Back from Belize - Fantastic!
 

Hello Fellow Fodorites,
We recently returned from a 7-day visit to Belize and had a fantastic time. Here's a brief summary:
We decided to go the "turf and surf" route, and are very glad we did. It really felt like 2 very separate and unique trips in one, given the differences in geography, climate, sights and activities. We spent 3 nights in San Ignacio and 4 nights on Ambergris Caye. In the Cayo district, we visited the Mayan ruins of Cahal Pech and Xunantunich, and spent time at the Green Iguana Exhibit (where my wife and I had about 8 of the little green creatures crawling about on our arms, shoulders and head!) and toured the Medicinal Jungle Trail at the San Ignacio Resort Hotel. We also took a tour of the Barton Creek Cave, via canoe and hand-held spotlights to view the incredible cave formations. The weather was a bit cool and rained on and off during our time in San Ignacio. However, the rain, mist and cloudy skies actually added to the already mysterious atmosphere of the ancient Mayan ruins. We took a shuttle to the Municipal Airport, and then a 15-minute flight aboard a 14-seat Caravan Cesna to Ambergris Caye. From the moment we landed, the weather was sunny, clear and hot - perfect for the various activities we engaged in over the next 4 days: Scuba diving at Hol Chan Marine Preserve and the Belize Barrier Reef, snorkeling at Shark-Ray Alley, bike riding along the coast to North Island (a relatively undeveloped area north of San Pedro), kayaking, and taking a speedboat tour along the coast and into an area of mangroves to search for wildlife. We did spot one large iquana sunning himself on a tree, and an enormous termite nest. We also took a sunset cruise aboard an old wooden sailboat. I thank all of you for your feedback and suggestions during the preparation phase of our trip, and welcome any and all questions from those planning a visit to Belize.
Larz

Great, Larz. . .so glad you had a good time. We'll be there in a couple of weeks for a similar itinerary. I have one question:

In the Fodor's Belize guide book, it states that the current at Shark Ray Alley is strong and one needs to be a "better than average" swimmer. Well, that I'm not. I'm a dog paddler and a fair swimmer, although not in great shape for prolonged swimming or swimming requiring an unusual amount of effort or energy. This is an activity I had hoped for us to do. . .any advice or hearsay from your guide or others on the tour?

Thanks for taking the time to share - glad you enjoyed your trip!

Hey, Shillmac, I'm not a strong swimmer either, and have never had trouble at Hol Chan. I suspect that the guides know which way the curents/tides are flowing and guides snorkelers accordingly.

I'm here now, it's lovely weather. See you soon.

jean

That sounds like a great trip. A good combination of activities - the surf and turt. Belize is definitely a place I'm looking to visit in the future! Thanks for sharing!

Thanks, Jean. Obviously, this is a big issue for me since you had already reassured me once! lol

I just have never been really "friends" with deep water, but am brave when the risks are minimal--even with sharks. . .it's more the current I fear!

Keep that weather lookin' good! :)

Sounds like a great trip Larz...we are planning to do the same kind of trip next year. Would you mind sharing
1) where you stayed in both places
2) what "shuttle" you used to get to and from the Cayo area
3) what tours/tour compamies you used for your excursions
Thanks.

Yes...I have been researching for my first trip to Belize and it looks like you have some great info...please provide more information!

Here's my itinerary...lots of detail missing still like ferry or flight to AC (how??) and places to stay, tour companies for the tours, etc..COMMENTS WELCOME!

Day 1 - arrive BZE, rent car, stay at San Ignacio

Day 2 - Tikal tour from San Ignacio

Day 3 - drive to Cockscoomb

Day 4 - Cockscoomb, drive via Manatee to BZE (maybe go on to AC?? Not sure about timing), rtn car

Day 5 - A.C. Dive

Day 6 - A.C. Lamani

Day 7- A.C. Snorkel

Day 8 - A.C. back to BZE, home late.

Let me address your questions:
In the San Ignacio area, we stayed at the Cahal Pech Village Resort, which offers rooms in a main building, or more private thatched cabanas scattered along a hill(check their webpage for photos and info.) The hotel is less than a 10-minute walk to the Cahal Pech ruins. They also provided the shuttle between the International Airport and the hotel (the drive is between 90 minutes and 2 hours, depending on traffic and weather conditions, and the driver of course.)The cost was about $80 for the two of us, each way. The hotel also offers plenty of tours. We took the one to Barton Creek Cave. It's about an hour drive and we spent close to 90 minutes in the cave. (There are quite a few tour companies in the area, offering similar trips.)We did the Cahal Pech ruins and the ruins at Xunantunich on our own. The buses for Xunantunich come every 20 minutes or so, take about 15 minutes to get to the ferry, and cost under $1 each. Once you get to the ferry stop, you take a quick, hand-cranked ferry across the Mopan river. From there, it's about a mile walk. (Some folks took a taxi from San Ignacio directly to the ruins - there's room on the ferry for one or two cars - and had the taxi wait for an hour or two. It was very easy to do independently however, and is much less expensive.)We spent 90 minutes at the ruins, but could have easily spent more time just soaking in the buildings and atmosphere. These ruins are very different from those at Cahal Pech, so I would recommend visiting both if you have the time.
We flew from the Municipal Airport(a small, one-room building really) to San Pedro on Ambergris Caye. It was a quick, scenic flight, and you can arrive at the airport 30 minutes before the flight. (The boarding passes are color-coded depending on the flight, and say, not surprisingly - "Boarding Pass.")
On Ambergris Caye, we stayed at the Blue Tang Inn. The location was excellent - right on the beach, an easy walk into town, and the staff is friendly and helpful.
As for diving and/or snorkeling, there are so many dive operators. Just walk along the beach and you'll spot at least a dozen. They all offer similar snorkel trips to Hol Chan and Shark-Ray Alley. You can just stop in at a few and ask about the morning and afternoon dives they have planned. The trips typically depart at 9am and 2pm.
The day-trip to Lamanai looked very interesting and was extremely tempting, but it sounded like a very, very long day. Guess we'll just have to see it the next time we're in Belize!
Hope this info helps.