Day 1 Arrive at Crooked Tree Village
Arrive at the Belize International Airport and meet your guide. Transfer to the Bird's Eye View Lodge in the Crooked Tree Wildlife Sanctuary and check in to your room. Enjoy some time getting to know your fellow travelers and enjoy dinner. If time permits, explore Crooked Tree Village, one of Belize’s oldest Creole settlements. The Crooked Tree Wildlife Sanctuary, with its swamps, wetlands and four lagoons, provides an ideal resting place for thousands of migrating and
resident birds.
Day 2 Lighthouse Reef Atoll
Enjoy a steaming mug of coffee at sunrise and, with binoculars in hand, watch as the surrounding wilderness and hundreds of birds wake for their day. After a healthy Belizean breakfast, embark by boat to explore the area. Throughout the sanctuary, hope to view iguana, turtle, parrot, ibis, and Morlet’s crocodile.
Later in the morning, drive along the old Belize Road to the sea, and meet a motorized charter which takes you through white sand caves and mangrove ranges, past the main Barrier Reef to Lighthouse Reef Atoll. Upon reaching Half Moon Caye, settle in to your new island setting and enjoy a late lunch before heading out for an afternoon snorkel or kayak around Half Moon Caye.
Day 3-5 Activities at Lighthouse Reef Atoll
- Campsite
- 3 Breakfasts, 3 Lunches, 3 Dinners
Due to its isolation from the mainland, the waters of Lighthouse Reef Atoll are exceptionally clear with inspiring scenery and a fabulously rich reef system which offers some of the best kayaking, snorkeling, and diving in the Caribbean. To begin, the guides provide instruction; teaching the fundamentals of sea kayaking, snorkeling, and safety in the tropics.
Over the course of several days, explore the area. Visit the Ermlund, a shipwreck that looms just north of the caye and wrecked in 1971. This 4000-ton wreck sits silently as a landmark, and is one of many shipwrecks in the area that serve as constant reminders of the hazards of navigating these waters. Another day, visit the renowned Great Blue Hole with a motor-supported kayak sailing excursion. Take the chance to learn from your guides about the marine reef ecology and the island’s mangrove habitat that spreads over the park’s 45 acres. Many species of birds nest on the island, including a 4,000 strong red-footed booby colony for which the Audubon Society has built a series of viewing platforms to intimately observe the many nesting sites.
Day 6 The Aquarium
Pack a hearty lunch and your snorkel gear in your kayak, then paddle to the Aquarium, a fantastic dive spot known for its abundance of fish and towering coral formations. Spend the day exploring before returning home, stopping at the Half Moon Wall for a spectacular drift snorkel over the undersea cliff of the atoll.
Day 7 Long Caye
In the morning, take out a kayak and paddle along the protected waters of the Southern Reef to Long Caye. Stop to snorkel some of the atoll's best patch reefs and return to the camp just in time for dinner: a wonderful seafood medley.
Day 8 Depart Lighthouse Reef
- Hotel
- 1 Breakfast, 1 Lunch
The choice is yours for your last morning at Lighthouse Reef. Snorkel your favorite patch reefs, walk the island trails, swing in a hammock or beachcomb along the immaculate island beaches. After lunch a motor charter arrives, and you’ll begin to prepare for your trip back to the mainland. This return journey takes you through Turneffe atoll across the Great Barrier Reef, and you’ll arrive at the Belize Biltmore Hotel usually by late afternoon. You can enjoy a fresh shower and swim in the hotel’s pool. Your final evening is reserved for relaxing at the hotel or exploring the local area.
Day 9 Return home
Head to the airport for departure back home.