My husband Aaron (also a fellow Adventure Lifer) and I had not been on a husband/wife-only vacation since our trip to Mexico two years earlier and I was SOOO excited. We flew from Missoula to Minneapolis and dropped our daughter off with the grandparents and then flew to Dallas, and a quick little jump to Belize City. It was literally a five-minute wait through customs at the tiny Belize airport and we promptly found our driver, Mike, waiting for us just outside the terminal. Mike was delightful. He was as quick to smile as he was to share with us his knowledge of the area. As we drove, the landscape quickly changed from lush flat fields, to dense rainforest as we made our way to the foothills of the Maya Mountains. Aaron and I were staying at Pook's Hill; it was roughly an hour and a half drive until Mike turned off the highway onto a small village road that would eventually take us to Pook's. A number of Pook's staff come from this local village, including Mike. He had a friendly wave to offer people as we drove through the village. "There's the tourist tree," Mike laughed just as we entered the lodge and pointed to a tall tree with red bark that was peeling from the trunk (otherwise known as the Gumbo Limbo). Aaron sheepishly smiled -- with Irish grandparents, he has a lot of experience with redness and peeling.
We were greeted by Vicki Snadden and her husband Ray, owners of Pook's Hill. I liked them immediately. Vicki showed us around the grounds while Mike brought our bags to our cabana. (Aaron and I were able to pack in just two backpack -- this included our snorkeling gear for the Cayes and our camera gear. I highly recommend you pack light; it makes for very efficient and easy travel.) We visited the iguana rescue project on the grounds, and cooled off with a drink at the lounge and watched humming birds breeze by. With some time before dinner, we walked the nearby paths into the surrounding jungle and tried our luck at a little bird watching. I even had time for a well-desired nap while Aaron photographed the grounds.
That evening we had dinner with Vicki and Ray and other guests of the lodge. Being a vegetarian, I am always prepared to live on bread and butter, but Pook's did an excellent job offering dishes for all diners. The food was great and served home-style. It made for easy conversation and a charming atmosphere. That evening we were also introduced to our guide, Ben. Ben and Aaron share the same sense of humor, extremely dry, and -- gullible as I am -- I knew I was in for it. By the end of our time with Ben I was finally on to him, but not before I fell for many erroneous "facts" and sly sarcasm. For example: there is no such thing as a double-billed toucan, no matter what Ben may tell you (Yes, I fell for this). I'll get you yet Ben Cruz! Ben would turn out to be a phenomenal guide and friend. That night, Ben gave us a briefing on tomorrow's tour of the Actun Tunichil Cave.
We also shared dinner that night with a group of archaeologists, headed by Christophe Helmke. They were an interesting and smart grouping of Germans, French, Australians and I believe an Englishman or two. They had been working on a dig in the middle of the grounds at Pook's -- an ancient Maya sweatbath, extremely rare and extremely fascinating. Earlier that day the archaeologists let Aaron and I poke our heads in on the dig. I was a little awestruck and could offer nothing better than to comment, "Wow, this is so amazing." Well, it was amazing.
The trip was not only memorable for the amount of animals we saw but also for the people and accommodations at the two camps where we stayed. Our first guide, BK, was a wealth of information about the animals, landscape and down to the plants and what they were used for. Everyday out was a learning experience with him. All the people at the camps were gracious and the food was excellent.
Our second camp in the Okavanga was just as good as the first as far as the staff, accommodations, food and animals. After our experience at the first camp we amazed that the high quality remained the same. Our guide, G, made sure we were able to enjoy every experience including a rush through the bush to witness a cheetah and an ensuing hunt that he heard over his radio.
In both camps there were enough guides out that if they saw something the other guides were informed which helped in seeing as much as possible. It was also nice that the concessions were large enough that we did not have vehicles following each other throughout the day.
Normally there is always something in a trip of this length that we think could be improved upon but this is the rare case where we cannot think of anything. From the time we left the States to when we returned it was one of the most hassle free vacations we took.
Perhaps emphasizing the use of the laundry facilities at the camps would be useful because of the luggage restrictions would be the only thing I can think of as an improvement to future clients.
Kenneth Dropek
2 days ago
Mary was so pleasant and professional. She made sure all of our questions were answered.