BELIZE CITY, BELIZE

This fascinating half-day tour focuses on the contrast between the ancient Mayan city of Altun Ha (the Mayan for ‘Rock, Stone, Water’) and modern-day Belize City, highlighting 1,000 years of development of this former British colony.

This fascinating half-day tour focuses on the contrast between the ancient Mayan city of Altun Ha (the Mayan for ‘Rock, Stone, Water’) and modern-day Belize City, highlighting 1,000 years of development of this former British colony. The site of Altun Ha, which once thrived as a trading post, was made world-famous by Dr David Pendergast of the Royal Ontario Museum on his finding the largest carved jade head depicting the sun god, Kinich Ahau. Weighing in at almost four kilograms (nine pounds), this has been Belize’s most valuable find. (Please note that the head is no longer on-site.) A tour guide will accompany us as we walk around this ancient city complex. We may choose to climb to the top of a temple for a panoramic view of the surrounding area.Belize City today is home to about 35 percent of the country’s population and remains the commercial capital of the country – the official capital was moved in 1971 to Belmopan in the interior. On our tour we will pass by historical sites such as the red brick St John’s Cathedral, where kings from the Mosquito Coast were crowned, and the colonial mansion once occupied by British governors. The latter, now converted to a museum, is called the House of Culture. We should note the colonial wooden architecture of many of the houses throughout the city.We round off our tour with a complimentary refreshment, and there may be an opportunity to do some shopping.We recommend that you wear sensible shoes for this tour, which involves a moderate amount of walking. Uneven ground and steps will be encountered during the visit to Altun Ha, which lasts approximately 1 ½ hours. Bring sun protection and insect repellent. For reference the roads to Altun Ha are very bumpy and can therefore make the journey uncomfortable at times.

DESCRIPTION CORRECT FOR 2007 CARIBBEAN SEASON