Hello all,
This would be our first trip to
Guatemala/Belize in late
Jan 2008 . We are a family
of 2 adults and 2 kids(2yr & 6yr).
We fly into Guatemala city and
fly out from Belize city back home.
I already have this trip ticketed.

I have driven in NY, DC,Cancun,
Italy(florence),and india. So i
think i can understand the crazy
drivers mentality a bit.

Please advice if it is safe to
drive in the following areas.
1) Guatemala City, Antigua and
vicinity.
2) Belize City to Caracol, ATM etc.

I have an action packed plan with
a mix of fun for the adults and
kids.

The plan is to fly all segments and
drive a rental car if possible to
conserve time.

If there are any segments that
would benefit the engagement of a
tour operator, please recommend.

Listed below is our itinerary.
Would you make any changes? Please
criticize. I am yet to book
hotels/rental car/local air
tickets.

Thanks
Krish
------------------------------------
Day 1 - Arrive at Guatemala City in the afternoon. Get a rental car and head to Panajachel and stay
for the night.

Day 2 - Go to chichicastenango early morning fair. Its a sunday.

Day 3 - No plans as yet. Perhaps
Lake Atitlan??.

Day 4 - Return back to Antigua ( see the ruins which are closed
Sunday/Monday.???).

Day 5 - Antigua to Volcano Pacaya and back (or) Antigua to Tortugal(Tour Rio Dulce) and back.

Day 6 - Leave for Flores-Tikal(6:45,9:55am,17:25 flight options)

Day 7 - Stay in Tikal, leave in the evening for San Pedro(9:45,15:15 - mayaislandair: 9:30, 5pm - tropicair)( Prefer 5pm flight.)

Day 8 - blue hole trip ( I am not
a certified diver, but would like
to do an intro dive. I have
done an intro dive in the past
elsewhere).

Day 9 - beach ( family rests, I
jump into for either a dive or
snorkel).

Day 10 - beach

Day 11 - Leave San Pedro via air
for Belize City municipal airport(Flights every hour from 7am to
5pm). Get a rental car.

Day 12 - Head to Cayo in western
Belize and stay for the night.

Day 13 - Cayo - mayan ruins of xunantunich, green hills butterfly farm, botanical gardens, shopping in San Ignacio.

Day 14 - Actun Tunichil Mukal - caves

Day 15 - Caracol & the mountain pine ridge( enroute visit the waterfalls via frio cave near the macal river). Return back to Belize city in the evening.

Day 16 - Depart Belize City at noon
to get back home.

That is a lot of ground to cover with 2 little ones but the flights will help. I am not a fan of rental cars. IMO they add to the stress and most of the places you're going are right on the tourist track and have easy shuttles and public transportation. In the end you'll save money, too. Here's are some other things to note about your schedule:

It's several hours to Pana which might seem like a lot added to your flights in. I'd catch a shuttle from the airport to Antigua to give the kids a break and arrange a shuttle to take you to Chichi the next morning and Panajachel after.

IMO the Pacaya trip is not safe for young kids or many adults, for that matter. It's possible you could arrange child care if it's important to you, maybe through your lodging.

Driving to Rio Dulce is likely to be at least 5 hours each way, not a day trip and not a great town to visit anyway. The drive there isn't even especially interesting. What's great about that area is the river gorge but you wouldn't have time for that.

You might want to consider heading by shuttle from Tikal to the Cayo area - I enjoy that drive very much and it would save you backtracking. I think you could rent a car to do the things you want in that area and tours and shuttles are readily available.

Another advantage of doing Ambergris last is that it's a quick flight to the international airport. From San Ignacio you'd to get up really early and haul to the airport in order to get there before 10 am.

Not much shopping in San Ignacio, even on market day, but it's an interesting town. Cahal Pech is another ruin that's fun for kids - lots of places to climb around. Check out www.thetrekstop.com - they have a nice butterfly enclosure near Xunantunich and it's one of my favorite places in the area.

ATM cave isn't appropriate for small kids; I'm pretty sure they wouldn't be allowed. You could consider Chechem Ha, though.

Caracol would be an extremely long day in the car and your kids might be "ruined out" by then; you might have to play that one by ear.

The Blue Hole is a fairly advanced dive so not appropriate for an inexperienced diver, let alone an uncertified diver. You might be able to arrange a snorkel trip there, though it would be a very long day and expensive. You could do a "Discover Scuba" course that would include a dive or dives closer to Ambergris and to depths of less than 40'.

At some point you should see the zoo, fairly easily arranged as you're heading from Cayo to Belize City.

Our photos are here if you're interested:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/staceyholeman/collections/

You might want to check out the Belize Forum, too: http://www.belizeforum.com/cgi-bin/ultimatebb.cgi

My best travel advice for anyone is to travel really light - just a loosely-filled carry-on bag each and a personal item for adults. Let me know if you're interested in light packing websites.

Keep us posted and have a great trip, whatever you decide!

Thank you for the advice. I have
hereby revised the trip as follows.

Here are some open issues.
1)In Cayo, is it preferable to rent
a car rather than shuttle. We have
Day 8/9/10 in the area.

2) How long is the trip from
the cayo area to Belize city? Is it
better to rent a oneway rental or
take a shuttle?

I definitely agree on the stress
with rental car navigation.

Also packing light is something i
need to teach my spouse. The entire
cosmetic cabinet will be in the
carry-on and checked bags. Almost
80% will be unused in my opinion.

Thanks again
Krish

Oops forgot to add the revised
trip itinerary.

Day 1 - Arrive at Guatemala City in the afternoon. Get a shuttle to head to Antigua and stay for the night.

Day 2 - Catch a shuttle and head to chichicastenango early morning fair. Its a sunday. Then head to
to Panajachel and stay for the night.

Day 3 - No plans as yet. Perhaps Lake Atitlan??.

Day 4 - Return back to Antigua ( see the ruins which are closed
Sunday/Monday.???).

Day 5 - Antigua ( need to plan something close by??).

Day 6 - Leave for Flores-Tikal(6:45am, 9:55am,17:25 flight options) Preferably 9:55am flight. See the ruins.
Stay in the Tikal park for the night.

Day 7 - See the sunrise from the temple. Take a Shuttle and cross the border and Head to Cayo in western
Belize and stay for the night. (www.thetrekstop.com). Rent a car in cayo.??

Day 8 - Cayo - mayan ruins of xunantunich, green hills butterfly farm, botanical gardens, Cahal Pech ruins.
Day 9 - Chechem Ha - caves . Head to Caracol and stay for the night???

Day 10 - Caracol & the mountain pine ridge( enroute visit the waterfalls via frio cave near the macal river).
Day 11 -Leave early morning for Belize city (see the zoo enroute). Head to the municipal airport for a shuttle flight to San Pedro.(tropic air).
Last flight at 5:30pm.

Day 12 - beach.

Day 13 - beach

Day 14 - beach

Day 15 - beach

Day 16 - Leave San Pedro via air for Belize city Intl airport( flights every hour from 7am - 5pm).Depart Belize City at noon
to get back home.

That sounds much better to me. In answer to your new questions:

1)In Cayo, is it preferable to rent a car rather than shuttle? We have Day 8/9/10 in the area.

That's an individual decision and I don't know anything about renting cars and whether they can be turned in in BC or must be returned in San Ignacio. The Belize Forum folks would know more about that.

Most lodging places offer trips and many can put together a package including the things that interest you. Some of the places don't need a guide or even a car. If you're truly interested in staying at the Trek Stop, ask them about what you're interested in and see what they can set up for you - very helpful, knowledgable owners.

2) How long is the trip from the cayo area to Belize City? Is it better to rent a oneway rental or take a shuttle?

It's about 2 hours, don't know which is better, see answer to 1) above.

Your 1st afternoon in Antigua, go to the Inguat office a block or 2 off the main square. They have wonderful maps and ideas for places to visit and day trips in the area. You can also arrange your shuttles at that time - travel agencies everywhere, we liked Rainbow Travel. Consider Casa Cristina

http://www.casa-cristina.com/index.html

or their daughter's option, Ashanti's Place on above home page. The latter would be especially nice with kids as they have young kids of their own and larger rooms. Owners of both places speak English and are especially helpful.

Day 3 - Lots of interesting villages to visit around the lake or just explore the area around Panajachel; it has some of the best/cheapest shopping you'll find on your trip. We loved Mario's Rooms, check a guide book for phone number (no website).

You can't stay really close to Caracol but you could stay somewhere closer than the San Ignacio area. It would be a hassle to move again, IMO, but that's also a personal choice. I'd leave that out altogether in favor of an extra day in the Cayo, maybe a canoe trip and down time in the villages and hammocks. You'll be tired when you get there from your fairly whirlwind week in Guatemala.

This itinerary sounds safer and more fun than the 1st one - very doable with a nice long beach pause at the end. Please keep us posted and be sure to post a trip report when you get back.

Happy trails!

Here are 2 great pack light sites, maybe stats on lost luggage and quotes will convince your wife:

www.onebag.com
www.ricksteves.com/plan/tips/packlight.htm

As Rick Steves says:

The importance of packing light cannot be overemphasized, but, for your own good, I'll try. You'll never meet a traveler who, after five trips, brags: "Every year I pack heavier." The measure of a good traveler is how light she travels. You can't travel heavy, happy, and cheap. Pick two.

Oops - meant to also include my packing list, originally posted in the FAQ thread of the Thorntree forum.

I can pack everything I need for an extended trip into a carry-on sized bag by choosing clothes that layer. I have a carry-on sized conversion pack (straps tuck away as needed) that has an attached day pack. I pack valuables and some personal items in the day pack and most of the clothes (that I'm not wearing) in the main compartment. Here's what I'm planning to take to Honduras next summer to accommodate 2-3 weeks inland with high altitude mountain hikes included and 2-3 weeks of beach time:

3-4 wicking-type t-shirts
1 light weight long sleeved shirt
2 pairs of light weight convertible (zip off to become shorts) long pants
1 sarong (skirt, swim wrap, doubles as towel or sleeping sheet)
1 bandana
1 sunhat with strap
1 light weight sleeveless nightgown
2 swimsuits
1 light weight fleece jacket (liner type that can be worn alone)
1 light weight goretex rain coat
uns and socks (incl. 1 neoprene pair I wear under Keens for hiking and under fins for diving/snorkel’g)
flip flops for beach and showers
Keen water shoes for everything else (they have great support and a rubber toe protector)

Cash, ATM and VISA cards, passport, etc.
Flight and lodging reservations, emails, receipts, etc.
Small medical kit and sewing kit
Cheap watch with alarm
Toiletries and prescription meds
Sunglasses, spare glasses, disposable contacts for diving/rainforests
Sunblock and bug stuff (Cactus Juice and Sawyer's Time Release Deet Formula, baby oil for sand flies)
Lip stuff
Water purification pump or uv purifier (I'm a budget traveller)
Collapsible drinking cup
LCD headlamp
Compass
Earplugs
Camera, etc. (and underwater bag or 1-2 underwater disposables)
Camera storage card reader
Smallish waterproof binoculars
Guidebook and copied map pages
Laminated plant and animal i.d. cards
Journal/writing materials
Reading material
Small gifts for kids and hosts
Small dice and yahtzee papers
A small, flexible disc (like a frisbee)
Various ziplocks, cable ties, small bungie cords
3-4’ of duct tape wrapped around a waterproof marker
String and a few clothespins
Half a roll of t.p. removed from core and flattened

I buy water and reuse the bottle and usually pick up an inexpensive pocket knife when I get there.

Wow,
Thanks a lot for the detailed list.
Thats quite a bit for a single
bag. Very practical list.

Actually, we have in the past used
suitcases. However, this trip we
are thinking of purchasing a couple
duffel bags that can be worn on the
shoulder. Perhaps something that
is 30inch x 14inch x 15 inch.

The military style duffle bags are
cheap as compared to something like
High Sierra that also has a
pullman type handle with wheels in
addition to the shoulder strap.

We typically carry our snorkelling
gear including life vest for the
kids. So bulky rather than heavy
i should say.

I will check out the links on
packing light as well as
selecting a bag. You are right on
the money about " One cannot pack
heavy and be happy".
Well, the kids add to that fun as
well.

Thanks
Krish

ttt