An extraordinary sea kayaking and jungle trip in Belize, packed with adventure and excitement! You'll sea kayak, snorkel, windsurf, climb into the rainforest canopy, explore Maya ruins and ceremonial caves, and descend an incomparable tropical river through canyons and lush rainforest.
Highlights
Discover the Mayan underworld as you venture into the ATM cave
Get a kayaking refresher and spend the next days exploring Glovers Reef
Relax on the beach or choose from optional activities
Spend three days on the Moho River, take on the rapids and camp on the bank
Activities that provide a reasonable level of physical challenge and elevate the heart rate. Focused on more active pursuits including multisport tours. Travelers may be active 5-7 hours total each day. Recommended for travelers with active lifestyles.
Arrive at the Belize International Airport where you will be met by an Island Expeditions representative and transferred to the Tropical Education Center, adjacent to the Belize Zoo. After checking into our accommodations we enjoy a welcome dinner and have a chance to meet our fellow travelers. We are able to experience the surrounding tropical pine savannah habitat through a network of trails and raised wildlife viewing platforms. We also have a unique and exclusive nocturnal tour of the Belize Zoo with one of the senior zookeepers, which helps us understand the diverse ecology of Belize, and is an ideal starting point for the adventure ahead. This day is your day to arrive before the trip starts, meet your fellow travelers and acclimatize to your new tropical environment. Transfers from the airport and lodging are included.
We rise early to start today's extraordinary journey, with a visit to the Actun Tunichil Muknal - the Cave of the Stone Sepulcher. We will travel deep into the Mayan underworld known as Xilbalba (shil-balba), a mythical realm inhabited by spirits and powerful gods, an underworld of untold fears and dreams where Maya shaman, in supposition to the gods, ventured into darkness to conduct their secretive rituals. As we venture underground into the caves, we learn from our guides how the caves played an important role in the ancient Maya civilization and about ongoing archaeological research taking place underground in Belize. After our cave visit, we travel the Hummingbird Route to meet up with our motor charter, on the coast by the town of Dangriga. We head out to Tobacco Caye and arrive at our lodge in time to settle in, have dinner and plan our next two days on the barrier reef.
We rise early for a breakfast on the beach. We then focus on our introduction to sea kayaking and get comfortable with the gear. We start by teaching and reviewing the fundamentals of sea kayaking and introduce everyone to ocean touring techniques. We test our new found skills with a paddle out to the main reef to snorkel along the inner reef wall or patch reefs. Depending on sea conditions, a snorkel along the outside reef edge may be possible. Our paddle back to our camp takes us past mangrove ranges and protected lagoons. Out on the reef, our guides share their knowledge of Belize, the marine environments and local culture.
After breakfast and a morning of paddling and snorkeling, our motor charter returns to take us 20 miles east of the main Barrier Reef to Glovers Reef Atoll, a National Marine Park and designated World Heritage site. We land at park headquarters on Middle Caye, with boats rigged and ready to sail. We sail our kayaks along the eastern reef wall to our base camp at Southwest Caye at the southern end of the atoll, surrounded by rich coral reefs and beautiful turquoise waters. Tonight, we enjoy an island feast of mixed grill of fresh seafood and vegetables topped with Belizean coconut baking and tropical fruits.
Glover's is one of only four atolls in the Caribbean Sea and is truly one of the most spectacular marine environments in Belize. Due to its isolation from the mainland the waters are exceptionally clear with an incredibly rich reef system that offers some of the best kayaking, snorkeling and diving in the Caribbean. Our days are flexible in order to respond to both group and individual desires and abilities. Activities include: sea kayaking, snorkeling the inner and outer walls of the reef, kayak sailing and windsurfing. For those who are certified divers, we can also arrange dives on the outer walls. If all this sounds a little busy, you always have the choice of just kicking back in a hammock and relaxing with a good book and a cold drink.
On the afternoon of Day 6, we transfer back to the mainland and continue south to our jungle lodge in Toledo district of Belize to begin the next leg of our journey. The Lodge at Big Falls is situated on the banks of the Rio Grande River in Belize's southern Toledo District, a region of isolated villages lying amongst an unspoiled tropical wilderness. Our location is superb. The lodge property is located on a meander of the river with almost a mile of river frontage. There are views towards the Maya Mountains to the north west while the south eastern bank faces the small village of Big Falls.
Day 7-9: Into the Jungle
3 Breakfasts, 3 Lunches, 3 Dinners
In the afternoon, we drive further south from Big Falls to our put-in point on the Moho River, stopping for lunch along the way and visiting either the Mayan ruins of Lubaantun or the traditional Maya village of Santa Theresa. Once on the river, our guides provide a brief boat and river orientation and we take as much time as we need to learn and practice our new boat-handling skills, enabling us to safely navigate the rapids and pour-overs. We then begin our journey along one of Belize’s most beautiful rivers through some pristine rainforest to our first river camp.
For these next days we break contact completely with the outside world and become a part of the mist-shrouded rainforest as we follow the Moho River through canyons and lush rainforest. Each bend reveals the dynamic nature of the river-from calm, meandering water that reflects the intense green of the jungle to stretches of rapids, pour-overs and spectacular waterfalls as the river descends from the Maya Mountains to the sea. Depending on water levels, some days we may reach our bush-camp by mid-afternoon and switch to land-based activities. Hiking through the forest, birding, plant and animal identification, and photography are some of the many activities we engage in. During the trip with our Maya guides and North American leaders, we emphasize understanding the ecology of the rainforest, learning about the habits of the wildlife and gaining an appreciation for the rich Mayan folklore which adds so much to our experience in the jungle.
We continue paddling downstream and arrive to the river pull out in the afternoon, where we are transported back to Dangriga and onto a Maya Airways domestic flight to our hotel accommodation to enjoy a hot shower.
Apologies for the inconvenience. Prices for not yet published. Below per person rate based on previous season. Contact us to confirm upcoming season pricing.
Prices for are estimated based on inflation. Contact us to confirm pricing and availability for your desired departure date.
Notes
Select a Date
Please note that because of inclement weather and the risk of hurricanes, we don't offer this Belize trip from June through the end of October. Ask about our other great trips during these months!
Initial deposit is $400, and most travelers will call our office and pay the deposit with a credit card.
Final payment is due 70 days (10 weeks) prior to departure by bank transfer, check or credit card. All final payments by credit card may be subject to a surcharge and maximum of $20,000 charge
Our guide and driver were very good with their knowledge and were very helpful with our questions. It was a very pleasant visit that would have been impossible to do on our own. Hotels and restaurants were fantastic. The special places we got to go to, like the kitchens, were great. Enjoyed the entire trip!
Jess was so helpful in talking me through some of the trip options I'd told her I was interested in, and then also bringing up similar alternatives with more flexible dates. Now that everything is booked I realize all the extra things she figured out for us as well, besides booking the transfers from and to each location, she realized that we wouldn't make it to my desired flight time on three departure date and was able to easily add another day so that even our departure day is stress free!
Wendy
2 months ago
Good candid advice and suggestions; prompt replies.
Ken Johnson
2 months ago
Thoughtful and highly responsive service.
Robert Shwab
4 months ago
The trip planner understood what we wanted to do and see, and found what we hope to be a great match for our interests and style of travel.
Karen
7 months ago
Basically everything. The transfers from lodge to lodge were all timely and smooth (even though we arrived 3 hours late!) with great drivers. The lodges and food were all top notch. The guides were excellent and very knowledgeable about local history and wildlife. Chaa lodge stands out as exceptional. I ended up with an infection leaving Chaa, but they arranged for driver to stop at doctor, and he even got us to a pharmacy for prescription and a great drive to coast.