Altun Ha Temple & Howler Monkey Sanctuary
Description
Walk the footsteps of the ancient Maya - marvel at the immense structures built without modern day technology - delve into the history and mystery of the Maya while exploring this fascinating site. At the Temple of the Masonry Altar, the solid jade head carving of the Maya sun god was discovered! The view from atop is beautiful and offers a panoramic view of this Mayan site as well as the surrounding pristine jungle. Then journey to Bermuda Landing Village, home to the Black Howler Monkey Sanctuary. Be amazed at the roar of these small creatures make as they call across the jungle canopy! Hike along jungle trails while you try to catch a glimpse of them in the treetops and perhaps coax one down out of the trees for an upclose experience!
Tour Options
Itinerary
The Altun Ha Mayan Ruins in Belize showcase the impressive architectural achievements of the Mayan civilization from over 2,000 years ago. Though smaller compared to other sites in Belize, this significant temple played a key role as a vital trading post for the Mayans.
Experience village life and the home of the small - but super load - black howler monkey of Belize!
Highlights
What's included
Pickup Locations & Times
don't see your hotel listed? No problem - we pick up at every location in Belize City! If you are enjoying San Pedro, Caye Caulker or other location - just let us know and we can arrange your trip!
Traveller Ratings
Important Information
- Travelers should have at least a moderate level of physical fitness
Reviews(27)
James our tour guide was amazing. Shared great knowledge and history about Belize and local foods and way of life. The temple tour was only a few small groups on a Saturday, one of the must underrated Mayan ruins where you get to climb on all of the pyramids. On the way back we got lunch at a local restaurant along the highway and was some of the best jerk chicken. Every table was full with locals and tourists, So good.
The Altun Ha Howler Monkey Excursion was canceled late afternoon prior to the day of excursion. If you are a solo traveler, cancelations are a risk. Fortunately, I was able to schedule the Lamanai excursion at the last minute to replace this. The Lamanai site also offered an encounter with the Howler monkeys.
Hi Malcolm, We are happy that we were able to provide the Lamanai! To clarify for future travelers, howler sightings at Lamanai are a lucky bonus but should not be considered as an “encounter”! You are correct that for solo travelers, most companies (including ours) require a two-person minimum to guarantee a departure unless booked as a private tour. Unlike most companies, we go "all-out" to offer high-quality alternatives! Since we provided this option more than 24 hours in advance, we were a bit sad by the one-star rating, but we’re truly happy you still got to experience the magic of Belize’s temples and monkeys – that’s what its all about! Safe Travels and enjoy the rest of Belize! Regards, Kim
Elvin was our guide and he was fantastic! He was so friendly and knowledgeable about the whole area, not just Altun Ha. Took us to a local restaurant, which had excellent food. The ruins are the closest ruins to Belize, not necessarily the largest, but we enjoyed it. Loved seeing the monkeys. We saw the whole troop. Would recommend!
Tour of Altun Ha and the Community Monkey Sanctuary was great! Our tour guide, Elvin, treated us like VIPs providing a personalized tour of the Mayan ruins with a thorough explanation of the history of the site. Then made sure we were taken care of at the monkey sanctuary with a close up encounter with the troop of howler monkeys.
Altun Ha Temple is a small but absolutely charming temple, it tooks one hour and half to visit everything. My guide was very well experiece, friendly and helpful, including his help to drop me off in the bus station and put me in the appropriate bus for San Ignacio. The Monkey Reservation guide is very pasionate about his work and he checked all the reservation till we found the best specimens. Both of them very dedicated, we spent a lovely day together.
thank you for your lovely review - your kind words will be shared with your guides!
Don’t forget your bug spray! We had a great guide, Cairo, who was very knowledgeable and fun. We’re glad we stayed an xtra day in Belize.
great reminder - during rainy periods there are more bugs than usual! Thank you for touring with us!
This excursion the best way to spend our 1 day in Belize. We visited while cruising and only had 8hrs at port and this was the best thing! Our tour guide picked us up at port, very helpful and guided us through the city. First stop was Altun Ha Temple. He was very knowledgeable and friendly making the time there so special. Next stop was lunch at a local spot that as a tourist we would have never found. Then we drove to the monkey sanctuary. This is where we met a cute troop of local primates that we were able to feed. The entire day was filled with one amazing lifetime experience after another.
We had an amazing experience with our tour guide Elvin. He was super knowledgeable and gave us a lot of information about the temple as well as local tips. We even stopped for some wine tastings on the side of the road! At the Monkey Sanctuary, Robert was our guide and he also was extremely knowledgeable about the monkeys and a lot of the birds we saw. Both experiences were incredible and highly recommended. I’d be sure to bring bug spray for both of these activities.
This was an excellent guided trip. ASK for Tarik as your tour guide, seriously. He was knowledgeable, friendly, and professional. He treated us to some local cashew fruit and custard apple, local cashew and blackberry wine tasting, and of course the Mayan Ruins and Howler monkeys. He also knows the best spot for lunch. Highly recommend.
We were staying at the Belize River Lodge and had a day off from fishing, and they coordinated this tour for us. Erolyn was our driver, and she was wonderful,in addition to being a great driver! We visited the Howler Monkey Santuary, and we were able to see and learn about the monkeys and other flora & fauna in that area. The Howler monkeys were definitely close enough to see and hear. We then traveled on to Altun Ha, and we're able to visit the Archeological Site at our own pace without the pressure of a large tour group. Erolyn was a font of information, answering our many questions. We enjoyed our day with her. It was spectacular.
