The agricultural and social center of norther Belize, Orange Walk is 58 miles norht of Belize City. It's not highly developed for toursim but does have a few modest hotels and good restaurants. The Northern Highway, called Queen Victoria Avenue in town, serves as the main road. The center of town is shady Central Park, on the east side of Queen Victoria Avenue. The town hospital is in the northern outskirts, readily visible on the west side of Northern Highway.
By far the most impressive site in this part of the country is Lamanai, in its own archaeological reserve on the New River Lagoon near the settlement of Indian Church. Though much of the site remains unexcavated and unrestored, the trip to Lamanai, by motorboat up the New River is an adventure in itself. Take a sun hat, sunblock, insect repelent, shoes 9rather than sandals), lunch and water.
.As with most site in northern Belize, Lamanai ("Submerged Crocodile," the original Mayan name of the place) was occupied as early as 1500 BC, with the first stone buildings appearing between 800 and 600 BC. Lamanai flourished in late pre-Classic times, growing into a major ceremonial center with immense temples long before most other Mayan sites. Unlike many other sites, Maya lived here until the coming of the Spanish in the 16th century. British interests later built a sugar mill, now in ruins, at Indian Church. The archaeological site was excavated by David Pendergast in the 1970s and '80s.
Most visitors opt to reach Lamanai by taking a spectacular boat ride up the New River from the Tower Hill toll bridge south of Orange Walk. On this trip, you motor 1.5 hours upriver, betwen riverbanks that are crowded with dense jungle vegetation. En route, your skipper-guide points out the many local birds and will almost certainly spot a crocodile or two. Along the way you will pass a Shipyard. Finally you come to New River Lagoon - a long, broad expanse of water that can be choppy during the frequent rain showers - and the boat dock at Lamanai.
A tour of the ruins (admission ~ US $2.50) takes 90 minutes minimum, more comfortable two or three hours. Of the 60 significant structures identified here, the greatest is Structure N10-43, a huge, late pre-Classic building rising more than 111 feet above the jungle canopy. It's been partially uncovered and restored. Not far from N10-43 is Lamanai's ball court, a smallish one, partially uncovered. To the north along the gungle pat is Structure P9-56, built several centuries later, with a huge, stylized mask of a man in a crocodile-mouth headress 13 feet high emblazoned on its southwest face. Near this structure are a small temple and a ruined stela that once stood on the temple's front face. Apparently some worshipers built a fire at teh base of the limestone stela and later doused the fire with water. The hot stone stela, cooled quickly by the water, broke and toppled. The stela's bas-relief carving of a majestic figure is extremely fine. A small museum near the boat landing exhibits some interesting figurative pottery and large flint tools.