The best thing about a day trip to Lamanai Maya ruins is that you get a travel adventure as well as an educational and cultural excursion!

For my last trip to Lamani, Suya Tours picked us up in the morning and we headed out to cross the water over to the mainland. About 15 miles later we entered a lagoon that took us to the Northern River. While observing and learning about the mangroves, bird and animal life of the area, we were served a delicious breakfast burrito & OJ! It didn’t seem to take long at all before we were arriving at Bomba, a little town of 40 people, where our Suya boat would dock and we would board a bus.

The informative talk continued on the bus as we headed to Orange Walk town, learning more about Belize. In Orange Walk, we boarded another boat & cruised along the New River, passing a rum distillery (curiously located next to a rehab center), spider monkeys, John McAfee’s “compound” (yes, the software guy), and a Mennonite community. Talk about diversity!

And then we are at our destination–Lamanai, or “submerged crocodile.” We have a yummy lunch and check out the museum, with good background information on the ancient Maya. Our guided tour then took us to see the top sites, including Mask Temple, thought to be a burial site for rulers; the High Temple, the tallest structure at this site at 33 meters/108 feet & yes, which you may climb to get not only bragging rights, but an impressive view over the top of the jungle; and the Jaguar Temple, at the base of which on either side are jaguar faces worked into the stone. While at the ruins you may even see, but more likely hear, a howler monkey or several. It is a great visit!

But the fun’s not over yet — it’s back on the boat, this time with a bit of rum punch to start the trip home, followed by more beverages on the bus to Bomba and boat to the island!  Soft drinks available too of course!

This is a highly recommended adventure & a favorite of many a visitor to Ambergris Caye.

An aerial view (compliments of the Belize Tourist Bureau) of Lamanai. You can see the High Temple, the surrounding jungle area, and the lagoon you will boat in on.

This mask has actually been covered with a plaster cast of some sort to protect what’s underneath.

The High Temple–the tallest structure at this site at 33 meters (about 108 feet).

What goes up, must come down from the top of High Temple….!!

Can you see the jaguar face here at the base of Jaguar Temple?

And back on the b u m p y bus having beverages on the way back! 🙂