After three planes and a long overnight in Minneapolis, I was so excited to finally set foot in Belize and fulfill my dream of taking my partner, Luke, on his first international trip ever!

Upon arrival to Belize we were whisked away by our guide, Mike, to grab lunch since we were starving from the journey. As a person with a genuine love of …

The howler monkeys served as our alarm clock in Belize and ordered us awake around 5:00 AM. It was lucky we had to be up early for our excursion!After breakfast, a hot cup of coffee, and a quick briefing from our guide Lenny, we were off to the ATM cave. As I quickly learned, close toes shoes are a must for the cave and clothing that does not …

Before traveling to Belize, Luke spent a semester studying Mesoamerican prehistory, so visiting Tikal and getting a chance to be immersed in its history was the chance of a lifetime.



Early in the morning we hopped in our Pook’s Hill van (with passports in hand) to begin the hour and a half drive to the Guatemalan border. At the border we …

As we neared the middle of the city, the massive Temple of the Great Jaguar looms out of the top of the trees. This impressive structure was built as the burial monument to one of Tikal’s greatest rulers; Lord Chocolate. Immediately across from this gigantic pyramid is the Temple of the Masks, the burial monument of Lord Chocolate’s …

There are so many amazing excursions offered by Pook’s Hill that we struggled to pick just 4 during our stay. In an effort to keep a balance between caves, ruins, and nature we chose to add ziplining in addition to our cavetubing day. We figured what could be better than flying above the canopy? We were not disappointed! …

On our last day we headed up the long bumpy road to the Mountain Pine Ridge Reserve to check out the Thousand-Foot Falls and the Big Rock Pool. The viewing area at the falls offers a breathtaking perspective of the valley, and the pink orchids growing up and down the falls are truly gorgeous. …