Visit the ruins of a mighty Mayan city on a guided tour of the Xunantunich archaeological site near San Ignacio. Cross the Mopan River on a traditional hand-canked ferry, and then ascend to the hilltop complex featuring the remnants of plazas, royal quaters, ball courts, and the imposing El Castillo temple — the second tallest in Belize. Climb to the top of the great pyramid for views that stretch into Guatemala, and learn about the fascinating ancient Mayan civilization from a guide.

Half-day tour to the Xunantunich archaeological site from San Ignacio
Visit one of Belize's most impressive ancient Mayan sites
Cross the Mopan River on a vintage hand-cranked ferry
See the excavated ruins of an ancient hilltop city
Climb to the top of the country's second-largest Mayan temple
Hotel pickup and drop-off included
Choice of morning or afternoon departure

What's Included

All taxes, fees and handling charges
Bottled water
Professional local guide
Hotel pickup and drop-off (selected hotels only)

Alcoholic drinks (available to purchase)
Food and drinks
Lunch
Gratuities

Meeting And Pickup

You can head directly to the meeting point, or request pickup

Meeting point

Cayo Welcome Center & Tourist Information Center
5W5J+M57, San Ignacio, Belize
Your driver will have a sign with your name so you can easily recognize him/her

Pickup points

Select a pickup point

Start time

Confirm time with the local provider in advance of your experience.

Opening hours

12/16/2021 - 12/15/2023
Monday - Sunday : 08:30 am - 12:00 pm, 01:00 pm - 04:30 pm

End point

This activity ends back at the meeting point.

Pickup details

Departure Point: Centrally located hotels within 20km of San Ignacio town Return Details: Original departure point We can pick up guests and return them to their hotel as long as it is within a 20km radius of San Ignacio town

What To Expect

Additional Info

Confirmation will be received at time of booking
Not wheelchair accessible
Children must be accompanied by an adult
Comfortable walking shoes are recommended
Due to the nature of this tour and the safety of all guests, the tour operator reserves the right to refuse service to passengers who are intoxicated or show signs of intoxication. If, as a result, your tour is canceled, you will not be entitled to a refund.
Minimum numbers apply. There is a possibility of cancellation after confirmation if there is not enough passengers to meet requirements. In the event of this occurring, you will be offered an alternative or full refund

Things to bring along: Cool and comfortable clothing, hiking/tennis shoes, camera, bug spray, sun block lotion
A minimum of 2 people per booking is required
Infants must sit on laps
Most travellers can participate
This tour/activity will have a maximum of 45 travellers

Cancellation Policy

You can cancel up to 24 hours in advance of the experience for a full refund.

For a full refund, you must cancel at least 24 hours before the experience’s start time.
If you cancel less than 24 hours before the experience’s start time, the amount you paid will not be refunded.
Any changes made less than 24 hours before the experience’s start time will not be accepted.

Cut-off times are based on the experience’s local time.
This experience requires good weather. If it’s cancelled due to poor weather, you’ll be offered a different date or a full refund.

Traveller Photos

Reviews

5.0

41 reviews

Total review count and overall rating based on Viator and Tripadvisor reviews

Reviews by Viator travellers.

Showing 1-10 of 41 reviews

An ancient discovery to touch

Lynne_C, Jan 2023

What a spectacular tour! To be able to visit a historic site like this was magical! Our guide O'Neal was knowledgeable and engaging and made the trip fantastic!

Great tour

Danielle_F, Dec 2022

We all really enjoyed this tour with O’Neal. He was very friendly and knowledgeable. The ruins were cool to see and was surprised we could climb to the top.

Had a great tour of the...

Herbert_T, Dec 2022

Had a great tour of the Mayan ruins. Our guide O'Neil was extremely knowledgeable and very engaging. So much more enriching with the tour.

Awesome.

Derek_C, May 2022

Great experience our guide was fantastic and very knowledgeable. The information shared about the culture and the Mayan life was very interesting. Our guide also had binoculars to look at the various wildlife in the surrounding jungle.

All I can say is WOW! The...

Levi_C, Apr 2022

All I can say is WOW! The fact that these structures date back so long ago and you’re able to walk up to the top while your tour guide is informing you on every bit of history is such an experience! Make sure you have an amazing guide who knows their stuff! Ours was Onil and he is very educated on the culture. We would do this again in a heartbeat, but now I’m more motivated to see more! 10/10 would HIGHLY RECOMMEND!

A great morning

Natalie_A, Apr 2022

Our guide, Dima was great! We were able to move at our own pace through the tour and experience each part of the site. Along the way, Dima taught us so many incredible things. He offered to take photos for us, and answered all our questions. We loved touring in the morning because we had the place almost to ourselves, which was a unique and special experience. It was the perfect length of time. I recommend this tour!

Great guide

caroline_h, Mar 2022

O’Neill our guide made the trip come to life. One of the best guides we’ve had. Our transport was very Comfortable The area was well maintained

Response from Host, Mar 2022

Thank you for taking the time to share your experience with us on your tour of Xunantunich Maya Temple. Your opinion is truly appreciated. We are very fortunate to have great guides on our team.

A Very Worthwhile Trip!

Jacqueline_R, Feb 2022

Our guide Dimas was very informative and enthusiastic about the Mayan history and architecture. He was very informative and patient with our many questions. So pleased we made the decision to take this tour.

Response from Host, Feb 2022

Thank you for your review. We really do appreciate you taking your time to write about your experience with us. Dimas is a great guide and we are fortunate to have him on our team.

Terrific Tour

Gabe_H, Dec 2021

The tour was incredibly informational and gave us great insight into the history of the Maya. Our guide, Onil, was very knowledgeable and great at explaining the history. I would recommend this tour to anyone visiting San Ignacio.

Response from Host, Jan 2022

Thank you for taking the time to post this review. Our guides truly enjoy sharing their knowledge with our guests. We hope to host you again in the future!

Our guide Demas was great

Annette_P, July 2021

Our guide was amazing and we loved the tour. It went very smooth and we were well informed. We appreciate the experience.

Would do it again!

Angelique_M, July 2021

Our guide, O’Neil, knew so much about the site that it was incredible! He truly took us back in time and taught us about the ancient Mayan civilization. He was incredible! A true must if you are in the area!

History, views and wildlife

Jeneva_C, May 2020

We thoroughly enjoyed our tour. Learned a lot and even got to see some spider monkeys. Our guide was great. Very knowledgeable and took lots of photos for us.