Compare Rainforest & Reef Explorer by Island Expeditions vs Belize: See & Experience it ALL in 10 Days, 1st Class Custom Tours by Charlie The Traveler
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Trip |
5 | Excellent
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5 | Excellent
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Duration | 6 days | 10 days |
Price From | $ 1,249 | $ 2,856 |
Price Per Day | $ 208 | $ 286 |
Highlights |
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Trip Style | Group tour | Private guided tour |
Lodging Level | Premium | Luxury |
Physical Level |
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Travel Themes |
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Countries Visited | ||
Cities and Attractions |
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Flights & Transport | Ground transport included | Ground transport included |
Activities |
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Meals Included | N/A |
Lunches are included specifically on days 2, 4, 6, 8 and 9. Breakfasts and dinners are not included. We do our best to ensure you are being offered healthy and tasty local cuisine. |
Description |
Enjoy comfortable lodging and first class service at Bocawina Rainforest Resort in the middle of a pristine National Park, and then off to Tobacco Caye Paradise Lodge with 6 private cabins each with their own deck over the crystal clear waters of the South Water Caye Marine Reserve. |
You absolutely will not find another tour out there as packed with activities and attractions as this one, provided by CharlieTheTraveler. You will also not find another tour out there that offers it all ""FIRST CLASS,"" yet for a relatively low price. We have thousands of travelers taking this specific tour every year and that's because no competitor can beat us on quality, price and substance. Below are just some examples of what you will see and do on this tour:
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Days: 1-3
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner
Stay: Bocawina Rainforest Resort
You will be met in Dangriga and transported to your eco-resort in the Southern Maya Mountains. Once you arrive, you'll get a welcome drink, meet your fellow guests and then choose your guided activities for your next two days of adventure in the rainforest.
Bocawina Rainforest Resort combines all the amenities of a rainforest eco-resort with bright comfortable rooms and private bathrooms, yet still off the grid. This unique resort is located in the Southern Maya Mountains within a 7000 acre Mayflower Bocawina National Park adjacent to the world famous 100,000 acre Cockscomb Jaguar Reserve. Bocawina offers you everything right at your doorstep. Experience Belize’s longest zip line adventure plus the only waterfall rappelling in the country. Explore on your own and hike to five different waterfalls and unexcavated Mayan ruins
Included In The Rainforest
- 3 nights in a Mayan room
- Welcome drink & meal plan (3 days)
- Free wi-fi access
- Choice of 2 guided activities/excursions – select from a list which includes ziplining, waterfall rappelling, bird watching, hiking & more!
- Unlimited trail and rainforest hiking
- Round trip ground transfer from Dangriga to Bocawina Rainforest Resort
Days: 4-6
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner
Stay: Tobacco Caye Paradise Lodge
Enjoy your last morning in the rainforest, then travel by van/boat to your next destination – Tobacco Caye! Settle into your over-the-water cabana…and let the next few days unfold as you wish. Snorkel, SUP or kayak along the reef. Relax with a refreshing drink in the hammock on your deck.
Ready to live on the water's edge? Tobacco Caye is a refreshing yet rustic experience unlike any other in Belize. Perched right on the Barrier Reef you'll find a 6 cabin lodge with everything you need, where you can relax in a hammock right on your own private deck overlooking the warm turquoise tropical seas. Simple living surrounded by tropical fish and exotic birdlife, Tobacco Caye is a gorgeous island covered with palm trees and white coral sand. This five acre caye, is one of the most popular destinations in the South Water Caye Marine Reserve. A wonderland for snorkelers and paddlers.
Included On The Reef:
- 3 nights in an over-the-water cabana
- All meals
- World class walk-in snorkeling from the beach
- Unlimited use of sea kayaks, snorkel sets & SUPs
- Round trip boat transfer from Dangriga to Tobacco Caye Paradise
- Fishing, scuba diving & other guided activities can be arranged for an additional fee
Day 1: An Island Where the Singer Madonna Fell in Love
Our tour starts on the island of Ambergris Caye. It can be reached from the capital Belize City via a 1.5-hour boat ride or a very short and cheap flight. We pick up most customers from the airport in Belize City. Some customers prefer being picked up at the airport in Ambergris Caye. It's your choice. Ambergris Caye is commonly referred to as ‘Isla Bonita’ (beautiful island) thanks to the singer Madonna, who made reference to this island and its turquoise seascapes in a 1987 hit. We explore the island with a tour guide/golf cart driver.
Day 2: A Great Blue Hole & a ‘Secret Beach’
Today we make a daytrip to the Great Blue Hole by boat.
In 2012, the Discovery Channel ranked the Great Blue Hole as number 1 on its list of ‘The 10 Most Amazing Places on Earth’. This giant marine sinkhole is a part of the larger Belize Barrier Reef Reserve System, which is a World Heritage Site of the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO).
*Note that in the event the boat company cancels the tour to the Great Blue Hole, which happens on occasion due to bad weather, we would offer you a suitable alternative for the day. A popular option is a visit to Secret Beach, which is about a 45-minute drive away from downtown. Alternatively, if a plane ride over the Great Blue Hole is available and if you are interested in that, we could offer it to you at an upcharge. Included with this upcharge is a visit to Secret Beach.
Day 3: Swimming with Sharks & Stingrays, Feeding Tarpons & Entering ‘The Split’
Today we make a daytrip via a quick boat ride (4 miles/6.4 kilometers) to the Hol Chan Marine Reserve and later a boat ride to Caye Caulker.
Hol Chan Marine Reserve gives us the opportunity to swim with sharks and stingrays. These creatures have a great tolerance for snorkelers and look forward to being fed scraps of food. Caye Caulker measures about 5 miles (8 kilometers) north to south by less than 1 mile (1.6 kilometers) east to west. There are only 3 roads in town, all of which are sandy. Despite its size, there are over 50 hotels and a number of restaurants and shops. Caye Caulker is especially popular with backpackers. The highlights of our visit there are a tarpon handfeeding center and a beach called ‘The Split’. Our boat ride back to Ambergris Caye takes about 30 minutes.
Day 4: An Archaeological Site Occupied up to the 17th Century
Today we take a boat ride from Ambergris Caye to Belize City, only to check into our room and then immediately drive to a Mesoamerican archaeological site called Lamanai. We return to Belize City in the evening. Lamanai was once a major city of the Maya (indigenous) civilization. Lamanai is renowned for its exceptionally long occupation spanning three millennia. It continued to be occupied up to the 17th century AD.
Day 5: Cave Tubing, a Breathtaking Peninsula & 175 Animals in a Natural Habitat
Today we relocate to Placencia Peninsula’s main village. En route, we first visit the Belize Zoo. It is home to more than 175 animals of about 48 species, all native to Belize. The natural environment is left entirely intact within the zoo, with the animals living in their natural habitat. Next, we head to the Nohoch Cheʼen caves. There we go tubing. It is quite an adventurous experience. Before arriving in Placencia Village, we pass by Maya Beach and the beach in Seine Bight village.
Day 6: The Best Place in Belize to Go Snorkeling
Today we make a daytrip to the Silk Cayes Marine Reserve. It contains some of the healthiest parts of the country's reef system due to its elevation and good water quality. This is the best place in Belize to go snorkeling! Note that the Gladden Spit is included on today's tour only during whale season, which is usually March through June. A trip to Silk Cayes, however, is offered year-around.
Day 7: Canoeing Inside a Cave & an Ancient Ceremonial Center Bordering Guatemala
Today we relocate to the small town of San Ignacio. This is where we are based for the remainder of our trip. Nonetheless, there are some worthwhile stops en route. The first attraction this morning is the Sleeping Giant Rainforest. There we are provided with a guided tour to the top of the mountain, where a beautiful viewpoint awaits us. Next, we head to Barton Creek. There we are provided with a guided canoeing tour inside a cave. The final stop before reaching San Ignacio is an archaeological site called Xunantunich. It is located a mere 0.6 miles (1 kilometer) away from Guatemala. Xunantunich served as a Maya civic ceremonial center in the late and terminal classic periods. The first modern explorations of the site were conducted in the mid-1890s.
Day 8: A ‘Natural Museum’ Home to Ancient Skeletons, Ceramics & Stoneware
Today we make a daytrip to the Actun Tunichil Muknal (a.k.a. ATM) cave. There we climb, crawl and get wet as we check out ancient skeletons, ceramics and stoneware. Serving as an archaeological site and often called a ‘natural museum’ because of its fascinating limestone formations, the ATM cave is one of Belize’s top 2 most popular tourist destinations.
Day 9: Swimming Under Waterfalls & the Country’s Finest Archaeological Site
We make a daytrip first to Rio Frio Cave. There we see stalagmites and stalactites. Next, we head to an archaeological site called Caracol. It was once one of the most important regional political centers of the Maya lowlands during the classic period. After our guided tour there we have lunch, which is included on today’s tour. Lastly for today, we head to Big Rock Falls. There we have plenty of time to go swimming.
Day 10: Our Tour Ends This Morning
Transportation will be arranged for you to reach the airport in Belize City.