Lamani and New River Excursion Tips

[DonMar]

What type of clothing, other needs do you recommend? We will all have sneakers. One of us will carry a backpack for a camera, sea pass cards, bugspray and sunscreen. Should we bring a snack, water, anything else? Is there access to bathrooms during the tour? Any place to buy a small souvenier?

Will we be OK in shorts and t-shirts? The thought of long pants in the jungle does not sound appealing at all...

We are planning on doing this tour with RCCL in a few weeks. Anyone with a breakdown of times? (bus ride/boat ride/time at ruins, etc)

Thank you!

 

 

Sneakers are good. I would recommend bringing snacks and water (although your guide should have water - but I always bring my own, just to be sure.). Some tours provide a lunch, which I loved, but it is good to have snacks, IMHO.

 

There are bathrooms at the site and we used a bathroom at the dock we used at Orange Walk (not the nicest - but it worked). I would recommend bringing hand wipes.

 

At Lamanai there are a few places to buy things.

 

I wore long Tencel pants (very light) and DP wore cargo shorts. I like the pants because they keep mosquitoes at bay and I did not scrape my shins when coming down the pyramid.

 

As far as time breakdown... We went through an indi tour so your timing may differ.

 

1 - 1.25 hour ride to Orange Walk

Another hour or so on a boat to Lamanai.

We explored Lamanai at our own pace - about 2 hours

45 minutes for lunch

An then the whole trip in reverse.

 

Expect this to take the whole day. We did get back to the port with a bit of time to shop.

 

[Sue (mom of 3 boys!)]

Sneakers are good. I would recommend bringing snacks and water (although your guide should have water - but I always bring my own, just to be sure.). Some tours provide a lunch, which I loved, but it is good to have snacks, IMHO.

 

There are bathrooms at the site and we used a bathroom at the dock we used at Orange Walk (not the nicest - but it worked). I would recommend bringing hand wipes.

 

At Lamanai there are a few places to buy things.

 

I wore long Tencel pants (very light) and DP wore cargo shorts. I like the pants because they keep mosquitoes at bay and I did not scrape my shins when coming down the pyramid.

 

As far as time breakdown... We went through an indi tour so your timing may differ.

 

1 - 1.25 hour ride to Orange Walk

Another hour or so on a boat to Lamanai.

We explored Lamanai at our own pace - about 2 hours

45 minutes for lunch

An then the whole trip in reverse.

 

Expect this to take the whole day. We did get back to the port with a bit of time to shop.

 

Thanks very much for the info! Good stuff there!

When you say it was an indi tour, do you mean "independent?"

[DonMar]

Thanks very much for the info! Good stuff there!

When you say it was an indi tour, do you mean "independent?"

 

 

Yes. We used Belize Cruise Excursions. By the way - the structure behind us is one of the smaller ones.

 

Have fun.

[momtogo]

Hi all,

 

We are having trouble deciding between Lamani, Altun Ha or cave tubing in Belize. I think at this point we are leaning towards RC Lamani excursion. Question though for those of you that have done Lamani, I thought I had read that some people experienced motion sickness during the boat ride portion of this tour, is that true? Is the water rough during the boat ride? The last thing I want is to be on a 7 hour excursion and be motion sick. :eek: Thanks for any input you can provide.

[Toyz711]

it's a speed boat....think "zoom, zoom" for most of the trip. at time you are going around corners (of land) at high speed. the trip is great, but if bothered by motion, either take your meds or forget the trip.

for the 1st, of the trip, they will stop the boat for wildlife...at that time you will get a little side to side sway of the boat. at full speed, it's more of a thrill ride..wind in your face, type of thing. (very safe, but they have to go fast to get and back in time)

if speed and zipping around corners bothers you?

[Lard Greystoke]

What type of clothing, other needs do you recommend? We will all have sneakers. One of us will carry a backpack for a camera, sea pass cards, bugspray and sunscreen. Should we bring a snack, water, anything else? Is there access to bathrooms during the tour? Any place to buy a small souvenier?

Will we be OK in shorts and t-shirts? The thought of long pants in the jungle does not sound appealing at all...

We are planning on doing this tour with RCCL in a few weeks. Anyone with a breakdown of times? (bus ride/boat ride/time at ruins, etc)

Thank you!

 

The "jungle" is not the one Tarzan swings in. It's a good bit more open. You don't have wet plants and clinging vines pressing in on you anywhere. I did not experience any biting insects at the site last Feb.

 

If you get a good breakfast on ship and a lunch on the tour, I would not go overboard on snacks. Liquid is always good in the tropics, although on my excursion the air-conditioned van and wind-cooled boatride didn't leave me all that thirsty. There are souvenir stands at the site. I believe your other questions have been answered pretty thoroughly. It is a unique site.

[momtogo]

it's a speed boat....think "zoom, zoom" for most of the trip. at time you are going around corners (of land) at high speed. the trip is great, but if bothered by motion, either take your meds or forget the trip.

for the 1st, of the trip, they will stop the boat for wildlife...at that time you will get a little side to side sway of the boat. at full speed, it's more of a thrill ride..wind in your face, type of thing. (very safe, but they have to go fast to get and back in time)

if speed and zipping around corners bothers you?

 

Ok, thanks for your reply. I think I will be fine.:o We are going to book Lamani. Appreciate all the comments from everyone.

[ariansun72]

My DH and I just returned from the NCL Pearl today, and we had a wonderful time. We did take the excursion with NCL to Lamanai. First of all getting to the tender boat was a breeze, as was arriving at the bus. Our tour-guide, "Chino", was very informative and entertaining. He really knew his stuff about the area, and he did say that he was born in one of the houses by the river.

Once we got to the boat ramp, we took a restroom break, and we were off on the boat trip. This was a great part of the excursion, and everyone had their eyes peeled for any wildlife. We did see some iguanas, and someone spotted a crocodile. There were lots of birds also. I did bring some ponchos to wear in case of rain, but it turned out to be a beautiful day, and we didn't need them.

When we finally got to the ruins site, we were treated with a nice authentic lunch of chicken, beans and rice, delicious salsa, and some other items. Also, bottled juice and bottled water were handed out.

After lunch, we headed out and first saw some howler monkeys up in the trees. At that time, they were quiet, but we did hear them later on when we were further away in the park. We had to walk down a very rocky path, with lots of tree roots. It was difficult to look around at the jungle, because I had my head down to make sure I didn't trip on anything. Once we got to the ruins, everyone was amazed. We were able to climb up one of them and look at the amazing view! My legs were sore from that climb for a couple of days... It was really worth it though. After we walked around the park for a while, it was time to head out. So then we boarded the boat and made a fast trip down the river, back to the bus.

We had a great time on this excursion. But let me tell you the not so good portion of this story. Be sure you spray yourself down with Deet prior to getting on the bus. There were lots of mosquitos flying around in there, and by the time we got to the boat, there were lots of them squished on the windows!

Also, once we were about 45 mins on the bus... we got a flat tire.. not just one tire, but two (they're side by side rear tires). Everything was ok, we safely pulled on the side of the road and waited 33 min. for another bus to pick us up. Most of us passengers got out and waited a ways off of the road. The drivers there were flying by, not even slowing down, so that could've been dangerous. But we had no misshaps. We were eventually on our way.

Then... next, in the boat, when we were within sight of the ruins in the lagoon... the clutch burned out...(also a collective sigh from the group!) but, luckily, we limped along and made it there. The guys were able to repair the boat in the time that we toured the site.

Thank goodness, there were no more "incidents"! Also, thank goodness that this was a ship sponsored tour, because we were late getting back to the ship (I think about 30 mins), and we were the last people aboard. Even though we were delayed by the flat tire, everyone was pretty relaxed during the whole trip, with the assurance that the ship would wait for us, and I didn't feel rushed through the day. I think everyone had a pretty good time with the NCL excursion to Lamanai.

[cruisinterp]

Just got back today from the Pearl. The Lamani trip was great. Note that there are a few people selling crafts at the area where you switch from the bus to the boat and with everyone going to the bathroom you have time to look around. On the way back the boat goes full speed the whole way (we stopped once to see a croc, and anytime we passed locals in canoes-this happened a few times). Since the boat is open there is a lot of wind - we were towards the back but saw some people switch because they didn't like it. It also rained a few minutes so people did pull out the rain gear. Personally I was still hot from climbing the pyramid so the rain felt nice. If you get cold easily long sleeves might not be a bad idea for the boat ride home.

 

The pyramids were amazing - trip is well worth doing.

[brokenarrowhd]

great advice. hopefully this tour will be offered when we go. as far as being prepared, a little common sense goes a long way.

[Terrafreaky]

If you do go on this excursion please be prepared to tip the kid who helps with the boat and spots the animals and canoes for the driver. We saw a lot of people depart without tipping him. I'm not sure if they weren't ready for it or what, but it made me sad.

[mcsea]

We just did this tour through royal caribbean. ( see my other post in wrong spot!!) Anyway , yes..... tip the lookout and the guide... they

were fantastic!

 

the main thing I wanted to pass along was that it can be

 

COLD on the river in the morning. Bring a wind breaker or rain jacket

with hood. Even a rain poncho would help. man people on our

tour were FREEZING on the boat in the morning.

 

Also, I would bring a snack..... it is many hours from the time you

eat on the ship......... tender to shore in belize...... take the but to the

boat........ travel to lamanai etc. hope this helps

[B&Lmom]

We just got back from doing this excursion through RCI last week.

We (family including two teens) had a great time. Mario was our boat driver and tour guide. My kids climbed the huge ruin.... I tried and got about half way and made the mistake of looking down...:rolleyes:

The lunch was great and the ladies who cooked it were very gracious.

If anyone has questions, fire away!!

[2-laner]

Hi there. I do have a question. My 11 and 13 year old will be with me on this tour in a couple weeks. The tall ruin that you climbed - did you feel pretty comfortable letting your kids climb up it? They look pretty steep, but I wasn't sure about how dangerous they might be. My 13 yr old and myself do have a small fear of heights, but I could see my 11 yr old heading on up even if the 2 of us bail out half-way there. Should I worry?:)

[Toyz711]

there is a rope to help you climb or come down. you can't pull on it, it's not that strong. just let your kids know they can't goof around while climbing. one way to get down it to sit down and come down on your butt.

they, usually, have a guide/helper...on our trip, the helper was aiding people climbing. we had one guy that had a knee replacement, late 60's in age. his wife didn't climb and was telling everyone how much this gentleman wanted to do this climb, at this point the helper ran up the steps to aid the gentleman make his climb.

[B&Lmom]

Hi there. I do have a question. My 11 and 13 year old will be with me on this tour in a couple weeks. The tall ruin that you climbed - did you feel pretty comfortable letting your kids climb up it? They look pretty steep, but I wasn't sure about how dangerous they might be. My 13 yr old and myself do have a small fear of heights, but I could see my 11 yr old heading on up even if the 2 of us bail out half-way there. Should I worry?:)

 

My kids are 17 and almost 15. They zipped right up and were at the top before I knew it! I did worry when they were coming down. They told me that the steps at the top part where actually a lot better than the steps at the middle and bottom. My kids are not afraid of heights at all and it didn't even seem to scare them. I, of course, couldn't watch while they were climbing down.... I worried enough for all of us!!

 

As for your 11 yr old climbing alone if you and the 13yr old bail.... which is what I did once I looked down and had that sick, dizzy, fear of heights feeling.... I think he or she will be fine. Plenty of adults are coming up and down and would we happy to lend a helping hand. In our group, everyone was helping each other and offering an encouraging word to not give up!

 

Your kids will enjoy the fast boat ride and crusing along looking for crocodiles. We saw several and it was pretty cool!!

[B&Lmom]

there is a rope to help you climb or come down. you can't pull on it, it's not that strong. just let your kids know they can't goof around while climbing. one way to get down it to sit down and come down on your butt.

they, usually, have a guide/helper...on our trip, the helper was aiding people climbing. we had one guy that had a knee replacement, late 60's in age. his wife didn't climb and was telling everyone how much this gentleman wanted to do this climb, at this point the helper ran up the steps to aid the gentleman make his climb.

 

YES! I totally agree! I don't know the personality of your kids... just make sure that they know that there is no messing around while climbing up and down, and at the top!

And yes.... I perfected the seat scoot thing down all the stairs... down on my butt the whole way down... much to the amusement of the people watching below!!:o

[lesia]

Thanks for the review. I want to do this excursion in Dec. I did Xunantunich in 07, and definitely will book through the cruise line.

[2-laner]

I can't wait to visit these ruins. It was nice seeing the pictures and getting an idea as to what we will see. I have been debating what to pack for that part of our trip. Does it sound logical to have us all wearing either long pants (light weight kind) or maybe capris? I hear there are a lot of mosquitos, and I was considering the amount of scrapes we might receive on the climb up and down the ruin.

[Toyz711]

it can get hot, even under the trees.

we wore shorts and tank tops..but we had no rain and a lot of heat.

good shoes are needed, walking in mud is possible..over stone steps (even if you don't climb the site), over tree roots, etc.

this was one spot we didn't have any bugs, the day before (at quiriqua, santo tomas) the bug bites were awful.

[DonMar]

I can't wait to visit these ruins. It was nice seeing the pictures and getting an idea as to what we will see. I have been debating what to pack for that part of our trip. Does it sound logical to have us all wearing either long pants (light weight kind) or maybe capris? I hear there are a lot of mosquitos, and I was considering the amount of scrapes we might receive on the climb up and down the ruin.

 

 

As Toyz711 said - it does get hot, but I hate mosquitoes more. As you can see in the picture i posted on page 2 of this thread - I wore long pants (Tencel - light weight) and DP wore shorts. We did experience mosquitoes when at Lamanai and used bug spray (February 2007).

 

I am glad that I wore my hiking pants which helped with the bugs and saved my legs from potential scrapes - from climbing down the pyramid.

 

That being said, I always where lightweight pants while hiking or exploring "bush", "jungle" or rain forest areas. We spent 10 days in central Yucatan during Sept 2008 and I wore pants each day - and it was HOT, but no bug bites or scrapes:)

 

I think you just have to wear what you feel comfortable in. Wear good walking/hiking shoes.

 

Have fun. Looking forward to your review.

[2-laner]

It is pretty hard to decide what to wear. Someone mentioned earlier that it was chilly on the river, especially if it is cloudy and rainy. We have done some hiking up in the mountains of Colorado and Montana, and it is always better to come prepared for cooler weather and then just take off layers as the weather warms up. We always carry backpacks, and come prepared with sunscreen and bug spray. But, coming from SE Kansas, I appreciate the concept of humidity. I hate being hot, but do not like the idea of getting scraped up and eatten up by bugs either. And my 11 year old is a favorite of mosquitos.

 

I hadn't really thought much about writing a review when we get back in a few weeks, especially with everyone writing in already about pretty much everything. But, I might have a go at it just to put my viewpoint in as well. So, on to Belize we go. :)

[PACURN]

We did this off Carnival Legend in September with Island Marketing and it was an OMG not to be missed experience. They left EARLY and gave us a great private (only 6 people) tour. We had about a half hour to spare when we got back, but REALLY got the full deal. Probably because there were so few people on the tour. They even provided traditional Belizean lunch which had been cooked early that morning and packed into ice chests by the owners wife! We were the ONLY ones at the ruins-beat the boat of about 30 that arrived as we were leaving. My favorite shore excusion ever! Do it!!! Price was around $70pp.

Oh I'm so glad to hear that you used Island Marketing. I am considering doing Lamanai with them when we sail on the Legend next year.

I used them for Cave tubing the last time I was in Belize and they were great.

Reading all these posts makes me nervous but I have not hear of Island Marketing having any problems. I just can't stand ship tours. They are like cattle heards.

[PACURN]

If you do go on this excursion please be prepared to tip the kid who helps with the boat and spots the animals and canoes for the driver. We saw a lot of people depart without tipping him. I'm not sure if they weren't ready for it or what, but it made me sad.

I see this happen more often than not. It's a shame. I can understand if they were giving poor service but not when they work hard to make the tour good. They deserve a tip from all persons on the tour.

[lvcruises]

I can't wait to visit these ruins. It was nice seeing the pictures and getting an idea as to what we will see. I have been debating what to pack for that part of our trip. Does it sound logical to have us all wearing either long pants (light weight kind) or maybe capris? I hear there are a lot of mosquitos, and I was considering the amount of scrapes we might receive on the climb up and down the ruin.

 

We did this excursion the first week of April. There were no mosquitos but we were prepared with bug spray if we needed it. The guide advised our group that it would not be needed. It was HOT around 95 they made sure everyone had water and kept hydrated. We had a lot of people the brought infants and very small children. This is not a good idea, they did not enjoy it and little ones can't tell you when they are thirsty or if they are getting dehydrated or having heat issues. Our guide even stated this was unusual and that people don't think when bringing babys and such on this tour. Its to rocky for strollers so you have to carry them. We thought it was a great trip and really enjoyed it. DH climbed the ruins in shorts and didn't have any issues.