San Ignacio is fifteen to twenty minutes from the ferry landing, which makes it the only town in Belize where Xunantunich is a morning rather than an expedition. Every departure below collects from inside the town limits, and between them they carry the whole price floor for the site.
A vehicle collects you from your hotel inside the town limits, or you meet at the Cayo Welcome Center. Fifteen to twenty minutes west on the George Price Highway to San José Succotz, over the Mopan River on the hand-cranked ferry, and up the mile of track to the visitor centre. Two to three hours at the site with a licensed guide, then the same route back.
The whole thing is four hours if the ruins are all you do. That is the fact that makes this town different: from anywhere else in Belize the same visit costs you a whole day of driving.
From Placencia or Hopkins it is three to four hours each way. From Belize City it is two and a half to three. From here it is fifteen to twenty minutes, and that difference is the entire reason the Cayo departures are shorter and cheaper.
The cheapest guided way onto the ridge is a $70 half day out of San Ignacio, and the cheapest full day with cave tubing is $75. Nothing from the coast or the cayes comes close, because you are not paying for six to eight hours of vehicle time.
Every departure here collects from your accommodation, provided it is inside San Ignacio town. Several charge a supplement for outlying resorts and name them specifically, so check the pickup clause against your address.
Only from here can you pick between three hours of archaeology, a full day with the caves, two Maya sites in a morning, or arriving on horseback. Everywhere else the choice is narrower.
Two departures run both slots. On an unshaded ridge in March or April that choice is worth more than the price difference between any two of these listings.
This is the comparison most travellers are actually making, and it is not close if you have any choice about where you sleep.
| From San Ignacio | From Belize City | From Placencia or Hopkins | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Each way | 15–20 min | 2.5–3 hours | 3–4 hours |
| Total day | 4–11 hours | 6–8 hours | 7.5–10 hours |
| At the ruins | 1–3 hours | 2 hours | 2 hours or not stated |
| Price band | $70–$165 | $200–$240 | $250–$299 |
| Choice of shape | Ruins, caves, two sites, horseback | Ruins, or ruins and caves | Ruins and caves |
| Morning slot available | Yes | No | No |
If you are already staying on the coast, the coastal departures are a reasonable way to see the site without moving hotels. If you have not booked your accommodation yet, two nights in San Ignacio changes the whole trip — the one-day guide sets out what else the district holds.
Included on every San Ignacio departure: the reserve entrance fee, transport including the ferry crossing, the drive up the mile of hill, and a guide at the site. Most also cover bottled water.
Not included, and it varies: lunch is excluded on the half days and included on almost all the full days. Gratuities are excluded on every one of them. Pickup from outside the town limits carries a supplement on several, and two listings name outlying resorts specifically.
Worth knowing: one of the horseback departures is non-refundable, and the most-reviewed combination publishes two different cancellation policies on its own page. Everything else refunds in full at 24 hours.
If you are staying on the coast or the cayes, none of these will collect you. Take a departure from Belize City, Placencia or Ambergris Caye instead — the private tours page covers the long-haul options.
If you are on a cruise call, several San Ignacio operators state plainly that their tours are not available to cruise passengers, because the driving does not fit a ship's schedule. The Belize City departures collect from the terminal.
If you want the caves and nothing else, book cave tubing on its own locally. Half of these listings are built around Xunantunich first, and you would be paying for a Maya site you did not come for.
Fifteen to twenty minutes west along the George Price Highway to San José Succotz, then the ferry across the river. It is the closest town of any size to the site.
A $70 guided half day. It gives you two hours in the plazas with entrance fees, hotel pickup and a bilingual guide, and it lets you add cave tubing, river tubing or horseback riding if you want a longer day.
Inside San Ignacio town, yes, on every one of them. Outlying resorts carry a supplement on several listings and two name specific properties, so check the pickup clause against your address before booking.
Yes. Buses towards Benque Viejo del Carmen run frequently and stop in San José Succotz for a couple of Belize dollars. The guide to going without a tour sets out the whole route and what it costs.
Morning, in almost every case. The plazas are regularly empty before nine, the climb is easier before the sun is overhead, and an afternoon slot runs close to the ferry's four o'clock finish.
One to three hours depending on the shape of the day. The half day gives three, most combinations give two, and the two-site tours give one. It is the number worth comparing before price.
A few days is enough for most of the year and a week over Christmas, New Year and Easter. Several listings need two travellers, so a last-minute solo booking can be cancelled.
Three hours at the ruins, which is the most any departure gives you, with hotel pickup inside ten kilometres and every tax covered. Morning or afternoon, and back in town with your day intact.
From $85 per person
A two-hour guided walk through the plazas at the lowest price here, with the option of adding cave tubing, river tubing or horseback riding. Four to eight and a half hours depending what you choose.
From $70 per person
Two hours at the ruins and four at the caves for less than most operators charge for one activity. States wheelchair and stroller access and infant seats, which almost nothing else on this list does.
From $75 per person
Three hours at the ruins, the most of any combination here, plus ten minutes in San Jose Succotz and four hours in the caves. Towels, lunch and park fees all covered.
From $155 per person
The most-reviewed departure on the list, capped at sixteen. Two hours at the ruins, lunch at the cave park, and two to three hours tubing. Check its cancellation terms before you pay.
From $165 per person
Two Maya cities in one morning, an hour at each, with lunch at Benny's Kitchen in between. Not available to cruise passengers, and capped at fifteen.
From $165 per person
Four hours from MayaWalk's office on Burns Avenue, riding the river trail and a private farm before an hour and a half at the ruins. Riders from three years old, under 250 pounds.
From $145 per person
Five hours from a 7:30 town pickup, taking the horses onto the ferry to cross. Riding helmet, entrance fee and guide included, capped at fourteen. Non-refundable, so be sure of your date.
From $125 per person
Xunantunich and cave tubing tour from San Ignacio from every other departure point are compared alongside these on Xunantunich Tours, with the hours at the site shown for each.