Belize Travel - Belize Vacation Packages

Off the Beaten Track

On this trip will you explore the beautiful Cayo area 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 a waterfall at Rio Blanco National Park. You will also visit the tropical island of Placencia. Here you can relax on white sandy beaches and go snorkeling off a Belize reef.

Day 1: Arrival and transfer to Pooks Hill in the Cayo District
Guests are transferred to the Belizean rainforest area in the Cayo District. You'll have time to relax at Pook's Hill Lodge, located in the foothills of the Maya Mountains in the Cayo District of Belize, bordering the Roaring River and Tapir Mountain Nature Reserve. Tapir Mountain Nature Reserve is a 6,800 acre rainforest sanctuary which is home to colorful toucans, butterflies, hummingbirds, howler monkeys and jaguars. The lodge is situated within a 300 acre Private Reserve, on the site of an ancient Maya Plaza with a lawn leading to the river. With its location in the very heart of the country, Pook's Hill is a perfect base to discover the sites and sounds of Belize. You'll stay in a thatched cabanas surrounded by a Maya site and overlooking the forest canopy and creek below. The bar/veranda is ideal for birding or just relaxing in the tranquil setting. (4 Nights) (D)

Day 2: Xunantunich & San Ignacio
Today we’ll take a private guided tour to the famous sites of Xunantunich – situated on the banks of the Mopan River. Xunantunich was a major ceremonial center during the Classic Period. The site is composed of six major plazas and surrounded by more than twenty-five temples and palaces. After the tour, we’ll transfer to the traditional town of San Ignacio. Known locally as "Cayo", San Ignacio is a unique blend of America's Old West and tropical backwater with frontier-like wooden shops on narrow streets. There is time to explore San Ignacio before transferring back to the hotel. (B,L)

Day 3: Barton Creek Cave Adventure
After breakfast we will transfer up towards the Pine Forest Region of Belize to the entrance of Barton Creek Cave. Here we board canoes which are expertly maneuvered by our guide to take us downriver.  Glide through a remote underground water cave system in canoes equipped with powerful spotlights. It is believed that the Maya once used this cave for ritual ceremonies. While canoeing through the cave see large and colorful formations, skeletal remains and other cultural artifacts left behind by the Maya centuries ago. (B, L)

Day 4: Caracol and Mountain Pine Ridge
After breakfast, we'll travel through the scenic Mountain Pine Ridge National Park on your way to the famous Mayan Site at Caracol. After driving through miles of tropical jungle, you suddenly find yourself in a forest of tall, thin pine trees growing out of sandy dirt grasses and wildflowers. The Mountain Pine Ridge ecosystem is found nowhere else in Central America. Here you will find cool air, many birds, and large numbers of butterflies. The area has many sections of white water rivers, waterfalls, and cave systems.

At Caracol we’ll enjoy a private guided tour of this impressive site. Discovered in 1938 by loggers, excavations did not begin until 1950, with most of the work having taken place since 1985. Caracol can truly be described in superlatives: Largest archeological site in Belize - One of the largest in the Maya world - Tallest man-made structure in Belize (Caana) - Most structures, largest area, largest population and most hieroglyphics. On the way back we will enjoy a swim in the beautiful Rio Frio caves and pools. (B, L)

Day 5: Hummingbird Highway-Punta Gorda
Travel along the famous Hummingbird Highway right across Belize and down to the southern coastal area. This is where you really start to get off the beaten track as you arrive in the pristine Toledo District with its strong Maya culture. Arrival at the Lodge at Big Falls in time for cocktails and orientation to the Lodge before you dine in the softly lit ambience of the Lodge’s restaurant. You’ll stay in the Lodge at Big Falls for the next 3 nights. (B,D)

Day 6:  Visit Mayan Harpest and Tour of Lubaantun Site
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 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!  (B, L, D)

Day 7: Blue Creek River CaveExploration and Visit Maya community

After breakfast we’ll 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. 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, into 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 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.  (B, L, D)

Day 8, Placencia

Transfer to Placencia to your beachside hotel. You’ll have the rest of the day free to relax on the beach or book tours locally.  You will stay for the next 4 nights at Robert’s Grove Inn. Nestled on 22 lush acres, the luxurious hacienda-style inn is situated on the finest white sand beach of Placencia. (B)

Day 9: Placencia
Guests will enjoy a day of snorkeling in tropical cayes. Enjoy the crystal clear blue waters of the Caribbean while you are sunbathing, snorkeling and beach combing. Guest will enjoy a break for lunch and relaxing before exploring another snorkeling spot on Belize’s reef and we transfer back to the mainland and to the hotel. (B)

Day 10 & 11: Free Days to Relax
Today you can just relax on the beach, have some spa treatments or we can help to arrange another trip, to inland or sea destinations. (B)

Day 12: Transfer Out
Transfer to Placencia airport for the 40min flight to Belize International Airport in plenty of time for your flight out. (B)