Lamanai River Trip: A Jungle Day to the Maya Ruins from San Pedro

A Lamanai river trip trades the reef for the rainforest for a day. From San Pedro you travel by water and road to the mainland, then up a jungle river to Maya temples rising out of the forest on the bank of a lagoon. It is a long day, and one that combines history, wildlife and birding in a way no reef trip can.

This guide is for divers who want a dry day, families who like history and wildlife, and birders who have heard about the New River. It covers what Lamanai is, the habitats you pass on the way, what to expect from a full day and how to ask us about booking.

What Lamanai is: the submerged crocodile

Lamanai means “Submerged Crocodile”, and according to the Institute of Archaeology’s Lamanai site profile, it is one of the only Maya sites in Belize to keep its original Maya name. The reserve lies in the Orange Walk District beside Indian Church Village and covers 9,585 acres.

What makes Lamanai unusual is how long people lived there. The Institute of Archaeology dates its occupation from 1500 B.C. to the present. Later history is part of the visit too, because the remains of two contact period Spanish churches and a British sugar mill stand within the site.

The temple complex sits on the western bluff of the New River Lagoon, surrounded by rainforest. Elbert’s column describes temples dating from 1500 B.C. until the arrival of the Franciscan friars in 1650.

The Lamanai tour from San Pedro: the journey is half the trip

Elbert Greer wrote up the journey in his birding column, Lamanai is for the birds. As with every article in the series, the narrator is Bubba, Elbert’s Labrador, who takes his birding very seriously. The route below is the one they took, and the exact route on your day may differ.

1. A boat leaves the San Pedro dock and winds through the mangrove channels at the southern tip of the island.
2. It crosses the southern end of the Bay of Chetumal, about 45 minutes, and enters the mainland at the mouth of the Northern River.
3. The river runs through tropical swamp lined with red mangroves to the village of Bomba.
4. A bus carries you about 50 minutes along the Old Northern Highway through savanna to the New River near Tower Hill.
5. A second boat follows the New River through gallery forest to the foot of the bluff at Lamanai.

That is a boat, a bus and another boat before you see a temple. Travelers who expect a quick hop are sometimes surprised, so plan for a full day away from the island.

Wildlife and birds along the river

For an alert birder, the column calls this day trip possibly the most productive of rare and unusual sightings Belize has to offer. Each leg passes a different habitat, and each habitat has its own birds. The table pairs them, using the sightings Elbert and Bubba recorded.

Leg of the journey	Habitat	Birds to look for
Southern tip of the island	Mangrove channels	Belted Kingfisher, Roseate Spoonbill, herons, Brown Pelican, Osprey, frigatebirds
Northern River	Tropical swamp with red mangroves	Mangrove Hummingbird, Mangrove Vireo, Mangrove Warbler, Snail Kite, Green Heron
Old Northern Highway	Savanna and marsh grass	Jabiru Stork, White Ibis, hawks, vultures, egrets
New River	Riverine gallery forest	Limpkin, Northern Jacana, bitterns, rails, Tricolored Heron
Lamanai	Rainforest around the temples	Keel-billed Toucan, Slaty-tailed Trogon, Yellow-headed Parrot, woodcreepers

Watch the lily pads on the New River for the Northern Jacana, which trots across them hunting for water bugs and small frogs. Bubba has written whole columns on some of these birds, including the Limpkin of the freshwater marshes and the Keel-billed Toucan.

At the ruins: temples, museum and howler monkeys

On the day Elbert describes, a well informed Belizean archaeological guide met the group at the base of the bluff. He led them first through a field museum, then on a jungle walk up, down and around several temples under the forest canopy.

The guide pointed out plants and animals along the way, including a tree full of howler monkeys. His advice was practical: do not stand directly under them. The group ate lunch at a picnic table in the shade of a giant bullet tree at the edge of the river before heading back.

What to bring for a day in the jungle

• Comfortable walking shoes with grip, since the temple paths go up and down.
• Insect repellent, sunscreen, a hat and a light rain jacket.
• Binoculars and a bird list if you are birding, and a camera with a zoom lens.
• Plenty of water and a dry bag for the boat legs.

Lamanai day trip from Ambergris Caye or cave tubing?

Our Maya tours page with Lamanai and cave tubing lists two full day mainland trips. Lamanai is a jungle river trip to the Mayan ruins in the rainforest. The other is cave tubing and zip lining through the rainforest.

Choose Lamanai if you want history, a long scenic boat ride and some of the best birding in the country. Choose cave tubing if your group wants an active, adventurous day. Birders planning a whole trip around birds should also read our guide to birdwatching on Ambergris Caye.

Who you book with

White Sands Dive Shop is a 5 Star PADI Dive Facility on the beach in San Pedro, owned and operated by Elbert Greer and licensed by the Belize Tourism Board. Elbert is a PADI IDC Staff Instructor and the author of the Birds of Ambergris Caye column. You can read more about Elbert Greer and White Sands Dive Shop.

Guests write to Elbert long after they get home, and you can read their letters from Elbert’s students and guests. If you want to balance a mainland day with time underwater, our guide to scuba diving on Ambergris Caye covers the reef side of the week.

Lamanai river trip: your questions answered

Ask us about a Lamanai day

Tell us your dates and how many people are going, and Elbert will reply with availability, the current schedule and what the day includes. Email elbertgreer@fastmail.fm or call 011 (501) 226 2405.