Kayaking Lighthouse Reef

Arrive at Belize City International Airport and meet your local representative for a private transfer to the Belize Biltmore Plaza, approximately 20 minutes. Check in and get settled into your first night’s stay. Use the evening to rest, explore the hotel, or enjoy a meal at your own pace. Meet your group the following morning in the hotel lobby to begin your adventure.

Please note: “Basecamping” involves sleeping in wall-tented cabanas. These spacious safari-style tents have ample headroom to walk around, are set on raised wooden floors, and feature real wood-framed beds with 6-inch foam mattresses. Tents can be configured with either double or single beds. All bed linen is provided.
 

Meet your representative at 8:30 am in the Biltmore Plaza Hotel lobby. Make a quick stop at a local shop, then board a motorboat for a 56-mile journey, approximately 2 hours, across open water. Cruise past mangrove ranges and white sand cayes en route to Lighthouse Reef Atoll, one of Belize’s most remote island groups. Arrive at Half Moon Caye and receive a guided orientation to the island and your accommodations. After a late lunch, take part in a snorkeling instruction session before heading out for your first swim in the vibrant reef waters.

exceptionally clear, with some of the most abundant fish populations and colorful coral reefs in Belize. This rich ecosystem offers access to some of the best snorkeling in the Caribbean.

There are ample opportunities to learn from expert guides about marine reef ecology, local flora and fauna, and the island’s coconut and littoral forests, vegetation more common to the interior mainland. Half Moon Caye, a beautiful and biodiverse 45-acre nature preserve, hosts a red-footed booby colony and a magnificent frigate bird rookery. Visit the Belize Audubon Society’s viewing platforms to observe active nesting sites throughout the island.

Travel to the world-renowned Great Blue Hole, a massive collapsed sinkhole made famous by ocean explorer Jacques Cousteau. Journey six miles by motorboat or paddle to this perfectly circular formation, surrounded by vibrant soft and hard coral reefs. After a full day of exploration, return in time for a freshly prepared dinner. End the evening with a cultural celebration featuring drumming and dancing to mark the final night at Half Moon Caye.

Due to the remote location of the Lighthouse Reef Basecamp, the activities on the reef portion of this trip are weather-dependent and are subject to change.

On your final morning at Lighthouse Reef Atoll, you have several options. You can snorkel favorite patch reefs, walk scenic island trails, relax in a hammock, or beachcomb along the shore.

After lunch, a motorboat charter departs for the mainland, traveling through Turneffe Atoll and across the Great Barrier Reef. Arrival at the Belize City Biltmore Hotel lobby is typically by late afternoon. Travelers continuing onward should coordinate with trip planners to arrange ground transportation from the boat.

For hotel reservations in Belize City, flight and hotel packages, or to extend a Belize itinerary, contact the Trip Planning team for options, including additional Island Expeditions adventures and extensions.