Home > Belize City > Lamanai and the New River Safari in Belize
USD $175.00
Lamanai and the New River Safari in Belize
Belize City, Belize
Discover ancient Mayan architecture on an excursion through Belize's exotic landscapes. You'll enjoy stunning views and spot diverse wildlife as you make your way to the Lamanai ruins, one of the most famous sights in Belize. Accessible only by water and a brief hike, this adventure is fun for the whole family.
A 45-minute drive up the Northern Highway, passing through villages and lowlands with many bird species, brings you to Tower Hill, where you'll board a riverboat and head up the New River.
While traversing the many creeks and lagoons, you may spot birdlife including hawks, kites and falcons. The river is lined with hardwood trees, orchids and bromeliads, and you might see dainty wading birds called jacanas lightly walking on lily pads while elusive crocodiles bask in the morning sunlight.
At the entrance to the New River Lagoon, the ruins of Lamanai (Mayan for submerged crocodile) rise into view. Once at the site you'll tour the small museum which features many ancient relics found at Lamanai.
You'll then embark on a 1.5-mile (2.5km) jungle hike to visit the Temple of the Mask, one of the tallest Mayan pyramids; the stucco mask of the Sun God "Kinich Ahau"; an elaborate carved stellae; and the Temple of the Jaguar Masks. These impressive sites appear to materialize out of the rainforest amid the chatter of birds and the haunting call of the howler monkeys.
Your guide will point out the copal and ramon trees, which were of great importance in ancient times. For the jungle hike you will need insect repellent and sturdy walking shoes.
At the end of the tour you'll have lunch under thatched palapas near the lagoon's edge. After lunch, free time is available for more sightseeing in the rainforest.
Our first adventure did not disappoint. The river trip guide was very informative and stopped along the way to point out a variety of animal life including crocs, bats, and birds. The Lamanai temples are pretty amazing but due to the growth surrounding them it was hard to imagine how the whole complex functioned and fit together. We were expecting lunch close to the ruins so were quite hungry when we finally completed the trip and returned to the starting point restaurant for lunch, so bring snacks!
Review by: Damon J, February 2018
This tour was amazing!
Review by: Damon J, February 2018
This tour was amazing!
Review by: Mel R, December 2017
Highly recommended - an adventure. The van to pick us up was on time and comfortable for the trip to the boat landing. The trip up the river was on a smaller boat which provided the ability to stop and get close to the shore to view birds and iguanas. We saw one small crocodile. At Lamanai we heard a very loud troop of howler monkeys - then later had a troop of a dozen or so spider monkeys cross over the path between pyramids. The lunch was homemade food and was very good. Would go again.
Review by: Anthony F, November 2017
the day was interesting and enjoyable completed with a grand meal by the new belize river
Review by: Philip B, May 2017
Traveling as a group of four and staying in Belize City, we were excited to tour the Mayan ruins at Lamanai. We booked our tour online with Viator before traveling to Belize. The trip was very well organized. Our particular tour operator was Discovery Expeditions and our tour guide/driver to the New River was Vel. Two others in our group booked their trip while in Belize through another company. So it seems to be random which tour operator you are assigned. Vel picked us up in a van at our hotel and drove us to the New River about an hour and a half ride where we joined several other groups and different tour operators on the boat to Lamanai. The boat was very crowded with the various guides and different groups. The boat operator was outstanding. He stopped to point out crocs and birds during the 1 1/2 hour ride to Lamanai. Once at the ruins, our group was led by Vel who gave us an informative and well guided tour of the ruins. His presentation was fun and he was very knowledgeable. We hiked to four or five different temples and ruins and were allowed to climb them if we wished. I opted to climb several of the temples that had regularly built staircases. But I truly appreciated the beauty of the sites and the wonderful explanation that Vel gave about each of them. After we had toured the sites, the boat operator set out a traditional Belizean lunch for all who had been on the boat. The food was delicious and abundant. It was a nice surprise to get such a great lunch -- it exceeded our expectations. The boat ride back was shorter -- 45 minutes. And then Vel drove us back to our hotel in Belize City. We really enjoyed our trip. It would have been 5 star except I think the boat was a little overcrowded which made it tight to sit for a long period of time and after lunch, we were only given about 15 minutes to tour the gift shops and the museum and use the facilities. It seemed somewhat rushed at the end of the day. I would definitely recommend the trip to those wishing to see Mayan ruins.
Review by: Ronald N, March 2017
What a great experience! Make sure to take your camera. You'll want to record the wildlife and the history. A beautiful country with wonderful people. We had the time of our lives.
Review by: Verne C, January 2016
Great trip! Loved all of the aspects of the tour with one exception. The boat ride back can be quite windy as you are at full tilt on the jet boat. Loved Lamanai and all of the wild life we saw. Our tour guide Vel was great.
Review by: Jacob R, January 2016
The trip was great! The river ride was a lot of fun, and Lamanai was amazing. The guide, Vel, was ery enthusiastic, and a lot of fun. The only thing that could have been better is he could have told us more about the Mayans and what we were seeing instead of getting off on crazy tangents that didn't make much sense. All in all, a great trip, and I highly recommend it.
Review by: Deborah P, December 2015
Vel - our tour guide, was friendly and very informative with the history. Great tour.
Review by: V, March 2015
Our guide,Vel, was fun, knowlegeable, and interesting. He informed us about wildlife as well as Mayan culture and history. The river cruise was very pleasant, and the bus transportation and boat were both comfortable. We would do it again!
Review by: John S, September 2014
I was not informed when I scheduled the tour that the reservation was only a TENTATIVE reservation dependent on whether enough other people signed up for the tour. When I called after arriving in Belize to schedule a pick-up point I was informed that the tour would not occur because no one else had signed up. I had to scramble to find someone who would schedule a CONFIRMED reservation since I had left a day empty on my schedule for for this tour. It is a total lack of courtesy on your part accept payment and fail to inform the person making the reservation that the reservation is tentative, not confirmed . I am not happy with Viator in any way.
Review by: Joy C, August 2014
This was absolutely amazing!! It was by far one of the most memorable experiences of my life. Every bit of it was incredible, from the boat trip over, the animals we saw (a monkey took a banana from me!), the tour itself, and those amazing buildings. Andy and I will always remember that view from the top of the temple for the rest of our lives. Our guide, Val, knew so much about the Maya and he was so entertaining and kind. We have recommended this experience to everyone who is talking about visiting Belize. WELL WORTH it!!
Review by: Nina B, June 2014
I booked this trip from Toronto and we received everything we expected. Before I tried to find Lamanai Tour on different websites, but Viator was the best and the most reliable. Thank you!
Review by: Yemile O, May 2014
Great tour! Lot's to see and learn!
Review by: laura H, May 2014
We were the only ones at the site on a friday morning. It was a beautiful boat ride and fascinating ruins.
Review by: erica, March 2014
An excellent tour! Had a great guide, learned a lot, and got to climb two of the ruins. Even heard a howler monkey in the trees at lamanai. During the river safari portion on the way to the site, saw a crocodile and many birds, and got to feed a spider monkey. One of my best days in Belize for sure!
Review by: Colette L, February 2014
We absolutely loved our Lamanai tour. Our guide, Vel, was enthusiastic, pleasant and proud to show us what his country had to offer. He took time to show us wildlife along the boat ride and educated us about the locals that lived in the area. The trail to the ruins was easy and accommodating to ALL types of individuals. The howler monkeys made it a little more entertaining along the way. Once at the ruins, you are free to roam around and climb them if you choose. The view at the top were absolutely breathtaking. _br/_
We would have preferred to have more time to explore the ruin and, at times, we felt rushed. Other than that, everything was great!
Review by: Anders V, January 2014
Very nice tour on the river and amazing Maya "town" in the jungle. Very friendly guide "Lev" but maybe somewhat overambitious trying to convince us how great the Mayans were. Trying to explain math to some in the group with higher education in math. But they gave up and let him go on, especially on "infinity". Some medicine facts were also false like that we get C vitamins from the sun... Other than that it was a fantastic tour.
Review by: Maxim Vorobyev, January 2014
Great tour, interesting country! Thank you!!!
Review by: ALICE C, July 2013
Great trip up the river (especially liked the northern jacanas nesting on the water hyacinths) and a very interesting archaeological site. Guide was very nice. Lunch was good (and they accommodated us vegetarians).
Review by: Klaus P, June 2013
Excellent trip, good combination of nature and culture, nice, good english speaking guide
Review by: rnodvr, March 2013
Tour was very well done. The van ride was pleasant, the river cruise was fun and full of surprises, and the ruins were magnificent (including the howler monkeys in the trees above us). Lunch was very good and overall we were pleased with the service.
Review by: Alexandra M, February 2013
It was great. Our guide Vel was funny, knowledgable and has a great eye for spotting crocodiles on the river banks. The riverboat ride and the ruins were beautiful- I highly recommend this.
Review by: Lawrence L B, January 2013
The tour was worthwhile. The infrastructure of the tour group was poor at best. The boat's motor, we were in, died enroute, and we had to wait on the New River for one-half hour or more for another boat to pick us up and take us on to Lamanai. On our return to the dock our guides van had a flat tire. He was unprepared with the proper tools and consequently we had to wait for several hours until a plan was devised to get it fixed. Not really the guides fault but poor planning by the Tour Company not to have checked these systems on a routine basis.
Review by: John D, January 2013
Van plus boat ride. Three major pyramids. A great guide! Not to be missed.
Review by: Reta I, September 2012
Our wonderful guide Vel took us on a great journey, giving us a history lesson as well as super boat ride to th Mayan ruins. We fed a spider monkey and saw the howlers!
Review by: GREGORY K, May 2012
Everything was great, especially the spider monkey, exotic bird and American crocodile sightings. Be sure and bring a pancho in the event that it rains. Seems like I was the only person prepared when it started raining pretty hard. Soon as it stopped everybody was soon blown dry by the speed of the boat and the heat of the outside temperature.
Review by: Allan R, February 2012
A GREAT tour guide, and a wonderful trip. It was the 2nd time that I had been on that exact same trip. It was very well done.
Review by: webspender, June 2011
This trip is well organized by Discovery Expeditions. The river cruise is amazing. You see spider monkeys and lots of birds. The Mayan site is worth visiting, and the guide is knowledgeable.
Review by: Julie T, June 2011
Had great time climbed the mayan ruins and scenic view on the boat safari
Review by: Mark K, March 2011
Outstanding trip! Pickup and tour were timed as promised. More importantly, the others in the tour were interesting and engaged. Climbed many Mayan structures; saw crocodiles in the river; (voluntarily) agreed to hold a tarantula! All against a backdrop of Howler Monkeys and extraordinary wildlife, scenery and archeological sites.
Review by: Diane U, February 2011
This was a great day trip. Our guide, Mario, pointed out historical sites in Belize city as well as other locations on the way to the River. The boat ride up the New river was smooth and we saw plenty of wildlife and local people fishing in small boats and canoes. The tour of the Mayan ruins at Lamanai was amazing, truely a historical wonderland. The view from the top of high temple is spectacular, you can see for miles. The items we bought at the shops near the museum were priced much better than on the Cayes. I would highly recommend this tour and the tour company.
Review by: Michael C, September 2010
Amazing experience.A lot of Maya history, but also recommended for wildlife lovers. We had a great time on this trip. A "small rain" (wet season) gave us a bit of fun. Very professional guide. Good value for money. I would recommend this excursion to my friends
Review by: Anonymous, February 2010
Good
Review by: Chris D, February 2010
Good
Review by: Anonymous, United States of America, January 2010
This is an outstanding day trip. The boat trip was fantastic. We got to see a jungle river up close, its workings, people, wildlife and plant life. We saw many types of birds, crocodiles up close, iguanas etc. Lamanai is a beautiful park and the ruins are quite impressive. This is well worth a day.
Review by: John H, January 2010
This is an outstanding day trip. The boat trip was fantastic. We got to see a jungle river up close, its workings, people, wildlife and plant life. We saw many types of birds, crocodiles up close, iguanas etc. Lamanai is a beautiful park and the ruins are quite impressive. This is well worth a day.
Review by: Debbie P, Canada, March 2009
From the flora and fauna on the river to the ruins of Lamanai, our guide was able to see and point out many things of interest we would have missed if it weren't for his sharp eyes. It's a fun full day that is interesting and informative.
Review by: Richard W, United States of America, February 2009
Tour guide brought this ancient city to life for us.
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