Tour Report【River cruise tour to the Lamanai Archaeological Site】

Hello everyone, nice to meet you. I’ve recently joined as Belize concierge. Today, I had the pleasure of accompanying a tour to visit the Archaeological Site of Lamanai with a river cruise. Let me walk you through the tour experience.

■What is the Lamanai Archaeological Site

The Lamanai Archaeological Site are remnants of a Maya city that flourished as a urban center from around 500 BC to the 16th century AD. The ruins are situated on a slightly elevated platform, ensuring they remain above water even during the rainy season or floods. “Lamanai” translates to “submerged crocodile” in English.

■Experiencing a Real Jungle Cruise

After a roughly one-and-a-half-hour drive north from Belize City, we arrived at the dock and boarded a boat headed towards the ruins. The river leading to the ruins was described by our guide Colin as his backyard, where he enthusiastically introduced us to the abundant wildlife and flora along the way.

One of the most impressive sightings was the Jacana bird. With its long legs, it appears to walk on water, moving across floating water plants. Due to this behavior, it’s also known as the “Jesus Christ bird.”

Northan Jacana

Ospray

Spiny-Tailed Iguana

We also encountered some Mennonite people along the way. The Mennonites are a Christian denomination who live without modern technology. They craft their own boards and rely on horses for transportation. After about an hour of boat journey reminiscent of a real jungle cruise, we arrived at the sites.

■The Awe-Inspiring Sites

We visited a total of five sites. It seems that only a small portion has been excavated, as many of the sites are still buried in the earth.

Mask Temple

High Temple

Jaguar Temple

Our guide shared the history behind each of the sites, allowing us to delve into the history of the Maya civilization. For those interested in learning more, I highly recommend visiting the Lamanai Archaeological Site.

Moreover, along the way, we encountered numerous plants that were unfamiliar to us in Japan. We learned that this particular fruit was once used as glue.

Also, we met a cute monkey.

After exploring the ruins for about two hours, we enjoyed a homemade Belizean meal prepared by our guide’s wife for lunch. Then, we boarded the boat again and returned to the dock. As we descended the river, one of the guests expressed, “I hadn’t originally planned to visit the Lamanai Archaeological Site, but I’m so glad we did.” It was truly heartening to hear such comments.

I highly recommend visiting the mystical atmosphere of the Lamanai Archaeological Site during your trip to Belize.

Stay tuned for more reports on the incredible sights of Belize!