marco gonzalez maya site

76jackieh

Many people told us not to visit this site because it was undeveloped. It was worth the time to walk through the site, very informative.

denl720

On the tourist map, my friend noticed there was a Mayan site marked with a temple. There is no temple. It's really just a collection of bricks and broken pottery deep in a mosquito infested jungle with old mounds of what once were buildings.The most exciting aspect of this were the iguanas, blue crabs, and wild hermit crabs we saw walking there. The mosquitos fly into your ears and fest upon your flesh. There isn't anything great there unless you enjoy seeing pottery shards, a few mayan clay mounds, and being bitten to death. It's a long walk along a questionable board walk in the hot sun. You do get to see the marked poisonous trees and a bunch of holes where crabs reside. Unless you are absolutely bored and want to ride south, there is no reason to go

dirtgirl221

Ten US dollars to get eaten alive....I would skip it. Long walk on uneven boards that are just dying to give way. Tons of hermit crabs was about the only cool thing here. Poisonous trees that have signs on them not to touch, makes you wonder what the tree roots are that you are stepping on, in flip flops.

chrgyr

Yes, we actually walked the 1/4 mile boardwalk through the mangrove swamp to get to the Maya site. Saw ibis and night herons and other cool birds on the walk out. That was a fun adventure before we got to the Mayan site. This is really an undeveloped site with pottery and artifacts still lying on the ground. A few typewritten descriptions are tacked to trees in the site. This is worth the walk if you are interested in the historical sites.

cjc519

The ruins were interesting and the guide very informative,but getting there from AC was a journey that included too long a boat ride and time spent on a bus

TLAOrangeville

The only Maya sight on the island. We discovered it on the day it was not open so did not engage in a tour which probably would have made it more interesting. Seems a little underfunded but has potential. The boardwalk is created from various types of wood so you have to watch your footing as your walk through the mangroves. The mosquitoes were everywhere so wear long clothing and dose yourself with DEET.

KJohn685

This site is said to be only 15% uncovered. There is not much to see, but the mangrove forest and raw archaeological site is interesting. It gave us a destination for our bike ride anyway. Costs $10 USD/pp. Recommend bug spray and long pants/shirt sleeves. Swatting with a fan is also very effective but limited my ability to enjoy the site.

xana721

We were there because some locals told us about it and we had some curiosity, but the place is more like a forest and not what we expected, maybe they can improve the place a bit, but our guide was great and made a good job.

bradyboy66

My daughter went here and although she said it was interesting, it was insect infested. She was given a hat with bug netting; however had to cut the tour short due to the fact that she was getting bitten. She had 30% Deet bug repellent on. Imagine what she would have been like without that? She had welts for days. Glad I stayed on the beach.

Raindogkelley

This is for adventure seekers. A look at a rustic site but the journey through the mangroves along a rickety wood plank ways is awesome. Keep an eye out for crocodiles too!

whomever50

We rode our bikes out--it is a long way and we didn't pick the best time of day. There isn't much on the site other than mounds and the bugs are truly ferocious. If you want a guided tour must reserve 24 hrs in advance and I'd recommend it. Onsite person was very knowledgeable and gave us both more bug spray and shirts to cover up with. Was an adventure.

dammielle

Site is hard to get to and undeveloped. May be more worthwhile in a few years, but didn't really feel like it was worth it yet.

223stuarta

At the recommendation by one of the Lamanai guides for excellent birding and also a nice police officer stationed on the way south to the site who told us specifically where to go, we decided to visit only to find out the guides don't work on Sundays here. But I was there mostly to see birds anyway and I saw quite a number of different birds including herons, egrets, warblers, vireos, and Killdeers and Spoonbills. Great example of Mangrove watershed.

timbU3311ZJ

Great place to visit but bring bug spray and a good pair of shoes. Site is just beginning to be uncovered

PattiA695

Pros: An opportunity to see Mayan ruins under excavation. Well marked and very authentic. Must walk about 1/2 mile over a swampy area (boards provide a dry pathway) to get to the ruins.Cons: Wear mosquito spray! (Can't emphasize this enough!) We didn't see any birds or other animals as we walked the path and due to the heavy jungle and bugs I felt like once we got to the very primitive ruins (much is still covered by jungle) it was a very claustrophobic area. Other: Site is very remote (road is well marked to get to the site, but is quite far from town and road is very bumpy). It's an adventure if you want to see ruins in a very primitive stage of excavation.