Join a comfortable air-conditioned coach ride (about 60min) with a guide sharing Belize’s rich cultural and ecological heritage along the Philip Goldson Highway. Upon arrival at your river outpost, you will have a quick restroom break and opportunity to apply a last layer of sun block before embarking on your boat.

Anticipation builds as your skilled captain pulls away from the dock to begin the roughly 1hr 20min (26 mile) trip up the meandering New River towards a Maya ruin destination. Keep your eyes open and your camera ready as crocodiles, iguanas, a variety of species of birds and even a troop of howler monkeys are just some of the wildlife that might make an appearance for you.

On approaching the entrance of the New River Lagoon, the ruins of the high temple rise into view – welcoming you to the ancient Mayan city and challenging you to climb its peak. But first, you enjoy a delicious buffet style Belizean lunch, fuelling you for your roughly 1hr 30min ruin expedition. Your guide will give you an insight into this hidden world still surrounded by pristine jungle, where elite rulers are buried in magnificent temples and sacred deities are immortalized in stone images.

If you want to take a souvenir of this experience home, you have 15min to shop at the gift shop on site before boarding your boat for the exhilarating nonstop ride back to the outpost where your waiting bus will take you back to the cruise ship pier.