Lamanai Tour From Orange Walk
If you’re in Orange Walk, you’re probably transiting to another city in Belize or Mexico, or you’re here to do the Lamanai tour. Outside of that, there isn’t much to see or do here.
Orange Walk is perhaps the most laid back city in Belize, but a great place to kick back and relax. There isn’t much of a tourist industry, so you get the most authentic Belizean experience.
I spent much of my time here relaxing and walking around this tiny town.
My friend Kendrya and I came specifically to see the Lamanai (Mayan term for Submerged Crocodile) archaeological ruins. In order to visit these ruins you’ll need to book a tour through your hotel/hostel. We stayed at D’Victoria hotel and booked through them. The manager was very helpful and was more than happy to answer any questions we had.
Our Lamanai tour was booked for the next day and we paid $45 USD, which included lunch and the entrance fee. At 9AM a van picked us up from the hotel lobby and made a quick drive to the river where our boat awaited. The actual ride was about an hour and a half. Along the way we were able to see various animals and Mennonite communities. Mennonites are Anabaptist Christians, largely of Russian descent that left Russia in the 18th and 19th century. They speak a form East Low German and maintain separated from the rest of Belizean society and thus inbreeding is quite prevalent in their society.
The road to Lamanai is scenic and pretty chill. The driver will make an effort to point out certain birds, plants, and other things he/she thinks will be of interest to the group.
The first ruin we saw upon our arrival to Lamanai was the Jaguar Temple. Seeing this temple you get an idea of how advanced the Mayan civilization was. I can only imagine how this site might have looked at its peak.
After a few photos our group moved to the next site, which was the highest point at Lamanai.
This is the grand structure in Lamanai and the views did not disappoint. It’s crazy when you think about it. Before this place was rediscovered, this entire area was a complete jungle. Imagine going through the jungle and uncovering a huge piece of stone, only to realize it was an entire lost civilization!
We passed a few more sites until we reached an interesting one with a face that had a striking resemblance to that of the face from the old Nickelodeon show “Legend of the Hidden Temples.”
Afterwards, we enjoyed some homemade lunch and were given about an hour of free time to roam around. Later, I came across a Mayan shop and chatted with the owner for a bit before heading back on the boat. The entire tour from start to finish was about 5 hours give or take, well worth the $45.
I highly recommend it Lamanai if you’re in Orange Walk or even just Belize in general. The Mayans left behind a great civilization and to actually see it for yourself is truly rewarding.
