Xunantunich Tour: Explore Mayan Ruins and El Castillo

Take a guided tour of the archaeological site of Xunantunich, a Mayan gemstone hidden deep in the rainforest. Learn about the history of the site and climb the famous El Castillo temple.

Duration: 8 hours
Cancellation: 24 hours
Highlights
  • Xunantunich - Visitors journey westward from Belize City via the George Price Highway, passing through scenic hills and charming villages until they reach the village of San Jose Succutz. From there, they take a hand-cranked ferry across the Mopan River and continue a mile uphill to the historic city of Xunantunich.
What's Included
  • Hotel pickup and drop-off
  • Local guide
  • Transport by air-conditioned vehicle
  • Lunch
What's Not Included
  • Gratuities
Additional Information
  • Children must be accompanied by an adult
  • May be operated by a multi-lingual guide
  • Please advise any specific dietary requirements at time of booking
Location
Belize City
We pick up from all locations in or near Belize City. Including all AirBnb locations in Belize City. We pick up from both the San Pedro Belize Express and the Ocean Ferry Water Taxis as well.
Cancellation Policy

For a full refund, cancel at least 24 hours before the scheduled departure time.

Customer Ratings
4.7
(22 Ratings)
5 stars
4 stars
3 stars
2 stars
1 star
Victoria
Aug 28, 2024
Exciting and amazing - We had an amazing full day tour. Everything was smooth, including communication with Adrian before the trip, giving clear information about our hotel pick up and a clear help when walking across the border where our next guide, Willy, was waiting for us! Both Adrian and Willy shared really interesting facts! A great day exploring Tikal!
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Chonghaulim
Oct 31, 2019
Educational and private tour - It was an educational private tour, thanks to the guide Melanie. I learned a lot about not just Xunatunich, but also Belize culture and information. The tour was private, me and another 2 persons, so there were no waiting on bus, time to pick up/drop off people stuff. On top of that, it was a slow season so there was no crowd at all. Melanie brought us to the zoo after that, which was an extra (for $40 with our consent), and that was an interesting zoo to check out too. I strongly recommend this if you don't like crowd or going with a bigger group.
Review provided by Viator
Triggeress
Oct 9, 2019
Our Visit - We loved our visit. We didn't think there was any way to make it to the top. Our guide, Cruze, made it so lsimple. While explaining different aspects of Xuanantunich, before we knew it, we were at the top. How exciting it was and easily done.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
T3xasgal
Sep 5, 2019
A beautiful sight - We had a great excursion! It was about a 2 hour bus ride but well worth it. Our guides were very knowledgeable and shared much about Belize and the amazing Mayan Ruins. The ruins are absolutely breathtaking and don’t pass up the opportunity to climb them!! The view from the top is breathtaking!
Review provided by Tripadvisor
G
Aug 28, 2019
Best Tour in Belize!!! - Leonardo Diaz was our guide. It was just myself and my girlfriend and let me tell you...he absolutely made the entire day and tour AMAZING! Xunantunich itself is a tremendous Mayan ruin site, but its useless without someone not only knowing what they're talking about, but presenting it in not only an understandable way, but fun one too! He picked us up at the Boat Taxi terminal in Belize City. He was very kind and welcoming. He said, "Its just you two today so it'll be like a private tour." He drove us out and began talking about the current state of affairs of Belize along with its history. Anything he felt we should know along the way, he pointed out and educated us about it. I didn't know "Shark" in Mayan meant "King" or "Jaguar" meant "god" but it made sense! Anyways, he knew everything about Xunantunich as well as its history and how the Mayan culture was back in the day. My girlfriend needed some water and he politely said, "Be right back" and hiked back and brought some cold bottled water back! He took plenty of pictures of us as well as took pictures on his own phone and e-mailed them to me after the trip! He also picked up a tarantula and let me continue to conquer my fears of spiders, and hold it. The ruins themselves are quite a site. Its the shark's quarters on one end and the temple on the other. On each side are mounds which contain buildings belonging/serving various aspects of Mayan life. Atop the temple, you can see into Guatemala, as well as for miles! It was an amazing experience all around. Afterward, he arranged for lunch where we talked some more and got to know him on a personal level. I know this review should be more about Xunantunich itself, however, I honestly can't say enough about our guide. If this tour is Steven Spielberg, Leonardo Diaz is John Williams.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Faraway236958
Aug 6, 2019
Fantastic tour with Kadeem! - It was a pleasure to tour with Kadeem. He made the tour a fun trip and went beyond ways to help out with things. Thanks Kadeem. You are one helluva guy! Highly recommended.
Review provided by Viator
Sharastudio
Mar 18, 2019
Leonardo Diaz made the ruins come to life - All I can say is that we were one lucky bunch to have Leonardo Diaz as our tour guide around the mayan ruin of Xunantunich. Not only is his mom full blood Mayan, he knew every inch of that temple and was able to share with us what each room was used for. You could feel the reverence, love and respect he had for his ancestors and stories that were passed down from generation to generation. He took care of us as if we were his family and to be honest, I actually cried a little when he dropped us off at the end of our day together. I plan to return to Belize and can't wait to have Leonardo be our guide again.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
685ashlynnb
Mar 18, 2019
Knowledgeable tour guide - Our tour guide Leonardo Diaz treated us like family and made sure we were having a good time. He is very knowledgeable about the Mayan culture. He can even teach you some words in Mayan if you’d like. He said this is favorite tour to give, and you can tell because it is a treasured part of his heritage. Though the drive was an hour and a half it seemed shorter because Leonardo would talk about the towns we were passing though which made the ride a lot more fun! I would 100% recommended Leonardo Diaz to be your guide.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Bryndal
Mar 17, 2019
Fantastic guide! - Our guide was Leonardo Diaz and my family and I couldn't be more happy with the experience he gave us. He was so kind and ever so knowledgeable. It was great to talk to him, especially because he could inform you about anything. He made us all feel very welcomed and comfortable. Our experience and safety was of his utmost concern, which especially helped when I was feeling sick and he helped me to regroup. Leonardo was early for pick up, which made it an easy morning. And then throughout the day he kept a great pace with showing us around. We were able to enjoy every aspect of the trip, instead of feeling dragged around. We would recommend him to anyone and would even love to go back just so he could guide us through more of Belize!
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Txmbraithwaite
Mar 17, 2019
Xunantunich with Tour Guide Leonardo Diaz - Simply amazing tour, Leonardo Diaz our guide should be asked for. He had tremendous personal knowledge based on his Mayan ancestry and went out of his way to ensure we were comfortable and answered all of our questions. Outstanding young man and great tour for a day trip from Belize City! Booked it via Viator and they arranged it with Belize Fun Tours, glad they did. Next time we are going direct!!
Review provided by Tripadvisor
From $135
up to 15 guests
2 Adult
Cancellation: Free cancellation up to 24 hours before the start of your experience (local time).