First time visitor to CC next April. Re: ruins, will Altun Ha suffice or is a trip to Tikal a "must see" ?

There is an interesting sea + river trip from CC you can book with Novelo to Altuna, but "Its got to be the going - not the getting there- that is good" The trip is great but the ruins are dull.
I find that most Mayans built temples next to water so I went for a solo swim in the ancient reservoir. When that big crocodile swam up to me I went back to Caye Caulker.
Tikal is down a terrible road but is a world -class trip not to be missed.It is in a jungle filled with animal life. Spend the money to stay one night in the pricey hotels at the entrance and you may get to pet a young wildcat.
Some fool once tried to kidnap a wild cat from there in his car. He was pretty torn up when the police rescued him about two miles away.
If you go up to the guards during the day they will stamp your ticket for a night visit.No charge.

[This message has been edited by keycocker (edited 11-07-2002).]

The road to Tikal is paved and in great shape as are the roads in Belize to the border and the Guatemalan road from Melchor to the Tikal turn off. I was just there last week.

thank you both, guess it's tikal for me!

Russ,

Please consider taking a side trip to see the ruins of Caracol in Belize. Caracol conquered Tikal and there is a stone there with the story. Though not as spectacular as Tikal as it is still being unearthed by the archaeologists it is certainly worth the trip. Like walking into the pages of National Geographic. You could stay in the Cayo area and do this trip from there, then move on to Tikal. There is budget lodging in Cayo and you will find alot of good information as well as fellow travelers at Eva's Restaurant. www.evasonline.com is their website if I recall correctly.

You might also want to try Lamanai. Lamanai is by far my fav ruin in Belize. Getting there is great, the view from the ruins is great - there is even a little museum where you can view artifacts retrieved from this site -, and the walking tour through the jungle is great.

Cheers,
Wendy A.