The day after we soaked up some major sun on the catamaran, we arose super early to be picked up for a day trip to Lamanai, one of the largest Mayan sites in Belize.
Many archeologists studying Maya history have concluded that the center of the Maya civilization was, in fact, Belize. The country is full of ancient Mayan temples, towns, and cities, with only a few that have been uncovered.
Back in 2013 and 2014 we visited the majority of the Mayan sites on the above map, including Tikal in Guatemala. One that we have not toured is Altun Ha, which is depicted on the Belikin beer logo. Belikin is the main brewery in Belize.
I chose Lamanai for my friend to explore because it has been six years since we last took a tour there. The entire site is situated in the jungle, on a river, and showcases a vast array of plants and wildlife.
Once we were picked up at 6:45am on our dock, we headed to town and found our seats inside a large boat. The ride took about 70 minutes to the mouth of a river on the mainland.
We passed some really nice homes on both sides of the river and saw a lot of iguanas hanging out in the mangroves. Once we parked the boat at a half renovated restaurant, we got off the boat and loaded into a van.
The van ride took about an hour, but seemed a lot faster as our guide pointed out interesting places in several small villages, and we talked amongst ourselves.
We finally made it to the New RIver where we once again boarded a water vessel for the final leg of our journey. In case you are wondering, for about $100 more, you can fly from the island and shorten some of the travel time. We like an adventure, so the longer route is fine with us!
If you look at the map at the top of my story, you will see that Lamanai sits on the New River. The river twists and turns and provides one-of-a-kind views of birds, reptiles, and freshwater crocodiles.
When we approached a large lagoon area, you could see the tallest temple peeking out from the tree line. We followed our guide from the dock to the museum and started the tour.
Our guide taught us about various plants and trees and how the Mayan people once used them. At the same time, he cautioned us about snakes on and off the path. Yikes!
The tour of the grounds consisted of a looped trail with several temples to climb, housing remains, and a ball court. Our guide showed us the archeologist’s drawings of each temple and the modifications that were made by successive rulers over time.
Each temple is unique and visitors are allowed to walk or climb on most of the steps. It was fascinating to see the different sizes of the stair treads and some were more difficult than others.
I have to say that it was very hot on the highest point of the main temple. We no longer had the shade of the canopy to keep us cool. Only a handful of people could stand on the top at a time, so the heat didn’t bother us too much as we hurried to get out of the way for others.
Click here to watch my Lamanai video.
First we saw spider monkeys, but later we spotted a troop of howler monkeys passing over us. They didn’t howl because they were feeding at the time. As we were leaving, we heard some howlers in the distance.
Click here to watch the monkeys.
The ride home was somewhat faster since our captain sped the boat down the New River and we rode with the current. All in all, the long day was very enjoyable and I highly recommend a visit to at least one ancient Mayan temple if you vacation in Mexico, Belize, or Guatemala.