Nelson Maya Adventures
Alluring Mayan Site Tours and Outstanding Transfers Service for the Insightful Traveler.
With our team of expert travel agents and tour operators, we ensure your experience is truly unforgettable.
Price varies by location - Can be done during a transfer.
Easy - Walking and Climbing
Guide, Entrance Fee, Round Trip Transportation, Lunch, Water, and (full day tour).
Bug spray, Hat and Sunglasses.
Hidden in the lush hills of Southern Belize, Lubaantun is one of the most fascinating and unique Maya archaeological sites. Known for its distinctive dry-stone construction and its association with the famous Crystal Skull legend, Lubaantun offers visitors a glimpse into the mysterious and advanced engineering techniques of the ancient Maya. Unlike most Maya cities, Lubaantun’s structures were built without mortar, with perfectly cut and fitted stones that have stood the test of time.
Explore the Unique Stone Architecture: Lubaantun is famous for its precisely cut black slate structures, built without the use of mortar—a technique rarely seen in Maya architecture. Walking through its terraced plazas and stepped buildings, visitors can admire the skill of ancient Maya builders.
Visit the Ball Courts: The site contains multiple ball courts, which played a central role in Maya society. Unlike other Maya sites, Lubaantun’s ball courts are notably larger, hinting at their significance for ceremonial or political events.
Discover the Crystal Skull Legend: Lubaantun is famously linked to the mystical Crystal Skull, allegedly discovered here in 1924 by explorer Anna Mitchell-Hedges. Though its origins remain debated, the legend continues to attract visitors intrigued by its mystery.
Enjoy the Jungle Setting: Surrounded by dense rainforest and wildlife, Lubaantun offers a tranquil atmosphere perfect for nature lovers and photographers. The area is home to colorful birds, butterflies, and howler monkeys.
Lubaantun is located in southern Belize, about 26 miles (42 km) from Punta Gorda in the Toledo District. The journey from Punta Gorda takes approximately 45 minutes by car, with the last section of the road being a scenic but bumpy jungle drive.
From Belize City, the journey takes around 5 hours by car, making Lubaantun a great destination for those exploring southern Belize or staying in Punta Gorda.
Lubaantun, meaning “Place of Fallen Stones”, was an important Maya ceremonial and political center during the Late Classic Period (730–890 AD). The city is notable for its unique construction style—black slate blocks carefully stacked without mortar, which suggests advanced engineering techniques.
Archaeologists believe Lubaantun was once a thriving trading hub that engaged in agriculture, pottery production, and regional commerce. However, like many other Maya cities, it was mysteriously abandoned around 900 AD, possibly due to climate changes, warfare, or resource depletion.
The site gained worldwide fame in the 20th century due to the discovery of the Crystal Skull, a perfectly carved quartz skull that some claim has supernatural properties. Although the authenticity of this find is debated, it remains an intriguing part of Lubaantun’s history.
If you’re visiting Lubaantun, there are several other fascinating places nearby worth exploring:
Nim Li Punit: Located about 20 miles (32 km) from Lubaantun, this site is famous for its massive carved stelae (stone monuments), some of the tallest ever found in Belize.
Blue Creek Cave (Hokeb Ha Cave): This sacred Maya cave near Lubaantun features stunning crystal-clear pools, underground waterfalls, and ancient artifacts. It’s a great stop for adventure seekers.
My husband Joe & I had a great tour with Josh as our guide. He took us to the Community Baboon Santuary to see the Black Howler Monkeys, the Belize... read more Prison Gift Shop where there are beautiful hand carved items made by the prisoners, and to Caves Branch Outpost for some excellent zip lining. Josh is a wealth of knowledge and really took the time to make sure we had everything we needed. We would give him 10 out of 10 stars if we could.
While visiting Caye Caulker with friends we decided to visit the Xunantunich ruins. Booking was seamless and our guide Auner met us at the water taxi.
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Our day with Auner was perfect! He is a wealth of information and ensured all of our questions were answered. Cold water was readily available along with a delicious traditional Belizean lunch. Highly recommend this tour company, we will definitely use them again.
We decided to arrange a private tour for a family of four to Tikal with Nelson Maya Adventures after reading a couple of reviews here and on a couple of... read more other platforms. We like to give our business to smaller companies whenever possible, and we rarely regret it. We were extremely impressed with the service: the drivers (Wilbert in Belize and William in Guatemala) were very professional and friendly, and the guide who met us for our transfer at the Guatemala border and accompanied us to Tikal (Oliverio) was outstanding. The entire process went very smoothly, and Nelson Díaz was great at keeping in touch and providing details about the adventure.
My family of 4 was picked up at 7:00 at our lodge near San Ignacio and were driven to the Guatemalan border by our first driver. There, we were met by our guide (arranged by Nelson) who walked us through the border-crossing process and then took us to our next van on the Guatemala side that drove us the 2.5 hours to Tikal. The van was brand new and very comfortable, and the driver was super friendly and professional. Our guide (Oliverio) was amazing. He was extremely knowledgable (spoke English and Spanish) and provided lots of interesting information during the drive and at Tikal: he was an expert in the flare and fauna of Tikal and also knew a great deal about the history of this incredible place. He was also extremely helpful when it came to negotiating the lines at the border and at the entrance to Tikal. He easily saved us a couple of hours and made it clear to us that driving our rental vehicle and trying to do this on our own would have been a real hassle.
Our guide and driver were also very flexible allowing for several short stops to take photos, buy a snack, visit an artisan shop, etc. Lunch was included in the price of our day-long trip, and they took us to a fabulous roadside restaurant - Restaurante González - outside of the park. We opted to stay in the park till early afternoon and have a late lunch on the way back to Belize.
The price that we paid for our family to spend the day at Tikal was significantly less than we would have paid through our lodge and through other companies in San Ignacio, and it was great to have the private tour. I HIGHLY RECOMMEND Nelson for any of your transportation needs in Belize.
We decided to arrange a private tour for a family of four to Tikal with Nelson Maya Adventures after reading a couple of reviews here and on a couple of... read more other platforms. We like to give our business to smaller companies whenever possible, and we rarely regret it. We were extremely impressed with the service: the drivers (Wilbert in Belize and William in Guatemala) were very professional and friendly, and the guide who met us for our transfer at the Guatemala border and accompanied us to Tikal (Oliverio) was outstanding. The entire process went very smoothly, and Nelson Díaz was great at keeping in touch and providing details about the adventure.
My family of 4 was picked up at 7:00 at our lodge near San Ignacio and were driven to the Guatemalan border by our first driver. There, we were met by our guide (arranged by Nelson) who walked us through the border-crossing process and then took us to our next van on the Guatemala side that drove us the 2.5 hours to Tikal. The van was brand new and very comfortable, and the driver was super friendly and professional. Our guide (Oliverio) was amazing. He was extremely knowledgable (spoke English and Spanish) and provided lots of interesting information during the drive and at Tikal: he was an expert in the flare and fauna of Tikal and also knew a great deal about the history of this incredible place. He was also extremely helpful when it came to negotiating the lines at the border and at the entrance to Tikal. He easily saved us a couple of hours and made it clear to us that driving our rental vehicle and trying to do this on our own would have been a real hassle.
Our guide and driver were also very flexible allowing for several short stops to take photos, buy a snack, visit an artisan shop, etc. Lunch was included in the price of our day-long trip, and they took us to a fabulous roadside restaurant – Restaurante González – outside of the park. We opted to stay in the park till early afternoon and have a late lunch on the way back to Belize.
The price that we paid for our family to spend the day at Tikal was significantly less than we would have paid through our lodge and through other companies in San Ignacio, and it was great to have the private tour. I HIGHLY RECOMMEND Nelson for any of your transportation needs in Belize.
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