Hi all, just wondering if the trip to Lamanai is worth all the extra expense and time over Altun Ha. We'll be in AC for our honeymoon in two weeks and the budget has shrunk, plus I like to sleep in when possible.
Absolutely! The ruins are situated in the jungle, you walk through paths beneath the canopy and around each corner is a new temple. You really do feel as though you're back in time. Altun Ha just doesn't have that same feeling. I'm biased, having lived at Lamanai for 3 years, but I still go back to explore every chance I get.
Dear Tymish:
I was just at both of them in February...there is no comparison. The grounds at Lamanai are far more extensive; climbing up one of the temples with a safety rope for us old geezers was a kick; the river trip experience with fantastic wildlife (we saw the huge endangered jabiru stork)was great; and the facilities (i.e. toilet) and museum are far superior. Don't get directly under the naughty Howler monkeys. We took a canoe from Orange Walk. Forget Orange Walk...oh my god. Take the tour right from Ambergris! Have a great time and congratulations.
Check out this site for info: //ambergriscaye.com/pages/mayan/mayasites.html. We took the TropicAir trip to Lamanai. Excellent.