Maya Cultural Immersion and Wellness

The tour organizer canceled my tour the morning of the tour!! I booked the tour weeks before and even contacted the organizer before hand to figure out what time the tour started because it wasn’t listed. I also reached out to viator who never got back to me either. So the day of I found a phone number to call and spoke to someone who said they were going to find out the meet up time. They eventually hung up and texted me on WhatsApp to tell me the tour was canceled because they were headed to the D.R for vacation!! Such a waste of time and money. They did promise to refund me but I haven’t received it just yet.

This is a wonderful peak into Mayan culture that is perfect for all ages and is offered by a local family owned business. Our gracious host was so patient with us in setting up the tour time; our internet connection on the cruise was awful and communication was a bit challenging as a result. Our tour started after our guide, Jenny, met us at the cruise terminal and led us on foot about a block away to the Epic Mayan Tours building. Our tour began with a warm greeting and a cold refreshing fruity drink. The elder talked to us about the people's connection to nature and explained the symbolism of one tree in particular (I think it was like the bullhorn acacia) She provided us with materials and instructions to make our own personal talisman. I appreciated her gentle spirit, patience, and eagerness to help the children create this symbolic keepsake. Next, we were given a demonstration of how corn was traditionally ground with stone. We learned a bit about traditional food, its preparation, as well as how tortillas are made by hand. We had the opportunity to grind the corn with stones and to shape our own tortillas before placing them on the open flame griddle. A wonderful young man then gave us a demonstration of his home-made sling shot and talked a bit about his childhood growing up in Belize. We each had the chance to use the sling shot to hit a target. We were given an excellent demonstration of PoktaTok, one of the earliest team sports, still played by Mayan decendents! A brief match was played in traditional garb by 2 players. Our family was given an explanation of the game, the rules, and the symbolism of the traditional player's attire. We were allowed to examine the elaborate headdresses and the 8 pound natural rubber ball used to play the game. The brave tour goers had the chance to try to play and were carefully instructed on techniques for success! Finally, we were able to eat the tortillas we made. Our hosts graciously served these with sides of delicious seasoned chicken and tamalitos. I highly recommend this cultural immersion tour for those traveling to Belize City. Staff was friendly, knowledgeable and engaging. We had a great experience!

I booked it and they said that they didn’t seem me on the list so a waste of $30 do not go here at all

Do NOT book with them! They did not show up! Awful experience.

We were not met by our guides and did not receive our excursion. Once called on site the guide was rude and non helpful. Told us to contact Tripp advisor who we booked through to request a refund

A wonderful and eventful experience. 10/10 recommend. Family friendly. Great with kids. True myan experience. Absolutely worth every penny.

It was a heart warming experience. It was different. We were immersed in the culture of the Mayas.

Was an astounding experience to have seen such performance, which is not a made up story it is history. Proud of the team that made this experience possible for me to watch.

Our originally booked 'Maya Culture Immersion and Wellness' tour was unfortunately unavailable. After not receiving a response to our initial inquiry via Viator Message, we contacted the tour company directly through WhatsApp. We learned that due to the Belizean Bank Holiday on May 1st, they were unstaffed. Additionally, we were informed that the 'Maya Cultural Immersion' tour requires booking two days in advance, a detail not specified anywhere on the listing. The company explained that this tour requires a team of six and they had requested Viator to only accept bookings with sufficient notice. While disappointed, we appreciated that the company offered an alternative: a visit to the Altun Ha Mayan temples at no additional cost. Our driver/guide, Abner, provided transportation from our hotel, Grand Resort and Residences in Belize City, to the site about an hour away. We enjoyed exploring the ruins, visiting the on-site museum, and learning about Mayan culture, daily life, medicinal plants and doing some gift shop browsing. The tour included entry fees and a comfortable, air-conditioned vehicle for a private and flexible experience. Lunch and gratuity weren't included, but prices were fair, and we gladly bought lunch for our group and tipped Abner for working on the holiday.

+6

Today I spend my morning experiencing the Mayan culture at its Best . From start to the ending you’re surrounded by the Mayan tradition and food. The Family owned Business is full of Love and Blessings. N. Gomez