Belize Beach and Wildlife in 7 Days

Exploring Belize in 7 days

The following is a suggested itinerary if you have never been to Belize and want to see it all. You are going to cover a lot of ground, but we suggest minimal moving about. This can be customizable if you want to stay only beach, or only jungle. I suggest you see both. You will need to fly into Belize City, the old capital, and start from there. If you intend to see the Blue Hole, it is easiest from Belize City. Else, upon arrival, it is a drive into the jungles or a flight to the beaches. My suggestion for effortless transfers and transportation, guides etc, use SabreWing.

Day 1 Belize City - Arrival Day

Arrival Day - Belize City. This is the original capital for Belize. The capital has now moved to Belmopan, a direct result of the devastation of Hurricane Hattie in 1970. We chose to stay in Belize City one night, so that we could take the 1-hour flight over the Blue Hole. Flight schedules had us come in too late to do all this upon arrival. To make this stay enjoyable, stay at the Black Orchid Resort This is a small but lovely resort and a very safe and tropical place to stay. Take advantage of some of the services they offer. We took the sunset river boat cruise with them and it was lovely! It was tranquil and yet we saw crocodiles, monkeys, bats and some beautiful birds. We had dinner at the resort.

Day 2 Tour Belize City and Blue Hole

Have a transfer arranged to pick you up and take you on a Belize City Tour. The flight for the Blue Hole isn't until noon. This tour can be arranged through the hotel. It is fascinating to see the history and hear the stories of Belize City. Visit the Belize Museum. It was formerly a prison during the colonial era, and it is a showcase of the rich history of the country. The Belize Museum includes exhibits on the ancient Maya, the British colonial era, and the various ethnic and cultural groups that make up modern Belize’s thriving melting pot society.

TIP: Sadly, this isn't the safest place any longer, so take a guided trip and be aware of your surroundings. Have your guide recommend and take you to a local place for lunch.

Off to the municipal airport for the 1-hour flying tour of the Blue Hole. You can snorkel, dive, boat around and flyover this wonder. We chose the flight as we thought it would be best for pictures (and we are not avid divers). Seeing this Caribbean "sinkhole" was absolutely amazing! The colors of the water and the shear magnitude of the Blue Hole will take your breath away.

Now, off to the Sleeping Giant Rainforest Lodge. Have a transfer arranged to pick you up at the airport and drive you to the jungle. This is about a 2-hour drive. The Sleeping Giant Rainforest Lodge is a luxury nature resort nestled in the foothills of the Maya Mountains along the banks of the Sibun River, just off the Hummingbird Highway. This resort has a restaurant on site, many activities to choose from, hanging bridges to climb and a very nice pool. They have "the nest" which is almost like a treehouse with great views (you need to pay extra and reserve). They also have "The Cliff" which you can reserve and we did this for dinner one night - so worth it!

We arrived and settled in and it was basically dinner time. After a very nice dinner at the resort, we took advantage of one of their night walking tours to spot the nocturnal wildlife.

Day 3 Culture Day - off to Maya Culture Center, Barton Creek Cave and Butterflies

After breakfast at the lodge, off we go for our cultural adventures. Today, we will go to the San Antonio Village, Barton Creek Cave and Green Hills butterfly farm! Begin with a visit to the Maya Village of San Antonio and their Women’s Cooperative for a discussion of this Maya group’s cultural traditions and present-day practices. Try your hand at grinding corn with stone to make tortillas the traditional way on an open hearth and then head to their pottery workshop for a lesson in traditional pot molding. Meanwhile, your local Maya chef creates an authentic Maya meal, which you will enjoy for lunch.

Next, we leave the paved roads for a steep and bumpy descent into the Barton Creek River Valley, which will bring you to the entrance of the Barton Creek Cave. Here, you will board a canoe with your guide and paddle into the cave to explore and see the beautiful formations and Maya artifacts.

End the day tour with the visit to Green Hills Butterfly farm, with it's impressive butterfly collection, and the overwhelming amount of hummingbird species that frequent the feeders. I did love seeing all the stages of the butterflies and holding them. But, to be honest, the hummingbirds stole the show. So many!!

Day 4 Mayan Ruins - Xunantunich Maya Site and more

This morning we head west and visit San Ignacio town where you will learn to make chocolate the traditional way with a bean-to-bar chocolate making demonstration at Ajaw chocolate. After this, you will visit the Green Iguana Hatching Program to learn about the life-cycle of these fascinating creatures and even handle the bright green babies.

In the afternoon, tour the famous archaeological site of Xunantunich, a lovely Maya site with several large structures and temples including the imposing “El Castillo,” a tall temple that rises above the trees offering panoramic views of western Belize and Guatemala, which is nearby. Have your camera ready!

TIP: Be prepared for how hot it is at the ruin. Bring water, wear sunscreen and a hat.

Day 5 Early morning bird watching and off to the reef!

Wake up early for a 6am bird watching tour. The expert guide points out tropical native birds as well as visiting migrants.

Once you have finished the tour, had breakfast, and checked out, meet your transfer to journey around the mountains and down the coast eventually arriving in Placencia (about 2 hours) to the Orchid Ray Marina to meet your boat out to Ray Caye.

TIP: The boat schedule to Ray Caye is only determined within the week prior to your trip so be aware you need to finalize this at the last minute. Best to have a travel company helping you with this and all the transfers.

From Placencia, it is a smooth one-hour cruise (shared boat transfer) over the shallow waters inside the reef to bring you to your island paradise – keep an eye out for bottle-nosed dolphins in the water and the distinctive peaks of the Cockscomb Basin rising into view back on land behind you! When you arrive at Ray Caye, turquoise seas and a tropical drink greet you as you are shown to your rooms. It is also fun, that the only restaurant, Lionfish Bar and Grill, welcomes you with your name on their board.

Ray Caye is small and absolutely beautiful. This is a haven for all aquatic activies, with the reef at your toes. We stayed in the Island Rooms, which were very nice with great views, or you can stay in your own bungalow. By the time we arrived, it was late afternoon. We settled in a bit, enjoyed our welcome cocktail, and walked a bit before dinner.

Nightime is a lot of fun! There is a long covered pier with hammocks, a slide and a jumping platform. At night, they light up the water under the dock and the ocean comes alive! We saw tarpon and rays and all kinds of fish! It was so much fun to see them, and then we jumped in to snorkel with them.

Day 6 Raye Caye - Let's snorkel with turtles and sharks

We took the time yesterday to go to the Scuba shop to sign up for activities. Today is the turtles and sharks snorkel excursion. We were safely transported to a reef area where there were lots of fish and shrimp and anenomes. After this, we were then taken 5-10 minutes away to a different area where turtles, rays and nurse sharks were everywhere. It was so much fun to snorkel amongst all these creatures. This was about a 3 hour event. Take the rest of the day at leisure. Swim in the ocean on the calm sandy side of Ray Caye or lounge by the pool.

In the evening, make sure to relax while watching the amazing sunsets. They were stunning!

Day 7 Raye Caye - day of rest

Today is the last full day on this beautiful caye. So, take a day of rest and enjoy what is offered. We lounged by the pool and had amazing massages. Play on the swings in the water, snorkel the reef.

Day 8 Wake and begin the journey home

This is the last day in Belize. It is a journey to get home. We arranged an early breakfast and then immediately got on the boat for the 1-hour ride back to Placencia. From there, we were met with our prearranged transfer to go to the Placencia airport to grab the small flight into Belize City. Farewell Belize!

Tips:

Tourism Tips

• Hire guides, or have the travel agency plan this all out for you
• For flights, major tourist attractions, boat ferry to the Cayes - you need tickets in advance.
• You do not need Belize currency, they always accept US dollars or credit cards. The exchange rate is fixed and super easy. $2 Belizean = $1 USD.
• Have patience, service can be slow and that is the norm
• When on Ray Caye, there is no cash exchange. You provide a credit card when you check in and all charges are applied as you go, just like running a tab. We just double-checked the bill upon checkout. Nice to not have to carry a wallet everywhere.
• Bring your own washcloth if that is a bathing preference / bring a small travel fan as hotels do not have A/C like you are used to in the USA
• Bring reef friendly sunscreen and bug spray. You will need it.

Tipping

TIPPING: 10-15% is widely accepted for waiters, tour guides, drivers etc. Meals at hotels, check your bill. Many add a 10% service charge already (to be distributed amongst the staff).