Tubing or Ruins in Belize?
 

We are stopping for a day at Belize City off a cruise ship in January. Have read through the tour info and need help deciding if we should go to the ruins or cave tubing. Our ship also stops in Cozumel so expect to see ruins there. Also can anyone give me a full description of Cave Tubing. I have no idea what is involved. Thanks for your help.

Debbie, it realy depends on your intersts. Personally even if I saw already Mayan ruins I would opt to see those in Lamanai or Altun Ha or any others in Belize. Any tubing will be out. I never did tubing but it just doesn't appeal to me. On the other hand there are people who love it and will recommend it. It is your choice.<BR>I know this won't help you to decide but think what is your interst. Good luck and have fun when in Belize. Hope you won't get sick on your cruise.

When I was in Belize this past July, I visited Altun Ha and went cave tubing. On both trips, we ran into a (large) group of cruise ship passengers. If your choices are Altun Ha or cave tubing, I'd go cave tubing, unless you're a real history buff. There really isn't a whole lot to see at Altun Ha, in my opinion. If you have the opportunity to go to Lamanai, I'd go there, however.

To answer your last question about what is involved in cave tubing...<BR><BR>If it's the same one I went on, you will take a bus to a river about an hour or so west of Belize City. When you get off the bus, you will be given an inner tube, and will have to walk about 30 minutes down a trail through the forest to the river. When you reach the river, your guide will give you a light to wear on your head. Then, you sit on the inner tube and, as a group, float down the river through caves. You get out of the river near the parking lot where you started.

Which ruins do you mean? If you have the time to go to Tikal, it's spectacular. Lamanai is also amazing - both the boat trip through the jungle to get there and the site itself. But I think either would be a long &amp; probably taxing day-trip from Belize City.<BR><BR>Altun Ha and San Ignazio (closer to Belize City) are not so impressive, although still interesting and different from the Cozumel-area ruins if you have a special interest in Maya culture and history/archaeology.<BR><BR>You might find this site about ruins in Mexico &amp; C America useful to get an idea of where each site is loacted &amp; what to expect: http://www.mostlymaya.com/

Debbie, I can't really advise you on what to do - both sound like good trips, however I wouldn't count on seeing ruins in Cozumel. The ruins on Cozumel itself are very minor, so I don't think you'd make an excursion there. (I may be wrong though.)

lamani trip is suppose to be really nice. the only complaint i've read about the tubing was one person said that carrying the tube during the hike was more strenuous then she anticipated. but i'm sure if you are in reasonable health it would be fine.