Maya Tours and Guides, see the history of Belize
There are many beautiful tours in the land of the Mundo Maya. This incredible civilization left huge remains that are accessible through incredible jungle forest.
Many types of birds, reptiles, and plants and flowers of incredible diversity await you.
Bring your binoculars, and get some good ones. With this once in a lifetime treat, you will not want to miss anything! Take a walk through the pyramids of the Yucatan, and marvel at the wonders of
this advanced civilization. Click here for a look at the trip up the New River to the large Maya settlement of Lamanai.
Birding, Maya tours, diving, fishing, trips to the mainland, the Belize Zoo, nature conservatories, the wonder of Belize is endless.
You can use San Pedro as a base to tour much of Belize, including other
cayes and much of the mainland. You can even do a day trip to Tikal. Most
hotels will help you arrange tours and guides. Prices, schedules and destinations
change regularly, depending on the weather, the season, the particular guide
and how many other people want to go, so it's best to wait until you get
on the island to make your tour plans.
If you are independent-minded, you can put together your own day trips
and perhaps save money. For example, instead of paying US$125 per person
for a day tour of the Belize Zoo and points west, find another couple to
share the costs, grab a map and guidebook, take the ferry to Belize City
(or fly into municipal airport) and rent a car for the day. You can easily
visit the Belize Zoo, Xunantunich and Cahal Pech ruins and see something
of San Ignacio. Done this way, your cost will should be less than US$75
per person including your share of car rental, gas and entrance fees.
However, a guide can add a lot to the quality of your sightseeing. All
guides in Belize must attend training and are licensed by the government.
The San Pedro Tourist Guide Association is in the Town Hall on Barrier Reef
Drive, tel. 501-226-2391.
Slickrock Adventures offers a Three Day Mayan Tour called Mayan Odyssey. Starting Wednesday afternoon anywhere in Belize City, you are driven to San Ignacio for great food and lodging along with a trip to Tikal, Chech-Hem-Ha Pottery Cave, and Xunantunich ruin.
Here's information on few of the popular day trip and tour options, with
price ranges.
Belize Zoo/Western Belize: This trip usually begins with a flight
on Maya Island or Tropic to the municipal airport, where you connect with
a shuttle bus which takes you on the Western Highway for a visit to the
wonderful Belize Zoo, maybe a quick peep at Belmopan, Belize's mini-capital,
lunch and perhaps a tour of Xunantunich, a Classic Period Maya site. Around
US$100 per person.
Lamanai Ruins: Most of these trips start with a short boat ride
across the lee waters of Ambergris to the mainland, then a trip up the beautiful
New River. You will see many birds and perhaps manatees, crocodiles and
other wildlife. Lamanai has a wonderful setting on the New River Lagoon.
You'll get a private tour of this Maya site and likely will see a troop
of black howler monkeys. Often includes lunch at Lamanai Outpost Lodge.
About US$150 per person.
Altun Ha Ruins: You go by boat across to the mangrove cut, where
you transfer to a van to visit this Maya site, which dates back some 2,000
years, on the Old Northern Highway. There is an abundance of wildlife, such as monkeys... for the more leisurely who would rather see the jungle, cool off, enjoy swinging like Jane and Tarzan, and perhaps get mood mud treatments and lunch at Maruba Spa. Much less travel time than the Lamanai trip. About US$125 per person.
Baboon Sanctuary: You go by boat to the mainland, then up the
Belize River to the Community Baboon Sanctuary area. About US$100
per person.
Crooked Tree: Birders will want to investigate this trip. It usually
includes a round trip flight to the municipal airport in Belize City where
tour members are met by a van and driven up the Northern Highway to Crooked
Tree, one of the main birding centers in the country. Around US$160 per
person.
Caye Caulker: A day trip to Ambergris Caye's "little brother"
island can be done by air or boat. If the latter, the trip is usually packaged
with a snorkeling tour. One of the best trips to Caulker is on the Winnie
Estelle, a classic island trader. Several catamarans also do this trip.
US$40 to $75 per person.
Tikal: The Tikal ruins in the Petén district of Guatemala
are, in excavated area at least, larger and more spectacular than any Maya
site in Belize. It's an astounding place. The only way to get there and
back in one day from San Pedro is to fly to the air strip at Flores. Several
tour companies offer day trips from San Pedro, around US$250 per person.
The following local businesses can get you going on one of these tours.
- Click here for a rotating panorama of the view from the top of the largest temple at Lamanai.
- Click here for a view from the "Center Court" of the Grand Plaza at Tikal.
- Click here for pictures of an overnight trip to the Blue Hole and Belize Atolls
- Click here for pictures of diving Hol Chan and Shark Ray Alley
- Click here for a look at the trip up the New River to the large Maya settlement of Lamanai.
- Click here for maps of Belize and Ambergris Caye
- Click here for a large (139k) map of Belize, with many parks and roads marked.
- Click here for a look at the trip up the New River to the large Maya settlement of Lamanai.
- Click here for an excellent overview of the Belize National Parks, Reserves, Wildlife Sanctuaries, Natural Monuments, and Conservation sites. Detailed information on each of 22 locations.
SUGGESTED ITINERARY FOR A WEEK ON THE ISLAND
- Day One: Relax. Decompress. Forget about the real world. Take
a lazy walk through town.
- Day Two: Relax some more. Take a snorkel trip to Hol Chan and
Shark-Sting Ray Alley (or go diving).
- Day Three: Bike or cart to the North End. Walk the beach and have
lunch at one of the North End beach hotels or have a seaside picnic.
- Day Four: Take a day trip to Lamanai or Altun Ha ruins or to the
Belize Zoo.
- Day Five: Take a catamaran or other boat trip to Caye Caulker,
or take a day trip to the Belize Zoo and Western Belize.
- Day Six: Bike or cart to the south end of the island. Take a snorkel
trip to Mexico Rocks (or go diving.)
- Day Seven: Relax and start worrying again about going back the
real world.
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