Belize: Jungles, Mayans & Manatees

Welcome to Belize. Bags collected, you’ll be hopping straight in a car to San Ignacio, a two-hour drive away. You’ll be greeted at your boutique hotel with a refreshing rum cocktail (Belize is known for its punch), the perfect drink to toast to your upcoming adventure. Introductions to your new travel friends made, your driver will transport you into town for a colorful dinner of Belizean street food. As eclectic as the local culture, you’ll be tucking into plates including garnaches (tortillas topped with refried beans, shredded cabbage and cheese), panades (breaded meatballs) and salbutes (tortilla with avocado, pulled chicken, tomato and pickled red onion).

You’ll be getting stuck in from the off today, learning how to make “fry jacks” – Belize’s favourite breakfast food. Next up, it’s a short transfer to the stables, where you’ll be given a safety briefing before heading out on a 1.5-hour horseback ride to the Xunantunich ruins. Getting there requires crossing a river on an old hand-crank ferry, a truly Central American experience. You’ll tour the Maya ruins on foot before heading to a local restaurant for lunch. Appetites satiated, we’re off to visit a traditional Mennonite community in Barton Creek, where you’ll meet a local family, sample their organic cheeses and learn about their unique way of life.

Following a hearty breakfast, it’s a two-hour drive to the Caracol ruins. Tucked deep in the Chiquibul Forest Reserve at the base of the verdant Maya Mountains, Caracol is the largest excavated Maya city in Belize and was one of the most important settlements of its time.  Excavations here have uncovered prehistoric pyramids, royal tombs, dwellings, monuments and temples which we’ll explore with our guide – cameras at the ready for the jaw-dropping panoramas of the dense jungle surrounding it. After an alfresco picnic lunch of local goodies, we’ll head back towards Mountain Pine Ridge, stopping off for a refreshing dip at Big Rock Falls, a 150-foot waterfall on the Privassion River.

Today you’ll be visiting the jewel in Belize’s crown – the Actun Tunichil Muknal (ATM) cave, seen as the gateway to the underworld in Maya culture, where the gods were believed to reside deep below the earth’s surface. It’s a 45-minute drive to the trailhead from San Ignacio, from where we’ll hike another 45 minutes along winding jungle paths, wading across gushing streams and ducking under branches until we reach the cave entrance. Then, you’ll navigate through intricate chambers adorned with stalactites and stalagmites towards the inner sanctum, where ancient Mayan artefacts and skeletal remains are preserved. Following this, it’s a car journey back to Belize City, from where you’ll board a water taxi to Caye Caulker, a gorgeous Caribbean island where you’ll spend the night.

Everyone loves a beach, and Caye Caulker’s shores hide some of the world’s most exceptional snorkeling opportunities. We suggest spending a barefoot day basking in the sunshine, diving beneath duck-egg-blue waters, getting your adrenaline fix with some kite-surfing and exploring by bike (this limestone coral islet is only five miles long and less than a mile wide), fuelled by plenty of rum punch. The island embodies chilled-out Caribbean living and it’s hard not to be enchanted by the hip, lesser-visited sibling of nearby Ambergris Caye. Don’t miss “The Split”, a hangout for locals and in-the-know travelers, with shallow waters perfect to cool off in and a thatched-roof beach bar serving ice-cold drinks and more-ish bar food. 

It’s back on a water taxi into town where we’ll meet local legend and mangrove preservationist Allie Johnstone, known as the “Mangrove Mama” of Caye Caulker. Allie will give us her “Mangrove 101” talk, educating us about the importance of protecting the mangroves in order to maintain a healthy ecosystem on the islands. The hope is to plant mangroves with Allie, but this is generally only possible during the rainy season. We’ll then depart by motor boat on a manatee and snorkeling adventure towards the Hol Chan Marine Reserve. If spotted, you’ll get the chance to swim with these majestic sea creatures, as well as snorkeling at two exceptional reef locations. The day will be rounded off with a farewell beach barbecue – a proper, island-style send-off from our Belizean adventure.

This morning, you’ll be catching a water taxi back to the mainland, where an airport transfer will pick you up from the Water Express Marine. The first water taxi leaves Caye Caulker at 6.00AM, and you’ll need to be at the airport at least three hours before your flight. Fallen in love with this part of the world? Have a browse of our suite of Americas adventures and find your next escape.