So I guess that brings us to day 3 of the cruise: the Xunantunich Excursion. We went on this excursion in the port of Belize and I do wish we would have had more time to explore when we returned. Belize definitely seemed like a place I would want to explore more!
I was glad we went on the Xunantunich Excursion for a few reasons.
- The tour guides are amazing.
- They give you a pretty good lunch.
- The site is beautiful.
I’m a sucker for ancient ruins of any kind. After all, this wouldn’t be my first time going full nerd over some ruins. Just last month I saw the Cave Dwellings in Arizona. This was so much better. It was in a foreign county and I got to climb on the ruins and see the amazing view from the top!
You can actually see Guatemala from the top of Xunantunich; the border is literally right there. It seemed like Tanner and I were really coming full circle; we started dating last spring break in Guatemala and this year on spring break, here we are.
Now, the Xunantunich Excursion is an all day thing, so don’t expect a lot of free time in the port. We were able to snag a woven blanket, which was my goal to get on the cruise, from a street vendor and we did have plenty of relaxation time on the bus. The bus ride from the city is about two hours and you can either nap or listen to the guides. I nodded off a few times, but I was really interested in what the guides had to say about their country.
The tour is pretty lengthy and I would recommend that you are in decent shape if you decide to go. The steps to the top are pretty high and it would be such a bummer to go all the way there and not climb to the top! This is, according to the guides, the only ruin in Belize where you can see some Mayan petroglyphs on site, so you definitely wouldn’t want to miss that!
They’re still uncovering more of the site, so there’s more to it that what you can see with your eye. Those Mayans sure were impressive architects for their sites to last this long!
Also, I highly recommend bug spray and good shoes!
That view from the top is amazing! I’ve been wanting to go for the last year, I definitely have to visit this beautiful country!