nim li punit (big hat)

As with Lubaantun this Mayan ruin could use a little more attention by the archeologists. However, this is probably the better of the two locations (for me). The most interesting is the "ballcourt" and the fact that this Mayan city has a number of carved stelae - thought to be illustrating the ancient city's rulers. Several stelae are in an unfinished state, suggesting that for some reason the Mayan people were forced to abandon this site for some reason.

We were the only people at the ruin the afternoon we were there. The sun was very hot, but inside the ruins was very cool and quiet.The large stelae were very impressive. We have been to many Mayan ruins in Mexico, Belize, Honduras and El Salvador. They are all very different and this one reminded us of Cahal Pech in Cayo District. It is small and easy to do in a short period of time.It may not be the most stunning ruin, but we still enjoyed it. The views of the surrounding countryside are beautiful.

These ruins were discovered in the 1970’s and dynamite was originally used to blast then loot from the site during the initial “excavation”. Nim Li Punit means “big hat” because of the geographic nature of the plateau and there is a long view from the top.This is a beautiful site, but it should be noted that most of the site has not been excavated, so there is a ton of history under your feet that you cannot see, which feels like a loss. What you can see is enchanting, although your tour guide might be moving a little slower than you are used to. He is likely being strategic and just pacing himself because there are only a handful of small areas to see and that is it.There are cocoa trees on the walk around, a hot bed of termites, limestone blocks with carvings, and wild coriander. Your guide will probably ask if you want to lick/eat some or all of those options. The one guy in our group who did take the Fear Factor-like challenge each time it was presented didn’t die, so you should be good if you would like to sample e v e r y t h i n g.If you are not so inclined, hold out for lunch and ask that your guide take you to Coleman’s Cafe in Toledo. It will be worth it.

One of the smaller sites in Belize, it was my first Maya site at all. Known for his stelae (sort of the history books of the Maya people) they are located in a small museum at the entrance. When we were there nobody was around except some local people that are waiting for tourists I guess. The site itself is not much excaveted and most tress has not been cut down within the area meaning wildlife is abundant as often in the South of Belize, the site is self is small but worth the visit for sure.

This site is not very large, but it has great views and is known for its stelae which are carved monuments. We had this place to ourselves and brought binoculars to also bird watch. Road to the site is steep and about 0.5 miles long, but no problem at all in our Land Rover. I recommend combining this trip with a visit to either Punta Gorda or Lubantuun. Every Mayan Ruin is unique so we enjoy seeing all of them.

Not so much to see here, only worth it if combined with, say, Lubaantun or another destination. This was slightly disappointing, even for primitive civilization artifact sites

I live in Placencia and had a friend visiting for 2 weeks. We had already been to Xunantunich and Tikal so I tried to put together a trip to Copan in Honduras. The scheduling just didn't work out so we ended up renting a car and driving south to Punta Gorda. On the way down we stopped at Nim Li Punit since it is right off the Southern Highway. I just loved this site! It is the smallest ruins I have visited but definitely my favorite. It sits up on a hill and catches the breeze. The stellae are magnificent as are the burial sites. It was so lovely, I kept saying, "I could live here". There are creeks on 2 or 3 sides of the site and you can see the sea from one side. Since it is small, it doesn't get the massive tourist invasions so you can wander at your own speed and most times have the place to yourself.

If you want to see the longest Stelae (27 Feet) or the New Stelae Number 21, the Wide Stelae or some of the other 27 monuments you need to visit Nim Li Punit. A great view to the Bay of Honduras awaits you as well. A great place for birders as well.

I loved this site. The site features 6 plazas, four that are accessible, 2 ballcourts, and 26 stela, 8 are decorated, one of which is the largest carved stela in Belize, 30 feet tall. There is small museum with the stelae from the site, It is very well maintained. The Plaza of the Stela is amazing I have never saw so many in one place.

We made a stop here on our road trip to Punta Gorda. It's worth the visit just to see the Stelas in the museum on site.The ball court was very interesting, you could imagine theMyans gaming in the arena. We were furtunate to have the ruins nearly to ouselves. While not as large as other sites in Belize, stillworth a visit, if you are in the area.

We were on business in Placencia and decided to take a trip to visit the Ruins at Nim Li Punit. I am so glad we did as it is an amazing place. One tip take a guide when you are there otherwise you will miss out on all the history and finer details of the place.It is a beautiful site amongst the trees and the Ruins are really impressive. The ball court where the WINNER was sacrificed. The mound where the sun stones are mounted to track the date via the suns movement. We were also shown the tombs and the engravings on the Stelae were explained to us. There are bigger more impressive ruins but for me this was the best.

We took a trip here after going to the Lubaantun ruins as the Nim Li Punit ruins weren't far. And although it wasn't easy to get to...it was quite a steep car ride up to the ruins we were glad we made the effort to see another Mayan ruin whilst in the area.Although not as impressive as other ruins it's still okay but I wouldn't say it's worth making a bee-line for. If you are visiting Lubaantun then definitely pay it a visit but otherwise it's not worth the long arduous journey.

Loved that the children could have climbed most of the ruins. The display of the areas history was very educational.

This is a little gem of a ruin! In the visitors center, there is a massive collection of excavated tablets that are so well preserved with the drawings and writings of the Mayan culture! In fact that's what the site is known for. A smaller site, we were impressed with the Ball Court. At Lubaantun, it wasn't as well defined. Watch out for mosquitoes... wear lots of DEET 25% and the trinket peddlers on your way out. This is a well planned racket. Lined on both sides, there are 8 total sellers, but they have FIXED prices, except for one little girl who bargained with me. She got yelled at by her fellow peddlers (mostly children, BTW) in spanish. I understood what they were chastising her about. The way things go is that a different set of 8 with the same stuff will be at those tables the next day. Prices fixed, but they say if you buy more price gets better. You think you are buying local made stuff. BEWARE...ALL Textiles and bright fabrics come from Guatemala no matter what they say!!!! But visiting the site is worth the nuisance of these peddlers. Eat at Coleman's then go to Lubaantun before heading back to Placencia/Hopkins or whereever.

We visited Nim Li Punit on the same day we saw Lubaantun. The two sites, although not far apart in distance are very different. Nim Li Punit covers less area, but where Lubaantun had no Stelas, (slabs of rock with carvings and what look like hieroglyphics) Nim Li Punit has many stelas including what I believe we were told is the largest in Belize. The stelas at the visitor center are very impressive, and are worth the trip all by themselves. Given their age, some are in incredible condition. The rest of the area is, like Lubaantun, partially excavated and very interesting, with even more stelas. To me this site was more mysterious than Lubaantun, as if the Maya did business there but had Nim Li Punit for more spiritual needs. We saw some open tombs, which added to that feeling. Maybe we were just lucky that day, but once again we were all alone at the site.We feel very fortunate to have been able to visit Nim Li Punit. That being said, this may not be for everyone. It is cretainly NOT Lamanai or Tikal, but if you're looking for some peace and solitude, and the opportunity to take your time looking at the amazing stelas, it's a trip for you.