Belize Itinerary - Comments wanted!

Old Apr 5th, 2010, 06:23 PM
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Belize Itinerary - Comments wanted!

Hey all
My fiance and I are traveling to Belize for our honeymoon from August 16-26 this year. We've come up with an itinerary and are looking for comments on it. Thanks a lot!
Here it is:

August 15 :
Fly to Belize

August 16:
Arrive at approximately 10am in Belize City. Travel to Ambergris Caye. Check in to Matachica.

August 17:
Bike around the island, explore.

August 18:
Take a boat trip to Hol Chan Marine Reserve & shark-ray alley for snorkeling.

August 19:
I'll be doing a 1/2 day scuba trip while my fiance/wife at that point will do a facial/massage.
In the afternoon we're deciding between kayaking, helicopter tour, or fishing. (Does anyone know if there is shore fishing?)

August 20:
Travel to the Cayo, San Ignacio. Check into DuPlooy's Lodge.

August 21:
Take a trip to the Caracol site.

August 22:
ATM cave tour.

August 23:
Repelling down the Black Hole Drop.

August 24:
Travel to Guatemala and visit the Tikal ruins.

August 25:
Cave tubing and ziplining

August 26:
Back to Belize City and come home!

Any comments, anything that looks off or something that we're missing??
Thanks a lot in advance!
craigorymaas is offline  
Old Apr 5th, 2010, 07:44 PM
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Congratulations! For what it's worth, here are a few notes:
:: I like to do the jungle part first and finish on the water.

:: Can DuPlooy's arrange all those tours for you? It used to be you could really only do the Black Hole Drop if you were staying at Caves Branch.

:: Tikal is really amazing as an overnight when you get to explore the ruins and the jungle during the cooler evening and early morning hours when the wildlife is active and you practically have the place to yourselves.

:: I think you're trying to pack in too much; you have major activities every single day and almost no time to just relax and take in the laid back vibe that Belize is famous for.

Good luck and keep us posted!
hopefulist is offline  
Old Apr 6th, 2010, 04:38 AM
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Looks great to me and you've picked two great places to stay. Your itinerary is fine. Book the zip line/cave tubing for Aug 20 en route from MC to duPlooysand book soemthing else for Aug 25. You can fish from any of the docks, but of course, much better in a boat with a great guide.
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Old Apr 7th, 2010, 04:59 AM
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We have always hired a guide to go fly fishing. The flats are not really walkable as they are very soft. If you are talking about spincasting than I suppose it is possible but it might be difficult. I would hire a guide if you want to go fishing.
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Old Apr 7th, 2010, 07:00 AM
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Another vote for hiring a guide. They can put you on to the bonefish which are hard to pick out at first (also at later, in my case). If you have your own gear, either fly or light spinning, I'd bring it down. I would recommend bringing both unless you are a strong fly caster -- the breeze can be pretty powerful on the flats.
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Old Apr 7th, 2010, 12:02 PM
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Here's the deal with fishing -
I'd like to go and think it would be a blast, but it's not a must. We don't have any gear and we would definitely need to do shore to fight off my fiance's seasickness. Is it worth it to go? Are guides pretty expensive?
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Old Apr 7th, 2010, 05:50 PM
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We just returned from our first visit to Belize and spent time in Placencia and in the Pine Ridge Forest (near San Ignacio). The Hidden Valley Inn in the Pine Ridge Forest was the highlight of our trip. The guides, rooms, service and food were spectacular. We did excursions to: Caracol (fabulous), Barton Creek Cave Canoeing, Rio on Pools, and also hiked on the 7000+ acres reserved for guests of the 12 room Hidden Valley Inn. We had rooms 7 & 8 which in my view were the best on the property since they had a screened in porch with hammock and a lovely outdoor shower. HVI is definitely the most convenient location to visit Caracol, but I think a location in San Ignacio would be easier for ATM. Enjoy!
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Old Apr 8th, 2010, 05:33 AM
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craig-You didn't say what sort of fishing you were interested in but since you don't have your own gear I am going to assume it wasn't fly fishing. If you were thinking of going reef fishing then yes the boat can be very very rough as you are fishing in the area where the waves are breaking at the reef. If you were thinking of going fishing on the flats then seasickness would not be an issue. But, if you have never fly fished I don't know that I would recommend starting off on the flats in Belize. Again I don't know how easy it would be to fish from shore and if you don't have your own gear you would need to find a place to rent it. I do not know if there are places to rent it from but if you have a guide than they usually have some gear you can use. Guides run about $350/400 but again, that is in a boat.
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Old Jul 14th, 2010, 07:33 AM
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We traveled to Belize last year with another couple, and did hire a guide for a half day snorkel and fishing trip. The guys did most of the fishing, while the gals lounged on the boat I do get seasick and was also pregnant at the time, but I don't recall that being a significant issue. I believe our guide was about $300, and that included lunch (he cooked what we caught!).
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Old Jul 14th, 2010, 09:25 AM
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I think your itinerary looks great. I'm like hopeful though; I like to do jungly sweaty things first and end up relaxing on the beach. Congrats on your wedding! Wild Mango's is a good place to eat on Ambergris. The woman who owns it is the former chef at Victoria House, but it's a cute casual place on the beach. Ambergris is gorgeous.
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Old Jul 14th, 2010, 05:22 PM
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Another vote for jungle first then the beach. Congratulations & enjoy!!
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Old Jul 17th, 2010, 06:33 PM
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We stayed at Matachica in May. Let me know if you have any specific questions about it. Don't forget that the Rojo Lounge is right next door and you can pop over there during the day for a cheap Belikin and homemade ice cream!
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Old Jul 19th, 2010, 09:57 AM
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Thank you so much for all the replies, I will be sure to update this after we return from our trip.
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