Nim Li Punit (Big Hat)
Nim Li Punit (Big Hat)
4.5
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This Mayan site is known for its 25 intricately carved stelae, including a figure wearing a large headdress ("Big Hat").
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4.5
119 reviews
Excellent
56
Very good
50
Average
11
Poor
2
Terrible
0
saradE7460MR
Green Bay, WI81 contributions
Mar 2024 • Family
We took a tour from the norwegian cruise line. It was well worth it!! Elliot was the driver, and he did a great job driving. Nate was astounding on the bus! He is Mayan, told great jokes, and shared personal info which made the experience more authentic and personal. When we got to the ruins, Laura took over that part of the tour. She is also Mayan and shared her history along with Mayan history. It was truly amazing. The amount of knowledge they both have is incredible. Our family of 5 was impressed! Definitely bring water with. I highly recommend! Thank you to Nate, Laura, and Elliot!
Written 31 March 2024
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
simonfamily7
2 contributions
Mar 2020
Had a last minute change in our cruise plans and decided to go on this Mayan ruins tour. We took an airconditioned bus ride for about 45 mins with our guide, Juana a Mayan descendent, was great and did a wonderful job explaining Belize history and Mayan history. The site was awesome and the guides there were also wonderful. Lunch was chicken with rice & beans and plantans, simple and deleicious. I would recommend this trip to others.
Written 11 March 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Bert B
Danville, IN34 contributions
Dec 2020
Your guide will make the difference. The interior part was closed due to the virus, so that was disappointing. The grounds were very clean and the restrooms very clean. They are ruins, so unless you are an expert on Mayan culture and history, your guide will make or break your trip.
Written 5 January 2021
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Gina D
16 contributions
Mar 2022 • Friends
NATE was our authentic Mayan tour guide. He carries on the Mayan knowledge of his people and shares it with the visitors. The site is not a huge pyramid, like X'unatunich. It is a more intimate community feeling, and NATE describes it well. Very enjoyable low-key, learning experience in the rainforest. Mostly easy walking. Have fun!
Written 26 March 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Raroboy
Canada533 contributions
Jan 2020
If you are in south Belize then drop in. If not, then don't go out of your way to see them. The ruins is in ruins. Some small pyrimids. Has a good example of a ballcourt. Three tombs have been found and contents removed. Best is the Stelis still standing and some well reserved in the museum. Great view of Maya Mountains, forest, Caribbean Sea.
Written 31 January 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Lori G
Oxford, OH7 contributions
Mar 2024 • Couples
We went to Nim Li Punit as an NCL excursion. It is a beautiful, elevated setting. The stellas found on the property were fascinating. The indigenous guides were very informative. The ruins are interesting but not grand and impressive temples. But if Mayan history interests you- this is a great site.
Written 19 April 2024
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Carsten D
Hannover, Germany29 contributions
Dec 2016 • Couples
We visited Nim Li Punit during our cruise ship stay at Harvest Cay. Organised through Norwegian Cruise Line we were transferred to the mainland from where the excursion company picked us up and we rode in a Bluebird bus to the ruins. Very good education about the site, the discoveries and the former life of the Mayas in this area. Maybe the site is not as spectacular as other ruins, but located directly in the tropical forest it has thousand things to offer.
We had a great day.
We had a great day.
Written 8 December 2016
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Stephanie D
33 contributions
Jun 2016 • Couples
The road to these ruins is a little treacherous, so I would not recommend trying to drive up it without a bigger vehicle or if it has been raining. However, once you arrive, you will be surprised to see how beautifully maintained this ancient village is. There are two buildings that include information about the site and stelas found on site. The stelas alone make the trip worth it. It is both amazing that the ancient people had such intricate recordings of their own history and that scholars have been able to decipher what they mean. The ruins themselves are somewhat small compared to others in Belize, but they are still interesting. I wish we would have had a guide to explain to us what activities occurred there and how the structures were used. Still, we had enough information from the "museum" area to piece it together a bit. If you stop to buy crafts from the local merchants at the end of the visit, expect some competition between them. It was a little confusing because they seemed to be a family. I was looking for some trinkets for my kiddos, and it was awkward to look at one merchant's items while the others were yelling out to me about what they had to offer.
Written 9 July 2016
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Kevin E
Port Orange, FL237 contributions
Aug 2019
We took this tour through Norwegian Cruise Lines and were thrilled with the experience. We took a ferry from Harvest Cay (about 15 minutes), then we boarded a bus for about 50 minutes up into the mountainous region to the site.
This place lacks magnificent temples but makes up for it with intricately carved stelae. When you look at them, they look like they were just finished being carved. The museum has about 4 of them inside the building so you can inspect them up close. There are still several stelae standing in the plaza of the stelae.
The views from the Plaza of the stelae are beautiful and it is a perfect place for great landscape photos!
The ball court is small, but so well maintained, it looks like a game could start any minute. Our guides Alejandro and Felix said that most likely only 2 players went up against each other here.
The other interesting thing here were the tombs. They found the remains of about 5 bodies in one tomb. The tombs were probably for the royalty at the time and contained lots of artifacts which were on display in a separate building from the museum of the stelae.
After we visited the site, we were taken about 10 minutes further west and had a delightful lunch of Mayan spiced chicken (not spicy hot) beans and rice along with a juice drink. Other beverages were available. Hot sauce was available for people who like "heat" in their food.
The only negative to this trip is the bus is not comfortable for large people. We are 6 footers and we felt cramped in the seats. Also if you are heavy, you will not be comfortable in the bus as it is an old school bus with minimal air conditioning.
This place lacks magnificent temples but makes up for it with intricately carved stelae. When you look at them, they look like they were just finished being carved. The museum has about 4 of them inside the building so you can inspect them up close. There are still several stelae standing in the plaza of the stelae.
The views from the Plaza of the stelae are beautiful and it is a perfect place for great landscape photos!
The ball court is small, but so well maintained, it looks like a game could start any minute. Our guides Alejandro and Felix said that most likely only 2 players went up against each other here.
The other interesting thing here were the tombs. They found the remains of about 5 bodies in one tomb. The tombs were probably for the royalty at the time and contained lots of artifacts which were on display in a separate building from the museum of the stelae.
After we visited the site, we were taken about 10 minutes further west and had a delightful lunch of Mayan spiced chicken (not spicy hot) beans and rice along with a juice drink. Other beverages were available. Hot sauce was available for people who like "heat" in their food.
The only negative to this trip is the bus is not comfortable for large people. We are 6 footers and we felt cramped in the seats. Also if you are heavy, you will not be comfortable in the bus as it is an old school bus with minimal air conditioning.
Written 28 August 2019
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
caroles488
South Riding46 contributions
Jun 2017 • Couples
We signed up for this tour on an NCL cruise. The guide, Francisco, from H2O Terra Tours was extremely knowledgeable. His tour included not only the history of Belize but also discussed the ancient and current Mayan cultures and the culture of the Belizean people. We truly had an UNBELIZABLE day! :)
Written 7 July 2017
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
NCL excursion says there are over 100 steps to negotiate. Can Anyone that's been on the excursion let me know how bad the steps are. Are they 100 steps at a time or just for the whole excursion about 100 steps? I have a bad knee, but I am able to deal with steps to some extent.
Written 11 October 2022
Question for anyone who has visited recently--have they built indoor restroom facilities at Nim li Punit
Written 28 November 2019
Yes, they were clean, but as in most places, ladies must toss tissue in a waste basket.
Written 17 January 2020
Hello. Does the NCL tour stop anywhere to eat?
Written 9 September 2017
We were on an Oceania tour but as they are owned by NCL I assume they use the same local tour company. There was no food stop but it isn't a full day tour (I think it was about 4 hours in total) so were back in time to eat on board. Let's face it, no-one starves on a cruise ship so the duration of the tour isn't long enough to cause a problem for any normal person with an ordinary appetite! I seem to recall that they did provide water although I may be confusing tours.
Written 10 September 2017
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