Must See Excursions: Xunantunich, Belize

Xunantunich (pronounced zoo-nan-toon-itch) is located a few miles outside of San Ignacio, Belize. Pretty much in the middle of the jungle, these ruins grow out of the ground in a slow manner, almost as if they're crawling to get out from the thick jungle floor.

They're so close to the border between Belize and Guatemala that when you're on top of the ruins, you can actually see the road that defines the border snaking through the canopy. There are 3 distinct structures within the plaza and the tallest one, El Castillo, is free to climb to explore. The rooms that were once home to royalty are still lined up and enduring the weather just as the rest of the site.

There's a small museum highlighting the past history of this particular site and how it was accidentally dscovered on an exploration trip. What's so interesting about this site is that in order to keep them preserved, they keep most of the ruins under their thick jungle shield. The jungle has grown over the temples so there are hundreds on unexcavated structures that will stay as such to keep their integrity.

There are excursion options that are different on every cruise line, but Xunantunich is one that you can't miss.