Altun Ha, Monkey Sanctuary and Rum Factory Tour from Belize City

Percy was friendly, super knowledgeable and understanding when our group got delayed finishing up our breakfast pre-tour. He wisely advised we start a little earlier to beat the heat, as well as be one of the first groups to the ruins. He had no issue letting us take our dishes to-go, and got us to the site after a delightful stop at a local winemaker’s roadside stand. He walked us through Altun Ha providing so much narrative you’d have thought he worked as a docent for the site. On to Traveller’s Rum Factory back in Belize City for a tour and tasting with no rushing us along. Got our final Belize sign pics and taking Percy’s lunch suggestion we asked for a detour to drop us there. Walking distance to our hotel, and a nice way to end the tour on the banks of the River. This was a nice first outing in mainland Belize, and Percy was a delight!

Percy was friendly, knowledgeable and helpful. Would book him again!!!

We did a tour of Altun Ha, visiting with the howler monkeys, and cave tubing at Nohoch Che’en caves. Our guide, Jeff, was phenomenal! He was so friendly and knowledgeable and made the our great. We couldn’t have had a better guide or picked a better tour. We would highly recommend this company!

Percy and Alex were amazing tour guides. They accommodated our early departure (we were coming from North of the San Pedro area via water taxi) by taking us to a local place to grab some breakfast (eggs, bacon, and fried jacks. Yum!) on the way to the first stop, Altun Ha. Both were so knowledgeable and gave a fantastic tour of the ruins. The monkey sanctuary was so fun; our guide taught us so much about local plant and animal life and made the interactions with the howlers such an incredible moment. The rum factory, while not a full tour, was a nice cap to the trip. We tasted almost everything they had to offer (felt pretty good after!), but the 5-year and the coconut rums were our favorites, and we left with quite a few bottles!! We would absolutely recommend this tour to anyone looking for a real local experience.

I should have listened to my gut. The other review about being canceled on last minute gave me pause, but I booked anyway. Morning before the excursion, I received a confirmation for our trip. Late that same night, cancelation due to the guide being sick. I'm not saying anyone was lying, but it's incredibly inconvenient with little time to alter plans. We didn't let the change ruin our day. We found an alternate way to Altun Ha and it was an incredible experience. Find another way there.

When I booked, I thought it would be a 4-hour group tour, but my daughter and I wound up as the only two on what turned into a 7-hour tour with our friendly and knowledgeable guide, Earl. Earl was a wealth of knowledge about Belize and the culture and stopped often at key spots to take many pictures of us. This was nice for my daughter and me because unless you ask a passerby to take a picture, it was often hard to get nice pictures of us both together. We took the early (5:30am) water taxi in from San Pedro and met our guide, Earl at around 8am, at the water taxi dock. Earl then gave us a tour of Belize City as he drove us to the Belize sign (photo op and vendor op) and showed us colonial neighborhoods and other sites on the way to Altun Ha. Earl was very friendly, jovial, and accommodating as he kept a running narrative of local history and answered our questions. There was a stop at a local grocery store to pick up water and snacks as we traveled. Altun Ha was magnificent and the weather was perfect. We spent about two hours touring the museum, climbing each pyramid, and getting photos. There was also an outdoor vendor market and eatery where we had fresh mango smoothies (and Earl seemed to know or be related to everyone we ran into lol). There were a lot of tour buses pulling up, but due to the vast area, it did not seem crowded. There was a long drive (sometimes over dirt roads) to get to the Monkey Sanctuary, but it was a wonderful opportunity to see and hear more about Belize. While I was expecting the Monkey Sanctuary to be a fenced in area (like an outdoor zoo), it was actually a building across the street from a rural neighborhood where we wound up seeing the Howler Monkeys in what appeared to be someone's backyard! The person from the sanctuary guiding us through the neighborhood was very familiar and knowledgeable about the monkeys. He pointed them out to us and then when they came near, he gave us a piece of banana to feed them. One of the monkey's came down and gingerly/gently took the banana right from my hand. The person guiding us from the sanctuary also made the sound of a howler monkey and the monkeys "howled" back. The sanctuary building had a one-room exhibit and there were a couple of vendors outside selling original artwork. Again, my daughter and I were the only ones on this part of the tour. We had originally planned to take the 3pm water taxi back to San Pedro (because the tour is described on the website as being only 4 hours), but by the time we got back to Belize City and to the Rum factory, I was starting to have my doubts that we would make it in time. However, I also knew that there were two later water taxis that we could take (4:30p and 5:30pm). So, if you have a hard and fast deadline, be sure to let your guide know ahead of time. The Rum factory tour doesn't actually show how rum is made, but was more like a small museum with images and artifacts, along with an opportunity to taste and purchase the rum. It was nice to see (and use the bathroom), but you can shorten this part of the tour if you are under a time crunch. By the time we made it back to the water taxi dock (and said our goodbyes to Earl), it was 3pm, but we would have had to check in by 2:30pm in order to be allowed on the boat. The next water taxi was at 4:30pm, so we used the time to buy souvenirs and have a late lunch at the dock. In all, the tour was one of the highlights of our trip to Belize. If you're looking for a way to see urban, rural, and heritage sites in one culturally enriching tour, then this tour may be for you.

Percy, our guide, was amazing. Very knowledgeable and informative. Altun Ha was quite a site. The monkey reserve was a wonderful experience. Highly recommend!

Jeff, the tour guide was very pleasant and added a local personal touch. The van was OK, but not great. The tour of Altun Ha was interesting and picturesque. We experienced the howling monkeys in the wild, rather than cages, which was surprising and very enjoyable. The rum factory was a liquor store with samples. That needs to be skipped or changed to a new venue.

We had a wonderful excursion with Jeff. He was so knowledgeable and we learned so much about Belize. He gave us lots of information along the way and answered any questions we had about the country. I am unable to remember his name, but the monkey guy was great too. We got up close and personal with the monkeys, it was such a cool experience and one we will never forget. Jeff was a great tour guide at Al Tun and we enjoyed the Rum factory too. It was so nice to have a private tour with just my husband and daughter. I am not a fan of the huge bus tours where I feel like you are waiting for others the whole time. Jeff was on our pace and we loved that. Truly a great day, you won't be disappointed.

Was surprised that it was just my husband and I on the tour, was expecting a bus. This was nice and in a comfortable air conditioned SUV, Percy was our guide. He was knowledgeable and could answer all your questions and was great at the Mayan Ruin. The ruins were interesting and he did give us background info on them. However it was a long drive to the ruins and he did not give a running dialogue tour, if you asked him a questio, he had the answer. We were new to Belize and expected an informational tour. If we did not ask a question, there was silence in the vehicle. The Monkey Sanctuary was a guide from the sanctuary, he was awesome! It was a short trip into the jungle, he pointed out all animals his eagle eyes spotted and unique plants. Giving their background and uses. He did find a family of 4 monkeys and close enough to easily see. Thoroughly enjoyed this. Skip the Rum factory, a small store front with dusty beginning rum manufacturing. A glass wall you can see bottling rum. Really a way to sell you Rum.