Xunantunich

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  • Transport
    car: 
ferry: across Mopan River at San José Succotz
  • 08:00 - 16:00

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Lonely Planet review

Belize's most accessible Maya site of significance, Xunantunich (pronounced shoo-nahn-too-neech), is reached via a free hand-cranked ferry across the Mopan River at San José Succotz. Climb to the top of El Castillo, the largest structure set 40m (130ft) above the main plaza, to enjoy a spectacular 360-degree view.

Set on a leveled hilltop, Xunantunich may have been occupied as early as 1000 BC but was little more than a village until the 7th century AD, when the large architecture we now see began to be built. A good visitors center, between the ticket office and the hilltop ruins, explains Xunantunich's history.