What to expect
This shared Xunantunich and horseback riding tour combines a major Maya city with a genuine Belize ranch experience at Banana Bank Lodge & Jungle Horseback Adventures. Reach Xunantunich by the memorable hand-cranked ferry across the Mopan River, then explore plazas, palaces, carved friezes, and El Castillo with a guide who explains the city’s ceremonial importance and regional connections. At Banana Bank, the setting changes from monumental stone architecture to working ranch country, tropical trails, and riverside scenery. Meet the ranch team, receive a safety orientation, and ride a horse selected for your ability while following the guide’s pace through the landscape. What makes the tour distinctive is the contrast between two ways of understanding the Cayo region. Travelers first learn how the ancient Maya organized and used this environment, then experience the countryside at trail level from horseback.