Horseback Ride to Xunantunich Maya Ruins
Description
A pleasant half day ride through the Belize rainforest on the banks of the Mopan River and through a private organic farm to the Xunantunich Archaeological site. This is a fabulous way to tour the Maya ruins and also enjoy watching wildlife along the riverbanks and in the jungle. You also pass through the little village of San Jose Succotz.
Tour Options
Itinerary
Our most popular tour activity is a pleasant half day horseback ride to Xunantunich. The tour begins at the stables, a family-owned horseback riding establishment where over 45 horses call home. Your transportation to the stables from San Ignacio is included.
When you arrive, meet your local Belizean guide for the day and then mount your horses to depart! The ride to Xunantunich includes a well maintained trail through a large private farm and along the banks of the Mopan River in the village of San Jose Succotz. You will cross the river on an ancient hand-operated ferry, and then ride your horse up to Xunantunich. When you arrive, prepare to dismount and let your horse rest while you can spend as much time as you desire exploring Xunantunich by foot. Tour duration: 4-6 hours, depending on speed and desire to explore. No previous horseback riding experience is required; riding helmets are supplied. Weight limit: 250 lbs (113.4 kg) per person. Capacity: We can take single riders, couples, or groups of up to 15 people. There is no minimum amount of people needed to book.
Highlights
What's included
Pickup Locations & Times
Pick ups from all locations in Belize can be arranged. There may be an additional charge so please contact us if pick up is needed. Free pick up is available if your hotel is on route to the site. Departure Point for most tours: Downtown San Ignacio Address: MayaWalk Tours Main Office 19 Burns Avenue San Ignacio Town Cayo District Belize, Central America Directions: MayaWalk Tours Main Office located between Tandoor Restaurant and Belize Bank Return point: Returns to original departure point
Traveller Ratings
Important Information
- Infants are required to sit on an adult’s lap
- Not recommended for travelers with spinal injuries
- Not recommended for pregnant travelers
- Suitable for all physical fitness levels
- Children must be accompanied by an adult and must be 3 years and older
- All passenger heights and weights MUST be advised at time of booking
- Weight limit: 250 lbs (113.4 kg) per person
- A minimum of 2 people per booking is required
Reviews(50)
The guide was very patient & accommodating. Cannot brag enough on the horses! They were patient, friendly, easy to guide! Ask for Louigi the horse and the tour guide was amazing!!
Jose is a wonderful, knowledgeable and funny guide. He was so much fun to have as our guide. So much knowledgeable about the horses we were on, the area and history. He made this trip so memorable for us! He adjusted the tour when he found out that we had already seen the temple and made sure we saw things we had not on our previous tour. Thanks to his knowledge we got to see a couple of Toucans, an entire family of Howler Monkeys,a pigme Owl and a silver fox was spotted by people in our group.
This was a lovely ride along the river to the hand cranked ferry and then up the hill to the ruins. The guide Jose was very knowledgeable and we learned about the plants and the history of the Mayans. El Castillo is very tall so be prepared.
We didn't do the horseback ride, just the tour. We went in a van. Great experience. MayaWalk provided a delicious lunch after the tour, and our tour guide, Junior was pleasant and informative. Go in the morning! the sun later in the day is STRONG!! Can't recommend MyaWalk enough!
The people working with the horse farm were very safe fir the horse to the rider. The guide Jose was hilarious, helpful, and made a fantastic day of it. Would definitely recommend him and Maya tours
We only did the ruins tour , our guide was very impressive, he was knowledgeable, Very thorough and answered every question, he loves his work and you can tell that he has a passion for teaching and educating people
Fabulous ride and tour. Lovely ride by the river. Saw toucans and spider monkeys on route. Old school river crossing with hand crank felt authentic. Our guide Jose did a lovely job showing us the ruins, teaching us how to get a tarantula to come out of its hole, letting us trot and canter for those skilled. Wonderful trip and highly recommend it was a great way to see the archeological ruins while making the trip there fun. The horse parking lot was great.
Our tour was actually canceled due to weather but the tour provider MayanWalk reached out and helped rebook, offering several options. Although I can't rate this tour, the customer service was great!
We were booked for the horse riding to Xunantunich... booked it months ago. They called us the night before ( once we were in Belize) to tell us that the stables had double booked the horses and could not accommodate the trip. ( they use a 3rd party for the horses) Whilst this was probably not Maya Walks Belize fault... it was still incredibly disappointing. They did try to offer us alternatives, but we were not interested in just horse riding through a farm. Thankfully, we had our own car and were able to get there under our own steam and hired a guide right there at the ferry crossing. If you are booking this tour double, double check that the stable has not double booked . The trip was not cheap and was paid for in full. It took Trip Advisor 3 days to start processing the refund and another 3-4 days before it goes back into our account .
This farm was amazing, accommodating us at the last minute, while we found out that our ATM tour was cancelled due to heavy rains. The staff was amazing, as we showed up, making sure that our daughter, who had never ridden a horse before, was comfortable. They made us feel at home. Carla, our guide, was incredible, walking alongside us and guiding us through the forest and along the river. She made sure we were safe at all times and gave an incredible history of the Xunantunich ruins. I would recommend this tour for anyone!
