Belize holiday, discover Belize
| country: | Belize |
| trip type: | A small group adventure |
| departures: | 2008: 26 Oct, 9 Nov, 21 Dec 2009: 4 Jan, 18 Jan, 1 Feb, 15 Feb, 1 Mar, 5 Apr |
| price: | From £1585 - £1809 (15 days) including flights from the UK, from £759 - £815 excluding flights. Local payment US $320. Optional single supplement £150 |
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the amazing things you'll be doing
English and Spanish-speaking Belize has exotic wildlife, jungle rivers, Caribbean beaches, tropical forests and the archaeological wonders of the Maya civilisation.
Lamanai & Crooked Tree Sanctuary: Driving northwards from Belize City our first stop is the marshy lagoons and wetlands of Crooked Tree Bird Sanctuary - a birdwatcher's paradise and habitat of the Jabiru stork (with its phenomenal 3-metre wingspan!) From here we explore the ancient ruins of Lamanai - reached by jungle river through dense rainforest. Generally uncleared and with only rough approach trails, rediscovering this remote site is a real adventure.
Maya Mountains: Heading down to the coast, we reach one of Belize's best beach spots, situated on a sandy peninsula, Placencia.
It is an ideal place to relax or explore fishing villages and thatch-roofed stilt houses. We travel inland to walk forest trails in Cockscomb Jaguar Reserve and swim in the deep waters of the 'Blue Hole'. Two full days are spent exploring the area around San Ignacio where there's time to walk, canoe or even go caving! We include a visit to Xunantunich, where the 40-metre pyramidal 'El Castillo' affords spectacular views across the mountains and lowlands of Guatemala.
Tikal & Coral Reefs: We enter Guatemala and spend a night at Tikal - without a doubt the most magnificent Maya ceremonial centre of all. Heading back to the old capital, Belize City, we take a skiff across the clear Caribbean seas to the tropical island of Caye Caulker. Lying inside the greatest living reef in the Western Hemisphere, it is an idyllic spot for underwater explorers. Reef trips, snorkelling or scuba diving trips are all available.
Lamanai & Crooked Tree Sanctuary: Driving northwards from Belize City our first stop is the marshy lagoons and wetlands of Crooked Tree Bird Sanctuary - a birdwatcher's paradise and habitat of the Jabiru stork (with its phenomenal 3-metre wingspan!) From here we explore the ancient ruins of Lamanai - reached by jungle river through dense rainforest. Generally uncleared and with only rough approach trails, rediscovering this remote site is a real adventure.
Maya Mountains: Heading down to the coast, we reach one of Belize's best beach spots, situated on a sandy peninsula, Placencia.
It is an ideal place to relax or explore fishing villages and thatch-roofed stilt houses. We travel inland to walk forest trails in Cockscomb Jaguar Reserve and swim in the deep waters of the 'Blue Hole'. Two full days are spent exploring the area around San Ignacio where there's time to walk, canoe or even go caving! We include a visit to Xunantunich, where the 40-metre pyramidal 'El Castillo' affords spectacular views across the mountains and lowlands of Guatemala.
Tikal & Coral Reefs: We enter Guatemala and spend a night at Tikal - without a doubt the most magnificent Maya ceremonial centre of all. Heading back to the old capital, Belize City, we take a skiff across the clear Caribbean seas to the tropical island of Caye Caulker. Lying inside the greatest living reef in the Western Hemisphere, it is an idyllic spot for underwater explorers. Reef trips, snorkelling or scuba diving trips are all available.
day-by-day itinerary
| Day 1: | Fly London/Miami (USA). |
| Day 2: | Fly Belize City; drive via Community Baboon Sanctuary to Crooked Tree. |
| Day 3: | In Crooked Tree; river trip to visit Lamanai ruins. |
| Day 4: | Drive to Placencia via Altun Ha. |
| Day 5: | In Placencia; optional excursions. |
| Day 6: | Drive Cockscomb Jaguar Sanctuary and Blue Hole to San Ignacio. |
| Day 7-8: | In San Ignacio; visit Xunantunich; optional walking and canoeing. |
| Day 9: | Drive Tikal (Guatemala); visit Tikal site. |
| Day 10: | Drive Belize City. |
| Day 11: | Launch to Caye Caulker. |
| Day 12-13: | On Caye Caulker; swimming; optional snorkelling. |
| Day 14: | Launch to Belize City; fly London. |
| Day 15: | Arrive London. |
travellers' tales
Highlights were seeing the manatees at Swallow Caye and dolphins on the return trip to Caye Caulker; having a face-to-face with a nurse shark; canoeing up an underground river; the magic of Tikal at dawn; Lamanai and Caracol; the friendliness of local people and their love and appreciation of their country. (more)
small group adventure holiday
Typically you will be sharing your experiences with between 4-20 like minded travellers (depending on the trip, operator and how many others are booked on the trip) and you'll have a group leader with you. Whether you are travelling alone or with friends its good value, and a great way to meet new people! While itineraries are pre-planned there is some flexibility and you'll have plenty of privacy. This trip will appeal to travellers of all ages who enjoy meeting new people as well as seeing new places.how this holiday makes a difference
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All hotels and transport are locally owned. We support the Mayan community at the Cockscomb sanctuary: a small community of Mayan ladies survive on the production of their traditional crafts. We also donate to and visit the Baboon Sanctuary an area designated for the protection of the howler monkeys. Where we use local providers for excursions such as lamanai and the snorkeling trips our local crew are trained in and brief on responsible tourism and the protection of the flora and fauna (coral reefs) in the area.
On this tour we also highly recommend that our customers take the opportunity to visit the Belize Zoo and Tropical Education Centre. The Centre acts as a refuge for injured, orphaned and sick animals and does invaluable work educating visitors and the local people about the importance of their rich natural heritage. As well as the above, we support a variety of charities and projects worldwide which support vulnerable communities and habitats including Friends of Conservation, Hope Worldwide and Send A Cow. We are also actively engaged with UK travel industry bodies which promote best practice in responsible tourism, such as Tourism Concern, The Travel Foundation and AITO. Our commitment to responsible tourism is not limited to our overseas operation and we have measures to ensure our UK office operates according to our responsible tourism policy. Carbon offsets for all flights booked with us are included in the tour cost. |
Tourism can be good and bad for destinations & local people. We carefully screen every holiday against our criteria for responsible travel. 'Look behind the brochure' to find how each holiday makes a difference (see left). We don't claim to be perfect - there is no global accreditation - but we've led the way since 2001 and screened 1000's of holidays. We invite every traveller to write a review about their experiences and responsible tourism. This valuable feedback is sent to the people who run the holidays. We keep a very close eye on it and take off holidays that don't live up to our standards. |