On this trip will you explore the beautiful Toledo District of Belize with its strong Maya culture.  You will start your trip with a stay at Big Falls Lodge situated on the banks of the Rio Grande River with almost a mile of river frontage. The trip includes a tour of the Lubaantun Site and a visit a Mayan instrument maker where you can take a tour of his workshop. One afternoon you will swim in the waterfall of Rio Blanco Park. Another day you will visit the island of Punta Gorda and take a boat ride to the Port of Honduras Marine Reserve for snorkeling and fishing. You will also take an idyllic tour through some of the most beautiful of Toledo's offshore cayes.

 Day 1: Arrive & fly to Punta Gorda – Overnight Lodge at Big Falls
Your guide will meet you at Belize International Airport and give you a welcome packet and flight tickets to Punta Gorda.  Once in Punta Gorda you are off the beaten track and in the beautiful Toledo District with its strong Maya culture. You’ll arrive at the Lodge at Big Falls in time for cocktails and orientation. Afterwards, you will dine in the softly lit ambience of the Lodge’s restaurant. The Lodge at Big Falls is situated on the banks of the Rio Grande River with almost a mile of river frontage. There are views towards the Maya Mountains to the north while the south bank faces the village of Big Falls. However, there are no "big falls" in Big Falls. This is just the name of the village! Dinner included.  


Day 2: Tour of Lubaantun Site, Visit Mayan Harpest & Rio Blanco Park

After breakfast, you have an option of beginning your day with an early morning guided bird walk along the river bank and through the orchard and meadows around the Lodge. After breakfast we will visit the home of Mr. Florencio Mes, a Mayan harpist and instrument maker.  We will visit his workshop, hear him play and tour his kitchen garden.


Then, we will leave for the Maya site of Lubantuun. This site is believed to have been a religious, political, and commercial center, mainly used for occasional festivals, ball games, and other sacred ceremonies. Obsidian, from the Guatemalan highlands, has been found here along with the bones of deep water marine animals, signifying trade. Musical instruments, including many carved whistles have also been uncovered. It is the largest site in southern Belize consisting of 11 structures and 3 ball courts around 5 main plazas.
All of the plazas are surrounded by large mounds that are faced with the finest masonry work found in the Maya world, and unique to this site. One must remember that the Maya had only primitive tools, generally using harder stones to work this soft material. Other than clearing the bush, no restoration work has been done here, so you will see the mounds as the Maya left them. The walls of dressed stones have been moved around some, by earthquakes and large tree roots--making the name Fallen Stones seem appropriate.  

Visitors may wander freely about the site. The chance of finding yourself alone among the ancient monuments is common. The serenity and ambience is overwhelming. Massive stone structures are covered with bright green moss, with protruding vines from the tiny crevices. Cool breezes rustle through the huge canopies of the tree tops; birds and insects provide a natural music unique to tropical rainforests.

Next, we will next visit Rio Blanco National Park and explore the natural history of the riverside with a local Mayan guide. Here in the park we will have a picnic lunch. Bring your swim suit to swim beneath the waterfall!  Breakfast, lunch and dinner included.

Day 3: Transfer to Punta Gorda and boat ride to the Port of Honduras Marine Reserve for Snorkeling and Fishing

After breakfast, we wil take a twenty minute drive into Punta Gorda on the coast. From here we will transfer to a motor boat to begin an idyllic tour through some of the most beautiful of Toledo's offshore cayes. The Port Honduras Marine Reserve is one of the newest conservation areas in Belize and you will visit the ranger station on tiny Abalone Caye.  Climb the observation tower for a magnificent view of the Bay of Honduras and its many emerald cayes. As you make your way out to the Snake  Cayes, keep your eyes open for Manatee, Dolphins, Magnificent Frigate Birds and Brown Boobies.  You will snorkel, swim and lunch on West Snake Caye renowned for its crystal clear, turquoise waters.  In the afternoon, once outside the Marine Reserve, your guide will undoubtedly suggest a bit of fishing on the way home.  People in Toledo love to fish and these are, after all, some of the best fishing grounds in the Caribbean. You may catch your own dinner of snapper, barracuda, grouper or kingfish.  You may, however, choose to let others do the work and just lie back and enjoy the late afternoon breeze over the water. Breakfast, lunch and dinner included.

Day 4: Blue Creek River Cave Exploration and Visit Maya community

We will depart after breakfast and drive thirteen miles to Blue Creek Village. Here you will spend the day with very experienced local guides with a deep knowledge of rainforest medicinal plants and of the caves system in the hills and mountainsides around Blue Creek. Blue Creek is a Mopan and Kekchi village of about 270 people. The community borders both sides of Blue Creek, a beautiful, clear stream emerging from the surrounding thick jungle. Upstream of the bridge is a wide blue-green pool. The reflection of the thick jungle rainforest, which lines both sides, is clearly visible in the surface of the creek. A wooden platform is built out over the creek. Tied to the branch of a large tree is a thick rope used to swing from the high bank into the blue-green pool. Large schools of fish and river otters live in the creek.

One of the most impressive natural sites in Toledo is the Cave at Blue Creek. The cave is a 20 minute hike from the village. Long vines hang from the sheer rock wall above the cave mouth. The creek runs out the entrance of the cave, cascading over boulders, under the towering shadows of the surrounding rainforest. Archaeologists have found many Late Classic ceramics and an altar inside the cave, leading them to theorize that the Hokeb Ha cave was used specifically for ceremonial purposes. You may want to hike through a dry cave higher up in the mountainside, explore a medicinal plant trail or visit your Mayan guide’s home and learn how to grind corn and make tortillas. For the very energetic there is also the option of climbing the steep side of the valley to the peak where you have magnificent views of the forest between Blue Creek and the coast 20 miles away.  Breakfast, lunch and dinner included.

Day 5: Fly to Belize City International Airport for Connection
After breakfast, you wil be transferred to the airstrip for your flight to Belize International Airport.