Taking a Jungle River Tour to Lamanai, Belize

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One of my most anticipated stops when travelling through Central America was the small nation of Belize. Oddly enough, my interest to visit this Caribbean country came about after reading a random guide-book one day. As much as I was enjoying spending some time on the cayes by the Belize Barrier Reef, I also wanted to experience Belize’s main land and see its fabled ruins.

My first real taste was in the small town of Orange Walk in the country’s north. It was from here that I was able to venture deep into the Belize jungle to experience the country’s wildlife and Mayan ruins, particularly those at Lamanai. Here’s what it’s like taking a tour deep into the jungle to see the Mayan ruins of Lamanai.

 

Setting Out from Orange Walk

Arriving in Orange walk, I hadn’t actually arranged anything in advance. Of course, this wasn’t an issue as Belize doesn’t generally work that way. Once at my accommodation, they had several tour options available and one immediately caught my eye. It was a river cruise tour that took you down New River to the Mayan ruins of Lamanai in the heart of the jungle.

The next morning, I stood by the hotel’s river dock, which sounds fancier than it was. Soon a speedboat arrived and after one brief stop upstream to collect the rest of the passengers, we sped off for Lamanai.

 

New River Wildlife

It wasn’t long before we started spotting wildlife along the banks of the river. Our boat slowed and our guide pointed out the soon obvious Green Iguana on a tree branch nearby. And yes, this Green Iguana is actually orange.

During mating season between December and February, male Iguanas actually shift colour to orange. It was while we were stopped looking at the iguana that I (yes, 10 spotting points for me) noticed the small freshwater crocodile half basking in the sun down low by the water. Trust the Australian to spot the croc!

 

 

Cruising Along New River

New River has its fair share of twists and turns but since the waterways were mostly empty we sped along, weaving our way up river at speed. Sitting at the front of the boat, I sat the highest in the boat but being able to look out front was worth it. I just had to pick my moments for taking photos where I wouldn’t get dislodged.

 

Mennonites in Belize

To this point the jungle had been quite sparse and we still passed hints of civilisation occasionally. First it was a rum distillery, producer of one of the nation’s popular spirits.

Not long after we passed one of Belize’s Mennonite communities which was a big surprise to me. It turns out that various Mennonite communities moved to the region in the ’50s from other parts in the Americas. Our guide said that the locals often jokingly call them “Moneynites” as they are big players in the region’s agriculture industry.

 

Capuchin Monkeys

Before this tour, I had yet to see any capuchin monkeys and even though they would soon become old news, this first sighting was exciting. Our tour leader had said that there were often several capuchin monkeys that hung around by the river banks and that we may get to see one.

We did soon come across one little guy who edged his way down towards the boat to pry some fruit out of the tour leaders hand. The tour leader said that unfortunately many of the local monkeys are captured to be used for tourism or as pets. We would later see him getting food from another boat as we headed back so it seems like this is a pretty regular occurrence.

 

Mayan Ruins of Lamanai, Belize

The river eventually widened out to a lagoon and before we knew it we were docking at the Lamanai site. Immediately it was obvious that we were in the middle of nowhere by the density of the jungle.

What is surprising is that Lamanai is one of the few sites to not be abandoned by the Maya and was still inhabited when the Spanish arrived. It was later abandoned however and left to nature which helps you understand why it wasn’t “re-discovered” until the early 20th century. Heads up, there are plenty of bugs about so definitely bring and wear insect repellent.

 

Mask Temple

Our first stop was at a small museum with several exhibits showing off artefacts uncovered during archaeological excavations. This was more just a brief introduction and we were soon on our way to our first ruin, the Mask Temple.

The smallest of the temples at Lamanai, this temple earns its name from the carved mask of a face wearing a crocodile headdress found on the pyramid. As is the case with most Mayan temples in Central America, you’re allowed to climb to the top of the temple and enjoy the views they offer.

 

High Temple

From the Mask Temple we continued on through the jungle and ferns to the largest ruin on the site, the High Temple. This temple dating back from 100 BC earns its name thanks to its height of 33 metres which may not seem like much until you’re standing at the top of it. Long way down! High Temple is the rare temple I can recall that had some form of barrier to stop you falling, even if it was a bit of yellow tape to stop you standing too close to the edge.

 

Jungle Views

Even if all those stairs are exhausting, it’s worth it for the views you get from the top. High Temple lives up to its name as the views get increasingly better as you slowly rise above the canopy and look out over the vast jungle. Aside from the river that you can only glimpse, there’s only jungle in all directions until you reach the horizon where some settlements can be faintly made out. It’s just a sea of green and it’s an isolating and humbling feeling.

 

Jaguar Temple

Once we had clambered down High Temple we made our way to the nearby Mayan Ball Court where the ancient game was played. I’ve heard so many different accounts of the ball game from my various tours of Mayan Ruins that it’s hard to tell what’s true: The winners were sacrificed; the losers were sacrificed, it was just practice for the afterlife etc. Regardless, it was still cool to see a clearly defined field.

Our last stop at Lamanai was the Jaguar Temple which we reached by going through some outer ruins first. It was here that we were treated with our first terrifying roar of the local howler monkeys. They were mostly well concealed as their howls echo about, but we did manage to spot one fella. Then it was on to the Jaguar Temple, which again we climbed to its tree covered top and got one last view through the treetops.

 

The Return Trip

With the tour of Lamanai’s ruins over, we went back towards the boat, stopping first for a picnic lunch. Once we’d had our fill, it was back on the speedboat for 1.5 hour ride back to Orange Walk. We were back by mid-afternoon which felt about right given all the sightseeing and travel we had done that day. The ruins of Lamanai, not to mention the boat ride there, were most definitely a good reason to venture off the regular Belizean tourist trail.

 

Travel Tips for Visiting Lamanai

The boat ride from Orange Walk to Lamanai is 42 kilometres (20 miles), so keep this in mind if you get motion sick. The tour I booked BZ$100 including entry to the sight, but that’s only because Orange Walk is the closest point for doing this tour. A more common approach is to do a tour from Belize City, but be aware that it’s bound to be much more expensive.

Regardless where you’re coming from, be sure to set aside the full day as travel times may vary. And while you won’t need to bring much with you, insect repellent is a must!

 

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Have you visited Orange Walk or the Mayan Ruins of Lamanai in Belize? If not, what part of the tour most interests you? Please share your thoughts in the comments below.