Adventures in Belize at Altun Ha and the River Wallace

After our first relaxing excursion on the Carnival Conquest in Honduras, we were ready for some adventure.  Our second port brought us to the beautiful Country of Belize.  The cruise ship cannot get close to shore, so the anchor is dropped offshore and we were transported to shore on a smaller boat.

Because my husband is a History teacher, he wanted to check out the Mayan Ruins while we were in Belize.  After some research, we decided on the visiting Altun Ha and the River Wallace.  We boarded an air-conditioned bus and took a 90 minute bus ride through Belize City to Altun Ha.  Because I have two little ones, I was happy to see that the bus had a washroom.

I was worried that the kids would be bored on such a long ride, but we had three wonderful tour guides who entertained us with facts about their hometown and the sights we were passing.  It also served as a good opportunity to show the kids that not everyone is as fortunate as they.

Upon arriving at Altun Ha, we were guided through the various plazas by our guide.  We were allowed to explore the ruins and even climb to the top for about 45 minutes….simply spectacular!  Beware that this excursion is physical and very hot (we were there in August) but bottled water is available for purchase.

The air-conditioned bus was much appreciated as we drove about 20 minutes to the Black Orchid Resort for lunch.  Lunch was not included in this excursion, so remember to bring cash.  We had a choice of traditional dishes such as chicken and rice or we could opt for cheeseburgers instead.

The second leg of our trip began by boarding an open air boat docked at the Black Orchid on the River Wallace.  About 30 passengers and three tour guides could fit on the boat and kids were asked to sit on the inside.  For two hours, we searched for wildlife along the riverbanks.  We saw crocodiles, monkeys, birds, iguanas, dolphins and manatees but I will admit that my favorite part was when the boat got into open waters and picked up considerable speed.  I felt like James Bond!

The boat brought us ride to the pier where we caught a tender back to the cruise ship after checking out the duty-free shops at the port.  This was our longest excursion which lasted about 7 hours total.

Excursion Essentials:  lightweight clothing, sunscreen, bug spray, sunglasses with strap, hat, sneakers or walking shoes, lots of water, snacks, backpack, motion sickness medicine (smaller boats made me a bit nauseous), camera, cash

I will admit that this was the excursion I was least excited about.  While my hubby is a history buff and adventure seeker, my place is generally at the beach or the spa.  However, I was pleasantly surprised and how much I enjoyed the day!  The River Wallace tour was so much fun and while the excursion was long and hot, the kids hung in there and crashed when we got back to the Conquest.

This post is the opinion of the Experimental Mommy.  I won the cruise during a social media scavenger hunt sponsored by Carnival Cruise Lines but excursions were not included.  All opinions are my own.