they are in relation to Cozumel & Belize. The site names are also links, so you can click each one and see photos and a description of the site. As you will notice, there is not anything on this site near Cozumel.

 

Hope this helps.

 

Traveler523

[traveler523]

Hey brown_eyed_poet,

 

Checked out your myspace photos, thanks for sharing. I am willing to bet that pictures probably don't do the actual experience of standing in the the middle of the ruins justice ;) .

 

By the way, I bet you weren't expecting the exciting adventure of having your bus break down in the middle of Central America :eek: !

 

Traveler523

[brown_eyed_poet]

We are looking for a ruins excursion on December at either Belize or Cozumel. Just wondering if one place is better than the other. Why the long days? Is it travel time?

We rented a jeep in Cozumel and went to several ruins on our own. San Gervasio was pretty cool. You have to walk a lot and it was HOT!!! There was no guide either. It was just something we didn't really plan. I just posted these pics on myspace. Its under the Cozumel folder.

If you are doing one or the other I would definately say go to Belize!! I just cant tell you how awesome it was. You dont have to walk a lot. Just make sure to book thru the cruise. I would say that these are probably the best ruins besides Chichen Itza.

 

 

Hey brown_eyed_poet,

 

Checked out your myspace photos, thanks for sharing. I am willing to bet that pictures probably don't do the actual experience of standing in the the middle of the ruins justice ;) .

 

By the way, I bet you weren't expecting the exciting adventure of having your bus break down in the middle of Central America :eek: !

 

Traveler523

 

Thanks! I am still in the process of posting all of the pics from our cruise. Yeah, the pics dont even capture what it was like standing on top of 125 ft mayan temple. I did figure out really quick that Mayans did NOT believe in hand rails. I'm kind of clumsy so I came down backwards, using my hands and feet with my butt in the air. (Just in case.) The bus thing wasn't a big deal at all. More adventure for free!

[vfb2girls]

Brown-eyed-poet, I checked out your blog and the pictures of the ruins were fantastic! We are going to be on the Legend in November and I was thinking that perhaps we might do this excursion. Was it a very streneous excursion? I was originally going to go cave tubing and then we talked about fishing but I just had surgery so I am now limited to what I can do, but if it only involves walking I am fine. What type of meal did they serve? Any info on this excursion would really help me out. Thank you.

[robinlbe]

We were on the Legend this summer (July-Aug)....we, too, visited Belize and toured Altun Ha. We were impressed! We hired a private driver (found him by the Radisson Hotel).........Daniel. WONDERFUL guy!

He drove us around town, then took us to Altun Ha. He showed us things and told us about stuff all along the way....We still had time to shop when we got back to the port area.

 

I highly recommend Daniel (find him by the Radisson Hotel right outside the terminal area) and going to Altun Ha. We have great pictures....

 

http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2006038&l=6d39f&id=1160875113

 

I THINK you might be able to see my pics on my facebook account...can't promise, but you can try...

 

Enjoy!!!

[traveler523]

Thanks for sharing the pics robinlbe.

 

I especially liked the children with the parrot on top of the ruin.... and the family's modeling of the sombrero!!!:D

 

travler523

[MDSue]

We did a tour that combined a river cruise and a tour of Altun Ha. I really enjoyed it. Since Altun Ha can be toured in a short period of time [an hour or so] adding the river cruise one way made for a full day of fun. Along the river in an open but canopied boat we saw tons of native wildlife. The tour guide was great for spotting and pointing it out, including dolphins, manatees, iguanas, Howler monkees, crocodiles, native birds and bats. The tour also included a lunch stop at a local restaurant along the way. This was not a strenous tour other than the short amount of walking around the tour and suitable for any age group. We booked our tour directly through our cruiseline [Princess].

[robinlbe]

travler523...

glad you could get the pictures....

 

didn't know if the link would work or not...

have a great cruise :)

[chatdad]

We are looking for a ruins excursion on December at either Belize or Cozumel. Just wondering if one place is better than the other. Why the long days? Is it travel time?

 

wkelly5688: we did both Laminai and Tulum last week (2nd time to Tulum). Both are all day affairs and we booked via the ship (NCL) as I take no chance on anything lasting more than a half day and missing the last boarding time. Each has it's own character. For Laminai, after you tender in from the ship, you have a bus ride of about an hour to the launching point for a 25 mile ride up the New River. The river ride is a blast, smooth waters, scenic and if you get a captain like ours, he takes the curves like he's driving an indy car. Pretty much a blast just getting there. At the ruins, they'll typically serve you a lunch and then you do a little trail hiking (in our case in the rain and mud) on a circular trip to the ruins. Basically has three large temples, a few other smaller excavated structures. You can climb up the larger of the temples for a great view (slippery when wet). Then reverse the trip back to the boat. If you do anything in Belize, take bug spray you will need it.

 

Tulum is our favorite and quite different. From Cozumel you take a ferry (35 to 45 minutes) to Playa Del Carmen. Rough ride, if you're prone to motion sickness take precautions. I didn't and paid the price going over as did most on the excursion. From there it's a little over an hour ride away by bus, good roads, stop for overpriced souveniers about 40 minutes into the ride (but they sell soft drinks for a dollar, buy a few). Cruise line will do a box lunch (ours was tunafish sandwiches, most of which were tossed and not eaten). Tulum is drop dead gorgeous. Open area with a number of structure, right up on the cliffs overlooking the ocean. A lot more commerical than Laminai on the outside (vendors galore) and you can't climb or go into the structures anymore. Still well worth the trip. Of the two, I'd recommend Tulum if you've not been to a site before.

 

Tom

[traveljunky99]

We were on the Legend this summer (July-Aug)....we, too, visited Belize and toured Altun Ha. We were impressed! We hired a private driver (found him by the Radisson Hotel).........Daniel. WONDERFUL guy!

He drove us around town, then took us to Altun Ha. He showed us things and told us about stuff all along the way....We still had time to shop when we got back to the port area.

 

I highly recommend Daniel (find him by the Radisson Hotel right outside the terminal area) and going to Altun Ha. We have great pictures....

 

http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2006038&l=6d39f&id=1160875113

 

I THINK you might be able to see my pics on my facebook account...can't promise, but you can try...

 

Enjoy!!!

Nice Photos. Thanks for sharing robinlbe. Do you have any contact info for Daniel? How much did he charge you and did he take you anywhere else beside Altu Ha.

[Searching4Sun]

I hate to be the one to ask this, but are there bathrooms available on these excursions?

[dalgirl]

I went to Tulum about 5 years ago - could not climb, but was able to walk around the structures. Do they no longer allow you to walk into the area and around the structures? We are going back in April and I wanted to take my husband. Now I don't know. In Belize, we will have a choice of Altun Ha or Lamanai - which ruin will give us more bang for the buck?

[robinlbe]

Nice Photos. Thanks for sharing robinlbe. Do you have any contact info for Daniel? How much did he charge you and did he take you anywhere else beside Altu Ha.

 

 

hi traveljunky99....no, sorry. no contact info for daniel. his last name was "ichtka" or something like that....that's all i know. his name was quoted in a post from over a year ago, and we just happened to "get" him when we found the taxi line in front of the radisson.

 

we drove around town a little, but getting out to altun ha was a little drive (maybe 40 minutes, or so). he would stop if we wanted pictures, told us stories along the way. we stayed at the ruins as long as we wanted, and we did a little shopping at the little shops set up there.

 

we didn't have all that long in belize, so this basically took up most of our time.

 

i'll be in belize again in march...sure would like to find Daniel again!!

[robinlbe]

I hate to be the one to ask this, but are there bathrooms available on these excursions?

 

 

there were nice restrooms at altun ha!

[Beckaroous]

I hate to be the one to ask this, but are there bathrooms available on these excursions?

 

There are bathrooms at and on the way to Lamani PEE AWAY:D

[traveljunky99]

hi traveljunky99....no, sorry. no contact info for daniel. his last name was "ichtka" or something like that....that's all i know. his name was quoted in a post from over a year ago, and we just happened to "get" him when we found the taxi line in front of the radisson.

 

we drove around town a little, but getting out to altun ha was a little drive (maybe 40 minutes, or so). he would stop if we wanted pictures, told us stories along the way. we stayed at the ruins as long as we wanted, and we did a little shopping at the little shops set up there.

 

we didn't have all that long in belize, so this basically took up most of our time.

 

i'll be in belize again in march...sure would like to find Daniel again!!

 

Hi Robinlbe, we were in belize a couple weeks ago. Thanks to your post back in Oct, we took a chance and went to the Radison and found another driver. It was much nicer to have our own car and do things at our own pace, since, we had kids.

[OttoCal]

There is a bathroom area at Xunantunich inside the park but before you get to the ruins. No facilities on the actual site and there is a small hill. So pee first!! :p I think they were even pretty roomy- I think we even changed into our long pants there (mosquito preventative move- but it wasn't buggy there- fewest bugs we saw other than on Caye Caulker

Bathrooms in Belize leave something to be desired in general. These were not the worst we saw, but bring your own TP and hand sanitizer. Never assume these will be provided for you in Central America, and consider yourself on a great adventure.