Horseback Ride to the Forgotten Jungle City: Explore Belize's Maya Mountains and Minanha Ruins
5.0
20 Ratings
San Ignacio

Prepare yourself for an equestrian journey in Belize. Traverse the core of the Maya Mountains to arrive at Minanha, the ‘Overlooked Wilderness Metropolis.’ You’ll be able to investigate the remnants of this deserted Maya metropolis, inspect a ritual cave, and gain access to hidden rooms. Your meal is incorporated.

Duration: 8 hours
Cancellation: 1 day learn more
Highlights
  • XWPX+X8 Macaw Bank - Come adventure with us on an authentic journey to the Forgotten City and visit Maya ruin sites in their raw-form while on horseback! Guests will be picked-up in San Ignacio. Then travel to the Mystic, Maya Mountains where they will experience spectacular views of the Cayo Countryside, rural jungle, exotic flora and fauna while adventuring through the jungle on horseback to what was once one of the most populated and powerful Maya cities 1000 years ago. While venturing through the jungle to the Forgotten City on our family’s personal, and well-trained horses, guests will stop to explore Cave Isabella, the gateway to Xibala (the Mayan Underworld), which is full of ceremonial, Maya riches and artifacts. Afterwards our guests will venture further into the jungle to the main ruin site, Bitkal, where our guests will have the opportunity to be one of the few people in the entire world in1000 years to hike an unexcavated pyramid and throne of the some of the most influential Maya rulers. This is an authentic, once-in-a-lifetime adventure you will not forget! Our family is excited to show you our hidden gem of Belize!
What's Included
  • Professional guide
  • Bottled water
  • Lunch
  • Transport by private vehicle
What's Not Included
  • Gratuities
  • Hotel pickup and drop-off
Additional Information
  • Dress code: Comfortable riding clothing (long pants and a sleeved shirt) are recommended
  • Vegetarian option is available; please advise at time of booking if required
  • Please specify if you have any dietary restrictions at time of booking
Location
Cayo Welcome Center & Tourist Information Center
Complimentary transportation to and from your hotel within San Ignacio can be provided. For guests residing in a hotel outside San Ignacio or an Air Bnb, please meet your tour guide at the Cayo Welcome Center in Downtown San Ignacio.
Cancellation Policy

For a full refund, cancel at least 24 hours before the scheduled departure time.

Customer Ratings
5.0
(20 Ratings)
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Jesse_o
Dec 15, 2023
Best experience ever! - Truly one of the best guided experiences we’ve ever had! Horseback riding through the jungle is surreal and exciting. Robert did an incredible job creating the trails as least invasive to the natural habitat as possible. It feels as if you are an explorer in the jungle. We learned so much about the Mayan culture from Robert during our journey, and we highly recommend for everyone to do this tour!
Review provided by Viator
Tinalocklear
Dec 9, 2023
Awesome Jungle Ride - We had a really awesome time riding well cared for horses in the jungle today. Robert was a fantastic and knowledgeable guide. His property was gorgeous. We ate a delicious lunch right outside an enormous dry cave before we went in to explore. I definitely recommend this activity and tour company!
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Cruiser533450
Nov 6, 2023
Memorable experience, in the rain - Robert communicates very well and quickly with answers to questions, confirming excursions, and places where we were meeting up. This was one of three excursions my husband and I booked through "Jungle Splash Tours". It was raining pretty good the morning of our scheduled horseback ride and Robert sent me a message to confirm and make sure we still wanted to do a full day ride because the forecast was not going to lighten up. My husband and I figured that we were there, and not going to be dry no matter what we chose to do that day, so we went ahead and did the ride. Due to the rain, we were not able to do the typical excursion, so we did not see the cave but we did go up to Minanha ("the forgotten city") on the horses with four dogs in tow, and it gave us an very wet experience of trekking through the jungle up and down some muddy, slippery, rocky slopes with Robert in the front forging the way using his machete when needed to clear out everything on the path. We all returned with boots soaked and full of water. While at Minanha (which is a massive complex now all overgrown by vegetation), he showed us photos and a survey drawing that was done by the archeologists who partially excavated the area in the 1990's, showed us where to look for certain areas on the survey, a copal tree, and other things of interest. We had all sorts of questions and Robert answered all of them as well as taught us a lot about the culture and the area. We also didn't do the typical picnic lunch because of the rain, so Robert arranged that lunch be prepared for us and ready at our place when we returned (we were staying close to Vaca Lake). It had been many years since I had been horseback riding and the same with my husband. The horses are well behaved but also willing (in other words, they aren't worn out horses who want to just stay in the pasture) and so the experience was really good and I was able to just let the horse figure out where it needed to go for stepping on the trail (for the most part anyway, aside from them wanting to eat along the way (the typical) and the areas where it was tight near some trees and the horse needed to adjust so my leg wasn't being rammed in to a tree).
Review provided by Tripadvisor
911tamid
Sep 14, 2023
An emotional and amazing experience. 10 outa 10 - Part 3 I do not know where to even begin explaining my experiences today. I did things I never thought I would do. Conquered fears I never thought I could. Seen things I never thought I would. Honestly this whole week has been like this but today was truly special. We rode horses through the Mayan jungles of Belize, saw ancient artifacts, bones and ruins, visited a sacred cave and climbed through burial chambers.. I’m very claustrophobic but I did it!!, listened to a powerful thunder storm while eating a homemade Belizean lunch.. I could go on and on.. this has been such a beautiful and emotional experience. One that I will NEVER forget! ❤️🥹❤️
Review provided by Tripadvisor
569mistyd
Sep 14, 2023
Absolutely amazing!! - Omg where do I even start.. Today was indescribably amazing. We rode horses into the jungle to a cave that is privately owned. As soon as we got there a thunderstorm hit and down poured. I love thunderstorms. We ate our yummy lunch there at the mouth of the cave in the storm. We went in to explore the cave. It felt like we had just discovered it. We found so many Mayan artifacts and he convinced us to climb, on hands and knees through a very small, long burial chamber. It really made us face our fears of small spaces. Robert, our, guide was so great. I could never describe this experience in a post. Life changing!! My horse Azteca was the best❤️
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Edwin_s
Aug 4, 2023
Great horses, fun day! - The horses here were well trained and cared for. The weather was not good the day of our trip, but Robert went out of his way to make sure we had an enjoyable day. We cut the horseback ride short because of torrential rainfall causing it to be very muddy. They adjusted and we took a shorter ride and then went on a pontoon ride to some beautiful waterfalls and had a very nice lunch. We would have preferred a longer ride, but given the conditions, appreciate them going out of their way to ensure we had a great day!
Review provided by Viator
Robert
Apr 18, 2023
Robert is amazing! - Robert and his family were so gracious and made us feel so comfortable and at ease with his horses. This was an experiece of a lifetime!
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Gtroy9000
Mar 7, 2023
Best Day on the Macal River! Thank you Robert and Nabir! - Robert was able to curate a perfect trip for my wife and me. Although we were flying back and forth from San Pedro, he was able to help us get to the farm, and plan a filled afternoon with River and waterfall tours, a beautiful lunch, and horseback riding through the jungle. Having Nabir as our guide was amazing and really made the trip perfect. I would recommend anyone to go see Robert on his farm and ranch to experience the Jungle and Macal River in Belize!
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Amanda_j
Oct 9, 2022
Incredible horse riding experience!!! - We had such a blast horseback riding in the jungle!! Robert was an excellent host and made us feel right at home! The tour was extremely informative on the culture and history of the area and the horses were just amazing!! Loved that the dogs got to come too! We will be back!!
Review provided by Viator
Edwarjb
Mar 18, 2022
Horseback riding with history and a view - This isn’t a ruin exploration trip, that has to be kept in mind. You get to see an old site that was somewhat excavated but now is taken back over by the jungle. However, it was an amazing experience with very knowledgeable guides and it was interesting and informative to get a clear view and understanding of how so much you see in this area of Belize that looks like hills/ mountains is actually ruins and temples. It’s was several hours on horseback there and back so if you want a day to just go ridding and enjoy nature this is it. The tour stops by a very large cave allowing yourself and the horses a break. This part is as interactive as you want it to be, rather it be just looking at the formations or a little bit of crawling. Lunch is provided here and was delicious. The company also offers pontoon boat waterfall tours that I hate I didn’t fit in this trip, but plan on coming back to do. Just email Robert and Rachael and they are flexible to make a tour that caters to you. I’m thankful they allowed me the experience as I couldn’t get anyone to join when I went. Overall it was a relaxing and enjoyable day with some really neat surprises and beautiful views mixed in and I definitely recommend it if you want something off the beaten path and different.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
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