my vote from the ones I have visited which are Altun Ha, Lamanai, and Xunantunich would be Lamanai. Tikal in Guatemala second.

Caracol is supposed to be very pretty and quite different than the rest I hear.

We've seen Xunantunich, Tikal and Caracol - and of course all were great in their own ways. We really liked Caracol - I think because it is so unique as Kra-Z-K states above. And yes, very pretty - felt almost like being in a fantasy land. And the reservoir that stills holds water is beautiful. Still have a pic of that on my desktop.

We plan on Lamanai next time we're down. The river part of the trip really intrigues me.

upon last visit in march 07, i was surprised as the progress being made at Cerros.
one of the few Mayan ruins on the ocean (Bay of Corozal).



boat trip to Lamanai from Orange Walk is a blast!
and great deal for 20-25 bucks.

Altun Ha is cool but you must figure out what time the tour buses are absent.

OK! That was:
Tikal 1
xunantunich 1
Altun Ha 1
Carocal 1
Ceros undecided
and Lamanai 9
I might point out that the $20.to 25 dollar fee mentioned by some one is for a person that is practically there already and the trip from San Pedro sells for $155.usd.including tax.

If you are in Placencia, Lubaantun & Nim Li Punit are really the only ones accessible enough for a day trip. You could get to any of the others but it would not be doable in a day. To get to Tikal without going to Bz City - you would have to bus or drive to San Ignacio area and go by land from there. The only flights to Tikal are via Bz City.

If you'd like to get a preview, I have pictures from the sites mentioned above on my personal website

www.fge3.net/pict/pict.htm

I try to take enough pictures to give an impression what the whole site is like, although there are never really enough - there are quite a few pictures out there.

Let's hope everybody is OK through Felix. Our prayers are with everyone down there.

Is there anyone that can compare Lamanaii to Chichen Itza for me?

fge3, that's quite the trip you folks took! Thanks for sharing. How did you get from place to place? How did you plan this trip and how long were you gone?

Thanks in advance.

Chichen Itza is way larger and way more touristy, with a whole shanty town of vendors set up outside the site. Mostly excavated and surrounding jungle stripped away. Very touristy. Lamanai is much smaller, not fully excavated and in more dense jungle, and located alongside a big lagoon off the New River (so water views from the tops of some of the pyramids). Not nearly as touristy although getting more touristy (and trashed) by each cruise ship load. Mayan wise - Chichen Itza would be more comparable to Tikal or Caracol with observatories, special astronomy points, tons of buildings, etc.

Tulum is majestic.


The only problem is the ruins are roped off at a distance of about 150 feet. So a picture does just as well. I like the fact that you can still climb around on the sites in Belize, at least for now. As carrying capacities increase with cruise ship arrivals, I'm sure the wear and tear will limit the access to these amazing remnants of Belize's past.

In Belize, I like Cahal Pech for various reasons.

SIN