How to Visit Xunantunich: Tickets, Hours, Tours & Everything You Need to Know (2026)
Short answer. Xunantunich is open 8:00am to 5:00pm, every day of the year, but the hand-cranked ferry that gets you there stops around four, so treat 4:00pm as closing. Admission is BZ$25, about US$12.50 for a non-resident adult and photo ID is required. It is one mile, 1.6 kilometres, uphill from the ferry landing to the entrance, and a guided departure from San Ignacio starts at $70 with all of that handled.
Most of what goes wrong on a visit to Xunantunich goes wrong for one of three reasons: the published hours are not the hours that matter, the entrance fee is no longer the number printed on half the internet, and the site is a mile uphill from where the road stops. Fix those three and the rest is straightforward. This is the practical version, and Belize Xunantunich tour handle every part of it for you if you would rather not.
Quick facts
| Open | 8:00am to 5:00pm, every day of the year |
| Ferry | About 7:30am to 4:00pm — the only way across |
| Plan around | 4:00pm |
| Admission | BZ$25, about US$12.50 (resident BZ$10) |
| ID | Photo ID required since 2025 |
| Where | San José Succotz, Cayo District, Belize |
| From the ferry | One mile, 1.6 kilometres, uphill |
| Guided from | $70 per person, admission included |
Tickets: what you pay and where
A non-resident adult pays BZ$25, about US$12.50 at the gate. Belize residents pay BZ$10 against Belizean identification. NICH also sells online, though most independent visitors simply pay on arrival.
The number to be careful about is the old one. Admission rose from US$5 in 2025, and a great deal of published advice still quotes the pre-2025 figure. If a page tells you five dollars, it has not been updated. The facts page keeps every current figure in one table.
On a guided departure the entrance is inside the fare, on every trip listed here. That is worth more than it sounds when the alternative is arriving at a gate with the wrong currency.
Getting there from San Ignacio, Belize City or the coast
Everything converges on the same village. From San Ignacio it is fifteen to twenty minutes west along the George Price Highway; buses towards Benque Viejo del Carmen stop in San José Succotz for a couple of Belize dollars. From Belize City it is two and a half to three hours, which is why those departures run six to eight hours for two hours at the ruins. From Placencia, Hopkins or the cayes it is three to four hours each way and a full day either side.
The visiting page has the full table of drive times. What none of the routes avoids is the river.
The ferry, and the hours that actually bind
A hand-cranked cable ferry carries you and your vehicle over the Mopan River in a minute or two, free of charge, and there is no bridge. It runs about 7:30am to 4:00pm. The reserve gate runs 8:00am to 5:00pm, every day of the year. Both figures are published, both are correct, and the ferry is the one that decides your day.
💡 Useful Tip Aim for the first crossing of the morning rather than the last. The plazas are regularly empty before nine, the climb is far easier before the sun is overhead, and you have the whole day in hand. The ferry page covers what happens on the rare days it is not running.
The mile uphill, and whether you can drive it
From the far bank it is one mile, 1.6 kilometres, uphill to the visitor centre. Cars and minibuses drive up and park free at the top. On foot it is roughly twenty-five minutes with very little shade, which is pleasant at eight in the morning and hard work at noon.
If you are on a tour, your vehicle takes you up and this stops being a consideration at all.
What you cannot rely on finding
- Food. There is a picnic area and there are restrooms, but nothing is sold at the site. Take something, or book a departure that includes lunch.
- Shade. Almost none once you are on the plazas.
- Signage. The structures carry very little interpretation. This is the strongest practical argument for a guide.
- Card payment. Carry Belize dollars in small notes for the gate and the stalls.
How long to allow
Two hours covers the main precinct including the climb; three lets you walk the outer groups and sit at the top for a while. The one-hour slots on the two-site departures cover El Castillo and Plaza A-I and stop there. If the ruins are your reason for coming, book a three-hour option rather than the longest day — the ruins-or-combo guide sets the two shapes of day against each other.
Doing it independently, by bus
This is the cheapest way in and it works. Buses between San Ignacio and Benque Viejo del Carmen run frequently through the day and stop in San José Succotz for a couple of Belize dollars. From the stop it is a short walk to the landing, the ferry is free, and you pay BZ$25, about US$12.50 at the gate.
Two things to get right. First, the walk up: one mile, 1.6 kilometres, uphill, and you will want to do it before the middle of the day. Second, the return: you are working against the ferry at 4:00pm and the last useful bus back, so give yourself an hour more than seems necessary. If you would rather have both handled, the independent-visit guide puts the real costs of each option side by side.
If the ferry is not running
It happens, most often between September and November when the river runs high, and occasionally through mechanical failure. There is no other road, so the site is unreachable for as long as it lasts.
Booked departures deal with it rather than cancelling: travellers on the combination tours describe running the caves only and being refunded the ruins portion, and the two-site trips switch to Cahal Pech. Travelling under your own steam, ask anyone running tours in San Ignacio before seven in the morning — they will know.
Best time to go
Early, in any month. February and March give the driest ground and the clearest light; October is the quietest month of the year and rain clears fast. April afternoons are the one combination to avoid, because the low thirties on an unshaded hilltop is a different climb altogether. Month by month has the detail.
All the tour options, and what separates them
| Shape of day | Hours | Price band | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ruins only, from San Ignacio | 3–4 | $70–$85 | Anyone whose reason for coming is the archaeology |
| Ruins plus cave tubing | 7–11 | $75–$388 | A full day out; the caves are 60–90 minutes away |
| Ruins plus a second Maya site | 5–6 | $165–$175 | Contrast: Cahal Pech is far older and far smaller |
| On horseback | 4–5 | $125–$145 | The ride is the point; you get 1–1.5 hours at the ruins |
| Private, from the coast | 7.5–10 | $175–$299 | Placencia, Hopkins or Belize City with your own vehicle |
⚠ Before you pay. Two departures here are non-refundable and one publishes two different cancellation policies against itself. Each card states its own position, and the FAQ set spells out which is which. Everything else refunds in full up to 24 hours ahead.
Combining it with the rest of your day
San Ignacio is fifteen minutes away and has the Cayo Welcome Center, the market and Cahal Pech on the hill above it. Benque Viejo del Carmen and the Guatemalan border are another ten minutes west. Almost nobody visits Xunantunich alone from far away without adding something, which is why so many of the departures are combinations.
The three-hour half day from San Ignacio is the one to book if the archaeology is why you are here — it gives you more time on the ridge than anything else. Xunantunich Tours sets it beside every other departure, with what each one actually allows you at the site.
Tours that handle the ferry, the fee and the drive
From San Ignacio: Xunantunich Mayan Tour & Optional Combos
Fees includedHotel pickup
From $70 per person