The Mayan Masks Temple Of Belize
The Lamanai ruins in Belize are a number of the most fascinating Mayan ruins in Central America, full with a ‘Masks Temple’ that has large stone faces carved into the inspiration. It seems to be like one thing from Indiana Jones!
Lamanai means ‘submerged crocodile’ and this space on the riverside was settled by the Mayans for 1000’s of years. Excavation was solely began within the Seventies, and continues right now. A few of the temples are even open for climbing, so you will get panoramic views from the highest!
You may go to Lamanai fairly simply on a day journey from locations like Orange Stroll, Belize Metropolis, and even San Pedro in Ambergris Caye. Alongside the way in which, you get to get pleasure from a river boat experience by the jungle, with the sounds of tropical birds and howler monkeys within the tree tops.
This journey information will clarify get to Lamanai Belize, what to see on the Mayan ruins, finest tour packages to make use of, and all the pieces else you have to know earlier than you go!
Finest Lamanai Excursions
Among the finest methods to go to Lamanai is with a day tour bundle.
In the event you’re coming from Belize Metropolis or the cruise port, Viator has a high-rated Lamanai tour with a river boat cruise, wildlife watching, and all the finest Mayan temples of the realm.
The value features a native Belizean information and driver, lunch, park charges, and pickup and drop-off from Belize Metropolis inns, the cruise port, or the airport.
We’ve used Viator for plenty of excursions and actions around the globe, they usually’re nice. Extremely really helpful!
Guide Now: Lamanai Tour From Belize Metropolis / Cruise Port
The place Is Lamanai Situated? How To Get There
Lamanai is situated in northern Belize, close to the New River, and you will get there by both automobile or boat.
The closest important city is Orange Stroll, however you can even go to Lamanai on a day journey from wherever in northern Belize, together with Belize Metropolis, Ladyville, Los Lagos, Caye Caulker, or San Pedro in Ambergris Caye.
In the event you’re driving to Lamanai with a automobile, it’s about 1 hour from Orange Stroll city, or greater than 2 hours from Belize Metropolis. The gap is definitely not very far, however the roads close to Lamanai are grime and gravel, they usually’re not in nice situation. 4-wheel drive is really helpful, particularly within the wet season.
Lamanai excursions usually go to the archaeological website by boat as an alternative of automobile. That is essentially the most enjoyable and attention-grabbing option to do it, since you get to calm down and benefit from the river views, whereas additionally looking forward to birds and different wildlife.
The boat experience to Lamanai takes about 1 hour, and it’s one of many nice issues about coming right here, for my part!
Lamanai Ruins: What To Count on
There are 5 primary temples at Lamanai, with a little bit of strolling between each. It additionally has a small museum with some Mayan artifacts, and a nineteenth century sugar mill that was swallowed up by a strangler fig tree after being deserted.
Most Lamanai excursions will begin with the Jaguar Temple after which go to the Royal Advanced, Ball Court docket, and Excessive Temple, earlier than ending on the Masks Temple after which heading again to the customer middle.
In whole, you’ll stroll about 1.5 kilometers (1 mile) all through the day, though it’s unfold out over the course of about 2 hours, so it doesn’t really feel like an excessive amount of in any respect. Many of the strolling is flat and simple, however if you happen to select to climb the temples then that may be a bit extra strenuous.
There’s loads of wildlife to be seen at Lamanai Archaeological Reserve — bats, howler monkeys, spider monkeys, crocodiles, iguanas, tarantulas, unique birds, and lots of different kinds of animals name this place their dwelling. You may even see a jaguar if you happen to’re fortunate.
You’ll hear the howler monkeys earlier than you see them. They’re very loud! We encountered a bunch of them within the treetops close to the primary temple, and at first their roaring appeared like one thing a lot larger and extra harmful, however they’re really innocent monkeys.
• Jaguar Temple
The Jaguar Temple is usually the primary temple you’ll cross on a tour of the Lamanai Mayan ruins.
It’s a pyramid-shaped temple with 7 ranges and a peak of virtually 30 meters (100 ft), making it the second tallest at Lamanai. Actually, the bottom of the temple remains to be partly underground, but when it was absolutely excavated it could really be the tallest constructing at Lamanai.
Some excursions climb the Jaguar Temple, though ours didn’t. It will get its title from two blocky stone masks carved into the entrance of the temple that should characterize jaguars, though I assumed they regarded extra like crocodile faces myself.
Archaeologists have found some hidden caches on this temple containing jade masks and different Mayan artifacts. Very attention-grabbing!
• Excessive Temple
The Excessive Temple is the tallest monument at Lamanai, and on the time it was constructed, it was more than likely the tallest constructing of the Mayan world!
It has a peak of 33 meters (108 ft), making it about as tall as a contemporary 10-story constructing. Spectacular. It’s nonetheless one of many largest Mayan constructions in Central America.
You may often climb to the highest of the Excessive Temple, though it was closed for restoration work once I was there. The highest has superb panoramic views of the jungle cover!
It’s a troublesome climb so watch out and take it gradual. A few of the steps are awkward and uneven.
• Masks Temple
Final, however not least, there’s the Masks Temple of Lamanai, which was my favourite a part of the entire place, though it’s one of many smaller temples of the bunch.
That is one other temple you could climb for the views on prime, however essentially the most distinctive factor concerning the Masks Temple must be the large stone faces carved into the inspiration, which is the way it will get its title.
The masks are nearly 4 meters tall they usually’re meant to characterize an historic Maya king sporting a crocodile headdress. I really like this sort of stuff! There are two masks, with one on either side of the temple’s entrance.
Based on archaeologists, the stone faces on the Lamanai Masks Temple had been added by the Mayans someday round 400 AD, which is sort of 600 years after the remainder of the temple was constructed.
A tomb was discovered contained in the temple that held the stays of a person, with jade and shell artifacts. A second tomb for a lady was additionally discovered close by.
These might have been former rulers at Lamanai, however nobody is aware of for positive.
• Entrance Charges*
- Foreigners: $10 BZD ($5 USD)
- Locals: $5 BZD
*Lamanai excursions often embody the park charge within the whole worth, so it’s already taken care of. In any other case, you may pay it while you get to the customer middle.
• Opening Hours
The Mayan ruins are open seven days per week, day by day of the yr, from 8 AM to five PM.
Pattern Lamanai Tour Itinerary
Right here’s what a Lamanai tour itinerary will usually seem like:
- 8:00 AM. Depart from Belize Metropolis in an air conditioned van and drive 1 hour to the start line for the jungle river cruise.
- 9:00 AM. Begin the 1 hour scenic boat experience on the New River. Look ahead to birds and different wildlife.
- 10:00 AM. Arrive at Lamanai Archaeological Reserve and start touring the Mayan ruins, whereas recognizing howler monkeys and different animals.
- 1:00 PM. End touring the ruins and eat a neighborhood lunch close by. We had hen and veggie empanadas with salsa. Yum.
- 2:00 PM. Boat experience again to the start line (1 hour).
- 3:00 PM. Drive again to Belize Metropolis (1 hour).
- 4:00 PM. Arrive in Belize Metropolis and end the tour.
Have in mind, these occasions could also be completely different, relying in your tour supplier and the place precisely you keep in Belize. You may contact your tour supplier for precise particulars.
Historical past of Lamanai
Archaeologists imagine the Lamanai space has been inhabited since 1600 BC, and it continued to be occupied up till the 1600s AD, which suggests it has one of many longest histories of any of the Mayan websites in Central America.
Lamanai reached its peak throughout the Pre-Traditional interval of Mayan historical past, from the 4th century BC by the first century AD, and its fascinating temples had been constructed right now. As many as 60,000 individuals might have lived there then!
The Spanish tried to transform the Mayans to Christianity within the late sixteenth century, and constructed two Catholic church buildings close to Lamanai, however the Mayans revolted and burned them down. After this occurred, town was regularly deserted and have become overgrown by jungle.
Tons of of years handed earlier than Lamanai got here to the eye of the skin world once more within the mid-Seventies, when excavation work lastly began. Quite a lot of it’s nonetheless being excavated right now, so who is aware of what new discoveries they could discover!
Once I was touring the Mayan ruins at Lamanai, our information talked about that UNESCO had been there not too long ago, so possibly they’re desirous about choosing this for cover as a World Heritage Website someday within the close to future. That will be nice!
Finest Time To Go to The Lamanai Ruins
The most effective time of day to go to the Lamanai ruins is within the morning, that approach you may keep away from the worst warmth. Excursions usually begin with an 8 AM pickup, which ought to put you on the ruins by about 10 AM.
You may go to Lamanai at any time of yr, however typically the most effective time to go to is throughout the dry season in Belize, which runs from December to Could. The months of February, March, April, and Could are particularly dry and sunny in Belize, so that you aren’t more likely to run right into a wet day right now of yr.
Throughout the moist season it’s nonetheless attainable to go to Lamanai, however you’re extra more likely to encounter rain. The moist season runs from June to November in Belize.
Is Lamanai Protected?
Sure, Lamanai is fairly secure. Although the nation of Belize doesn’t have an ideal security report, I’m not conscious of any crimes or violent incidents towards vacationers within the Lamanai space.
I carried my Fuji digital camera and took plenty of photos on the Mayan ruins, however I saved it hidden discreetly in my bag once I was strolling round on the customer middle and different public areas the place I didn’t want to make use of my digital camera.
In order for you some further peace of thoughts, you might additionally convey a hidden journey belt (like this one on Amazon) and put a few of your valuables in it. That’s what I did with my cellphone, money, and bank cards on my first go to to Belize.
Different Ideas For Lamanai Belize
- The place To Keep: If you wish to keep close to the Lamanai Mayan ruins, there are just a few small visitor homes within the city of Indian Church, such because the Lamanai Outpost Lodge. You can too discover loads of snug inns in Orange Stroll city.
- What To Put on: Costume for the tropics! Temperatures may be sizzling and humid right here within the daytime, so that you’ll need to have light-weight summer time clothes. I wore shorts and flip flops. Sneakers are usually not required for climbing the temples, however may be useful. Simply bear in mind to decorate modestly since Lamanai is a crucial place for the locals.
- Bug Spray: I didn’t discover any bugs or mosquitoes at Lamanai throughout the dry season, but it surely’s nonetheless a good suggestion to use bug spray simply in case. That is very true if you happen to go to within the moist season, while you’re more likely to see extra bugs. There could also be some danger of Dengue or Chikungunya from mosquitoes, however Malaria isn’t a difficulty on the Lamanai Archaeological Reserve. I’d not take anti-malarials.
- Bogs: There are clear public bogs on the entrance to the park, close to the customer middle, proper after you get off the boat at Lamanai. You gained’t discover any loos afterward on the ruins themselves, so that is the most effective place to handle enterprise earlier than and after seeing the ruins.
- Snacks & Drinks: There are small outlets on the park entrance the place you should purchase snacks, drinks, or souvenirs from the Lamanai Archaeological Reserve.
- Cell Service: There’s some cell service on the Lamanai park if you have to make a cellphone name or ship a textual content message.
Is Lamanai Value It?
Sure, for my part Lamanai is completely price visiting, whether or not you’re a cruise passenger or simply occur to be touring in Belize or a neighboring nation!
I believe these are a number of the most original and attention-grabbing Mayan ruins in Central America. The historical past, structure, and wildlife are all improbable.
Lamanai is effectively preserved and it seems like a film set. All of for this reason I’d charge it as a bucket checklist exercise.
Extra Central America Journey Ideas
Thanks for wanting! I hope you loved this journey information for the Mayan ruins of Lamanai in Belize.
Don’t overlook to take a look at my different journey weblog posts for Central America and South America earlier than you go!
Glad travels!