Xunantunich

Xunantunich is best known for El Castillo, a 130-foot pyramid that is the second-tallest ancient structure in Belize, and for the stucco friezes wrapping its upper temple. It's also famous for its approach: a free hand-cranked ferry across the Mopan River, one of the last of its kind in the country.

Yes. Visitors can climb El Castillo to the summit, where the view reaches across the Mopan River Valley into Guatemala. The stairs are steep, uneven stone with some narrow, handrail-free sections. Individual sections close periodically for conservation work, so access on any given day isn't guaranteed.

Choose Xunantunich if you have half a day: it's 20 minutes from San Ignacio, easy to reach, and you're back by lunch. Choose Caracol if you have a full day and want the larger, wilder site — Caana is taller, the ruins are more extensive, and there are far fewer visitors, but it's a rough two-hour-plus drive each way through Mountain Pine Ridge.

Cahal Pech sits within walking distance of San Ignacio town and takes about an hour — good if you're short on time or without transport. Xunantunich is bigger, more dramatic, and has the ferry crossing and the climb. If you can only do one, do Xunantunich. If you have a spare hour in town, Cahal Pech is worth adding.

Head west on the George Price Highway about 13 km to San José Succotz, roughly 15 minutes by car or taxi. Any Benque-bound bus will drop you at the ferry landing. The free hand-cranked ferry takes you and your vehicle across the Mopan River, then it's a 1 km uphill climb or short drive to the entrance.

It's a long day — roughly four hours each way by road via the Hummingbird Highway and Belmopan. Most visitors break the trip in San Ignacio overnight rather than attempting it as a return day trip. Organised tours from Placencia typically pair Xunantunich with a stop in Belmopan or San Ignacio.

Entrance is BZ$25 (about US$12.50) for non-residents and BZ$10 for Belizeans. Bring cash — there's no card payment at the gate. US dollars are widely accepted throughout Belize at a fixed 2:1 rate, but small Belize-dollar notes make change easier at the ticket booth and the ferry.

Xunantunich is open 8am to 5pm every day, including Sundays and public holidays. Last tours depart at 3:30pm on foot and 4pm by vehicle. Arriving at opening gives you cooler temperatures, clearer valley views and the site largely to yourself before the tour buses reach the ferry.