Private Tour: Altun Ha and Baboon sanctuary from Belize City

6 hBelize CityAdventureSightseeingTight on a typical call
Cutting it close

Cutting it close: back about 3:15 pm, inside your 1 h safety margin. Only book a departure that starts by 8:45 am.

Safety margin
Ship in portGetting ashore (45 min, tender)Safety margin (1 h 30 min)All aboard 4:30 pm
  1. 8:00 am
    Ship anchors in Belize City45 min to get a tender and reach the pier
  2. 8:45 am
    Leave the pierThis tour meets at the pier
  3. 9:00 am
    Earliest tour startTour runs 6 h. Latest sensible start: 8:45 am.
  4. 3:00 pm
    Tour ends15 min back to the pier
  5. 3:15 pm
    Back at the tender pier45 min before the last tender
  6. 4:30 pm
    All aboardLast tender usually leaves about 4:00 pm

Estimates based on the tour's longest published duration, our researched travel times and typical pier queues. Confirm the departure time on the booking page and keep your watch on ship's time.

Our verdict

Cutting it close on a typical Belize City call (8:00 am–4:30 pm). The tour runs 6 h; with the trip from Fort Street Tourism Village (tender landing) and back you would reach the gangway around 3:15 pm, inside the 1 h safety margin we recommend. Book it only if your ship stays later than 4:45 pm, or if the operator confirms an earlier start.

The operator offers pickup, but the listed pickup points are hotels, not the cruise port. Choose "I will meet at the departure point" when booking and allow 15 min each way by taxi — that is what we counted above.

Among the 240 Belize City shore excursions we track, this is about average in length (the median runs 5 h); 57% of them fit a typical call. Belize City is a tender port: we add 45 minutes to get ashore and keep you back 30 minutes before all aboard for the last tender.

Computed from the tour's published duration, the distance from the cruise pier to its start point and the typical Belize City call. Adjust your ship's times above to recheck.

About this tour

This private Altun Ha and Community Baboon Sanctuary tour joins Maya archaeology with one of Belize’s most meaningful community conservation stories. Explore Altun Ha’s plazas and temples while your private guide explains how this ceremonial city traded between the Caribbean coast and inland settlements. The experience then moves from ancient stone architecture to the living forest of Bermudian Landing, where black howler monkeys—called baboons locally—are protected through cooperation among villages and private landowners. Learn how the seven-village sanctuary maintains forest corridors while supporting local communities, and listen for the unforgettable calls of the howlers overhead. The distinction is not simply visiting ruins and seeing wildlife. Both places reveal how Belizeans protect what matters: one preserves evidence of an ancient civilization, while the other safeguards a living species and its habitat.

Private tour English

What's included

  • Water
  • Transportation
  • Private Guide
  • Entrance Fee

Not included

  • Gratuities
  • Lunch

Itinerary

  1. 1
    Altun Ha
    Altun Ha is the nearest excavated Maya Temple to Belize City and is probably the most visited by Belizean school children from all over the country. This beautiful Maya Temple whose name means “Rockstone Water” has wide-open spaces.
    1 hAdmission included
  2. 2
    Community Baboon Sanctuary
    Founded in 1985 the aim of the sanctuary was to show farmers in the area that protecting the habitat of the Black Howler Monkey could bring sustainability to the village. Your guide will show you the monkeys up close as they scamper across rope suspensions bridges throughout the village.
    1 hAdmission included

Meeting point and getting there

Start point
See booking page
From the cruise pier
Meets at the pier
Allow 45 min to tender ashore first. Taxi fares and pier details.
Returns
Back to the start point

Good to know

Free cancellation up to 24 hours before. For a full refund, cancel at least 24 hours before the scheduled departure time. If the operator cancels for bad weather, you can rebook or get a full refund.
  • Not recommended for travelers with spinal injuries
  • Not recommended for travelers with poor cardiovascular health
  • Not recommended for pregnant travelers
  • Suitable for all physical fitness levels

Operated by Private Belize Adventure. Prices, availability and tour details come from the booking partner and can change; the booking page is authoritative.

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