Belize Shore Excursions: Altun Ha, Lamanai, Nohoch Che’en and Flights Over the Great Blue Hole

The ship sits at anchor off Belize City, the tender bobs against the stern, and somewhere between the gangway and the dock you decide what the day will be: temple steps in the jungle, a boat through mangroves, or a view of the reef from the air. Shore excursions here come in three families, ruins, water and caves, and the sky. Each one starts from the tender port at Fort Street.

What shore excursions are there from Belize City?

From Belize City you can choose among Maya sites, boat trips on rivers and lagoons, caves, a zoo visit and flights over the coast, and every one of them begins at the Fort Street Tourism Village Cruise Port. It is a tender port, so the ship stays out in the water and a small boat carries you in, roughly 15 minutes from ship to shore.

The Fort Street Tourism Village sits at the mouth of Halouver Creek, on the northern bank, on about two acres of land. Inside, several courtyards hold snack bars, local stores with duty-free shopping, restaurants and live local entertainment. It is a pleasant place to land and to come back to when the excursion is over, with something cold to drink and some music in the background.

Starting from the terminal

Think of the village as your base. Tours are built around returning to it, and its courtyards give you a place to wait, shop for gifts and eat before heading back out to the tender. The port also has a security officer, Victor Cawich Mulligan, who serves as the Port Facility Security Officer, and a mailing address at 38 Fort Street, Belize City.

Questions about the port itself can go to the village by telephone at (501) 223-7786 or (501) 223-7789. That is the number to keep for anything about the terminal, while the tours are run by their own operators.

Flightseeing with Maya Island Air

Maya Island Air offers aerial shore excursions that turn the coast into a map. You soar over the historic Bay of Belize City, pass above the rustic colonial homes of the Baymen, and view the Great Blue Hole. The airline says it works with the best pilots and tour operators in Belize for these outings.

The Great Blue Hole Tour has its own page with details, reached from the airline’s shore excursions page. This is the choice for travelers who would rather see the reef as a ring of color from above than get wet, and it pairs well with the idea of a day that asks little of your legs.

Other outings from the same port

The Belize Zoo in Belize District is another stop travelers add to a day ashore. It is open Monday to Saturday and on Sundays with shorter hours, and it closes on Good Friday and Christmas Day. Its animals are the native species of the country, which makes it a gentle introduction to the wildlife you may glimpse elsewhere.

Site	Open	Admission
The Belize Zoo (Mon to Sat)	8:30 AM to 5:00 PM, last admission 4:00 PM	Belizean adults BZ$10, Belizean children 3-12 BZ$2
The Belize Zoo (Sun)	8:30 AM to 4:30 PM, last admission 3:30 PM	Belizean adults BZ$10, Belizean children 3-12 BZ$2

Harvest Caye, in the south of the Stann Creek District, is a different case. It caters only to Norwegian Cruise Line passengers, so it is not part of the Belize City menu at all.

Which excursions visit Maya sites?

Two Maya sites anchor the cruise day: Altun Ha, reached by road, and Lamanai, reached by river or by a flight and a boat. Both are stone cities of the Classic Period set in green, and they feel very different from one another. One is a compact plaza complex, the other a long walk into forest beside a lagoon.

Altun Ha

Altun Ha is an ancient Maya trading center that was a major ceremonial center in the Classic Period, 31 miles from Belize City on the Old Northern Highway. That road links it to the Northern Highway, which is what makes the site workable as a day from the port. The ruins cover about 8 square kilometres (3.1 sq mi).

The star is the Temple of the Masonry Altars, the tallest pyramid here at 52 feet. You may know it without realizing: a drawing of it is the logo on Belikin, the country’s leading beer. Excavators also found the Jade Head here, the largest carved jade in Mesoamerica, which gives the site a reputation well beyond its size.

Altun Ha is open every day, Sundays and public and bank holidays included, so a cruise call on any date can include it. Tickets are sold for residents and non-residents, with categories by age, from young children to adults and Belizean Golden Citizens aged 65 and over.

Lamanai by river

Lamanai means ‘submerged crocodile’, a name that points to the crocodiles along the banks of the New River in the Orange Walk District. Visitors can reach it on organized day boat trips from Orange Walk Town along the river, or by a dirt and gravel road through the Mennonite area of Shipyard.

The site holds monumental Maya architecture, the remnants of two Spanish churches and a sugar mill, so the story runs from the Maya through the colonial period. From the summit of the High Temple the view stretches over the jungle canopy to a lagoon that belongs to the New River. Tickets are priced for residents and non-residents.

The Lamanai River Experience

One version of the trip starts in the air. From San Pedro you take a 20-minute flight to Tower Hill in Orange Walk, then a 10-minute ride through sugar cane fields to the banks of the New River. The boat then carries you to the New River Lagoon and the Lamanai site.

The river is half the pleasure. The boat passes through mangroves and swamp savannah where you can see monkeys, birds, bats, turtles and crocodiles, along with the flora that crowds the banks. Bring binoculars if you own them, and keep your eyes on the shoreline rather than the water ahead.

Site	Open
Altun Ha	Every day, including Sundays and public and bank holidays

Which excursions are on the water or in caves?

The water outings are the river trip to Lamanai and the view of the Great Blue Hole from the air, while the cave outing is Nohoch Che’en in the Cayo District. Together they cover the wet and dark side of Belize, with the reef seen from above and the underground seen from within.

On the New River

The New River trip is the one that feels most like an expedition. The boat moves through mangroves and swamp savannah, then opens onto the lagoon, and the wildlife list is long: monkeys in the trees, birds along the banks, bats, turtles and crocodiles. It is a trip for people who like to watch rather than race.

The river is also the reason Lamanai has its name, since crocodiles live along the banks. When the boat reaches the lagoon you arrive at the Maya site, so the water and the ruins come as one outing. Pair it with a picnic mood and a hat, and let the guide point out what you would otherwise miss.

The Great Blue Hole from above

For the reef, Maya Island Air offers the aerial option. You see the Great Blue Hole from the plane, along with the Bay of Belize City and the old wooden homes of the Baymen below. It is a dry way to take in the water, and the aerial view is how many people picture the hole in the first place.

Nohoch Che’en

Nohoch Che’en is an expansive cave system along the Sibun River, in the eastern part of the Cayo District. Admission costs between BZ$15.00 and BZ$20.00, depending on residency status, and visitors choose a Resident or Non-Resident ticket when booking.

The site is open every day from 8:00 am to 5:00 pm, including Sundays and public and bank holidays. That makes it as flexible as the Maya sites for a cruise day, though it asks you to think about the river and the cave as the main event rather than a quick stop.

Site	Open	Admission
Nohoch Che’en	Every day, 8:00 am to 5:00 pm, including Sundays and public and bank holidays	BZ$15.00 to BZ$20.00 depending on residency status

Good to know before you go

The U.S. State Department rates Belize Level 2, “Exercise increased caution”, because of crime, and says the south side of Belize City has historically had the highest concentration of violent crime.

A cruise call in Belize falls inside the Atlantic hurricane season when it comes between June 1 and November 30, so a stop in those months is one more reason to follow your ship’s updates. The tender ride, the river and the road all depend on the day, and the port’s courtyards are there for the wait. Souvenirs and snacks are on sale at Fort Street, which makes it an easy place to finish the day.

Sources

Belize Tourism Board, Cruise licensing (https://www.belizetourismboard.org/licensing/cruise/), checked October 11, 2026
Maya Island Air, Shore excursions (https://www.mayaislandair.com/belize-shore-excursions/), checked October 11, 2026
Belize Port Authority, Fort Street Tourism Village port (https://portauthority.bz/belize-port-facilities/fort-street-tourism-village-port/), checked October 11, 2026
Wikipedia, Altun Ha (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Altun_Ha), checked October 11, 2026
NICH ticketing, Altun Ha (https://ticketing.nichbelize.org/product/altun-ha/), checked October 11, 2026
Wikipedia, Lamanai (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lamanai), checked October 11, 2026
NICH ticketing, Lamanai (https://ticketing.nichbelize.org/product/lamanai-mayan-temple/), checked October 11, 2026
The Belize Zoo, Plan your visit (https://www.belizezoo.org/plan-your-visit/), checked October 11, 2026
NICH ticketing, Nohoch Che'en (https://ticketing.nichbelize.org/product/nohoch-cheen/), checked October 11, 2026
Tropic Air, Lamanai River Experience (https://www.tropicair.com/tropic-air-tours/lamanai-river-experience/), checked October 11, 2026
U.S. Department of State, Belize Travel Advisory, Level 2, March 11, 2026 (https://travel.state.gov/), checked October 11, 2026
NOAA National Hurricane Center, Climatology (https://www.nhc.noaa.gov/climo/), checked October 11, 2026