Lamanai Archaeological Reserve

Lamanai Archaeological Reserve

Lamanai Archaeological Reserve
4.5
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  • Claire M
    Brooklyn, New York45 contributions
    5.0 of 5 bubbles
    Cool Mayan site
    Stunning Mayan archeological site on the mainland of Belize. You are allowed to climb up two of the pyramids which is an amazing view & really helps you imagine what life may have been like 1000 years ago. Absolutely go with a guide (shoutout Tuff e Nuff tour agency) to learn about the history, plants, and see some howler monkeys! We took the speed boat ride to reach the site and it was cool to see the wildlife on the shores. Apparently there’s also a road that you can drive there on, but it’s bumpy and takes longer. My main tip would be to apply bug spray and sun screen early and often :)
    Visited February 2024
    Travelled as a couple
    Written 25 February 2024
  • James G
    Ponte Vedra Beach, Florida182 contributions
    5.0 of 5 bubbles
    Must Visit Mayan Site
    The Jaguar, High and Mask temples were incredible. We visited with a guide that explained everything to us. If you go by boat from Orange Walk, about an hour, you will be able to see and learn much more. There is a troop of howler monkey's that live in the trees near the visitor center that can be quite entertaining.
    Visited April 2024
    Travelled as a couple
    Written 15 April 2024
  • Tim P
    16 contributions
    5.0 of 5 bubbles
    Informative and beautiful
    My beloved and I visited the Mayan Temple Ruins this past weekend. Anthony, our hospitable driver, picked us up and took us to the Orange Walk tour location from the water taxi terminal. Our tour guide/captain was Brenda, who was fabulous. She was very knowledgeable and passionate. Lunch was provided that was very delicious. I highly recommend this tour!
    Visited November 2024
    Travelled as a couple
    Written 4 November 2024
  • Fishing for Paradise
    267 contributions
    4.0 of 5 bubbles
    Pyramids in jungle worth the experience
    Interesting site to visit. It is deep in the jungle and takes a vehicle and a boat ride to get here. The on site museum has some interesting artifacts. One is still allowed to walk/climb to the top of one of the temples. There are on-going excavations and new finds being discovered
    Visited November 2024
    Travelled solo
    Written 9 December 2024
  • Diane The Traveller
    United Kingdom117 contributions
    4.0 of 5 bubbles
    Mayan temples to climb
    Mayan archaeological site with structures remaining. You are able to climb the Temple of the Masks and the Temple of the Jaguar, but not the High/Great Temple. Entrance fee is BZD $10. You get there either by boat or the road, which in some places contains very large potholes, so extra care when driving is needed. Would recommend visiting when visiting Belize.
    Visited December 2024
    Travelled as a couple
    Written 29 December 2024
  • Jenny Simons
    De Veenhoop, The Netherlands15 contributions
    5.0 of 5 bubbles
    Small Mayan complex in jungle environment.
    Beautiful location, quiet, beautiful temples, located in tropical rainforest. A gem, not too expensive. To reach by car by road with potholes. Can also be done by boat, this is more expensive, but also a nice day trip.
    Visited January 2025
    Travelled as a couple
    Written 5 January 2025
These reviews are the subjective opinion of Tripadvisor members and not of TripAdvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews.

Most Recent: Reviews ordered by most recent publish date in descending order.

Detailed Reviews: Reviews ordered by recency and descriptiveness of user-identified themes such as waiting time, length of visit, general tips, and location information.

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Gabrielle
33 contributions
5.0 of 5 bubbles
Feb 2023 • Friends
This was my first time seeing some of the Mayan ruins and it was beautiful. I think this trip is worth it but keep in mind the travel to the ruins, especially if you are staying in San Pedro.

I was staying up North in San Pedro and the tour we booked had us on the 7am Maya Air to Belize City and from there it was 1.5 hr drive and then about an hour boat ride to the site. The boat ride was lovely and very scenic! I think if you want to see a couple of Mayan ruins sites, start your trip on the mainland and stay in the jungle and then travel to San Pedro. The day started at 7am and we got back to San Pedro at 4;30pm.

I liked this site specifically because there was a lot to see, a little hike about 12 minutes to the last temple but the views were beautiful and it was awesome you got to climb 2 of the 3 temples.

Beware of cruise tours, I think they are on Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday so there are huge groups of people. The only plus is that they have to move quickly.

Book with Belize N Me for a guide tour, we learned so much history!
Written 12 February 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

Kimberly S
10 contributions
5.0 of 5 bubbles
Sept 2023 • Couples
We booked our tour through Tuff E Nuff and started out from Ambergris Caye. We were escorted from our resort to the airport after a stop at a local deli for a breakfast sandwich (delicious). We took Maya Airlines over to Belize City and were greeted at the airport by “Mission” for an hour ride to the New River for a boat ride to Lamanai. Mission pointed out interesting things along the way and even taught us a little local dialect. Eddy met us at the river where we took a boat ride. He stopped multiple times along the way to point out interesting things and birds. He was very patient with me when I was trying to get a picture of something I found intriguing. Once we got to Lamanai, he was great about explaining everything we saw. He even pointed out a large boa constrictor hidden in the underbrush that we would have never noticed. He pointed out so many things I would have not known about. After touring the site, which is mostly easy walking unless you want to climb the temples, we ate a nice lunch. Here’s where we got extremely lucky. Because it was the slow season the entire trip was a private tour! Literally no one else was around except the two of us and a guide. It was amazing! Once we got back to the start at the river, Mission was waiting to take us back to the airport. Unfortunately, the vehicle developed an issue but Mission was able to quickly arrange for another vehicle and we made it back to the airport with a few minutes to spare before our flight back to Ambergris Caye. Breezy met us at the airport and offered some suggestions for dinner and then we were safely delivered back to our resort. Awesome trip and worth every penny!
Written 16 September 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

Peter W
Woking261 contributions
5.0 of 5 bubbles
Feb 2023
Fantastic site and well worth a visit. You can climb to the top of the Jaguar Temple, and maybe others (although not at the time of our visit). Previous reviewers have mostly visited the site as part of a tour but it's a walk of only a mile or so from Lamanai Outpost Lodge if you happen to be staying there - but it is a hot walk so take plenty of water as you still need to walk around the site as well. The museum has some items that were excavated from the site but they are all damaged and I suspect that the better pieces, especially jade, are kept in a better protected museum elsewhere. But there are 20 or so well-written wall posters providing information about the life and times of the Maya people and it's worth reserving 30 mins for reading them if you can.
Written 4 March 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

53Shadrach
London, Canada323 contributions
5.0 of 5 bubbles
Mar 2020
The ruins are a short boat ride or an easy walk from the Lamanai Outpost Lodge where we were staying. We were informed by our guide that the work of uncovering the ruins was begun in 1976 by Dr. David Prendergast of the Royal Ontario Museum in Toronto, and that after 12 years of work by him and his team, only 4% of the entire site had been uncovered. The Mask Temple, Jaguar Temple, Stela Temple and High Temple are the four main buildings. The site also features what is thought to be the smallest Mayan ball court in Central America. There is a very helpful information centre on site as well as some small gift shops.
Written 22 March 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

Traveler_2579000
United States22 contributions
5.0 of 5 bubbles
Feb 2020
Pictures do not do Lamanai Mayan ruins justice. This is a must see, in-person experience if you are in Belize and you have any interest in history or exploring. I booked a guided group tour of this site from my Carnival Cruise ship that docked in Belize City. One of the coolest parts is that you do get to walk/climb to the top of one of the temples. It deep in the jungle and takes a coach bus and a boat ride to get here. You can even hear the roaring howler monkeys and our group was able to see a few spider monkeys climbing in the trees. It gets hot here, even in February - bring a hat and sunscreen. The tour guides were very knowledgeable and shared a lot of info about Mayan history and Belize culture. Very glad I visited this amazing landmark of Mayan history while I was in Belize.
Written 17 May 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

Stephen S
Petal, MS798 contributions
5.0 of 5 bubbles
Feb 2022
We loved seeing all the ruins but we also enjoyed the river ride over and the short little hike through the rain forest and jungle. You could hear the howler monkeys off in the jungle and there was even a rain shower but we barely got wet thanks to the large leaves of the palms and plants that provided a natural canopy. This is a must do if you ever visit Belize.
Written 4 March 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

connie p
Madison, WI135 contributions
5.0 of 5 bubbles
Mar 2020
We highly recommend this excursion. Hilberto was our guide, and his knowledge and passion for the history of this site immensely enriched our experience. On the boat trip to the site, we saw crocodines, bats, fish, and many different types of birds. We also saw a troop of howler monkeys in the reserve itself. The museum is sparse, but the ruins themselves are incredible.
Written 19 March 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

mark k
Green Valley, AZ183 contributions
5.0 of 5 bubbles
Dec 2021
Great, compact set of excavated ruins with very few people. We took a boat down the New River for about 45 minutes to the ruins. That was really fun and we saw lots of wildlife and countryside including some unique birds and crocodile.
There were less than 30 visitors when we were there and our guide, Amir was excellent.
Written 4 January 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

jabiru12
San Francisco, CA13 contributions
5.0 of 5 bubbles
Jan 2011
My friend and I decided to go with Jungle River Tours in Orange Walk to see the ruins at Lamanai. I'm so glad we did. It's owned/run by two brothers, and, for a very fair price, picked us up in and brought us back to Belize City. Antonio, one of the brothers, picked us up and was the nicest, nicest guy. He even took us to his house to use the restroom before getting on the boat, and we met his equally nice wife. The actual river boat guide, Hilberto, was very knowledgeable and always slowed down when there was something to see so we could take photos. Among some of the things we saw were: young crocodiles, a basilisk, an iguana, bats, some very beautiful birds, and a Jabiru-the animal I stole my screen name from-which was almost like seeing a pterodactyl-it had such a large wing span and looked so unusual. The "village" at the the ruins site was really nice and once there we were fed a delicious meal of chicken, potato salad, green salad and plantains. And rice, of course! Really great lime and manjo juice too. After lunch we did the ruin "loop'. The ruins are just amazing. I definitely recommend climbing to the top of the High Temple if you have the legs for it. The view is spectacular. On the way back, Hilberto pulled over to some trees and these two spider monkeys came up to the boat. One of them, the female (we only knew she was female because Hilberto told us) jumped on board and we started giving her bananas. She was crawling all over us and we were petting her...stopping her from getting into the motor oil and the ice chests...it was a like a dream come true. Hilberto was very sensitive to the needs of the male monkey, asking that some of us give bananas to him as he doesn't like coming on the boat so doesn't get as much food. Anyway, it was great way to end the trip. Then, to top it off, Antonio was waiting to take his back to Belize City, with wife, daughter and son in tow. They were wonderful! I really recommend them for the tour.

302-2293
Written 17 February 2011
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

Purplegrapefruit
Belleville, Canada594 contributions
5.0 of 5 bubbles
We booked the excursion "Lamanai and the New River Safari" through Royal Caribbean International, while on a Western Caribbean cruise in February 2010 and it was the best decision we made on our vacation.

The guide met us on time at the Belize City cruise port and we were ushered to a comfortable, clean air conditionned bus. Our guide, Mario, was extremely friendly and knowledgable and gave us a great explanation of the scenery we were passing on our way to the river. The bus ride was approximately 45 minutes, but it was exciting to see the Belizian countryside.

We arrived at the dock, where there were ample clean washroom facilities and plenty of time for a break before we got on the boat. The boat ride was incredible. Mario would stop the boat periodically and point out wildlife. We saw crocodiles, iguanas, sleeping bats, a plethora of tropical birds and interesting flora. After approximately 25 minutes, the river opened up into a jungle lake, and we could see the top of a pyramid peeking out over the jungle canopy.

The site entrance was extremely well maintained and very nicely landscaped, again with ample washroom space, and an area for local merchants to sell souvenirs. We were taken on a hike through the jungle, and were able to see some of the amazing ruins that are in the process of being excavated. Mario would also continue to point out interesting wildlife and plants, and even found howler monkeys. We had ample time to take photographs at each of the sites. We were even allowed to climb up the tallest excavated pyramid there for an unbelievable view above the treetops.

The terrain was pleasantly challenging, although I would strongly recommend that people wear appropriate footwear (no flipflops!). Also keep in mind that this is deep in the Central American jungle, so be prepared for the mosquitos! We were wearing long pants and sleeves which we had pre-treated with repellant (permethrin). We had absolutely no problem with being bitten, although there were several people on the tour in tank tops and shorts who didn't seem as comfortable. Come prepared and it will be no problem.

Following the hike, we had a wonderful Belizian style lunch, served by a local family. The fresh salsa was unbelievable. Throughout the tour, plenty of bottled water was supplied. We had an unbelievable time and I would definately recommend this tour to anyone who is adventurous and wants an authentic experience!
Written 20 February 2010
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

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Lamanai Archaeological Reserve, Orange Walk District

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