We saw lots of birds at Chaa Creek, vgirl. The birding there was excellent. We were there in March, so got in on some of the migratory birds as well. Didn't see much else in the way of wildlife, but I was there for the birds! We were unable to reserve at Chan Chich as they had a large group booked months ahead, but in retrospect, I was really glad of where we were. We loved canoeing downriver to DuPloy's (sp?) for a drink one afternoon. Just us on the river and so peaceful.

The rooms at CC were beautiful, and we liked that little touch of luxury even if we did pay too much! Much more 'luxe than BdC. And you know how much I love BdC! We also thought the food was very good. It was a splurge vacay for us. Macal down on the river looked like a fun place to stay, and certainly less $$.

Of course no one has to stay at the pricier places. It's always a matter of choice depending on one's mood and resources at any given time! :)

I'll admit it; I'm not a roughing it kind of chick. :)

shillmac, I'm glad to hear about the birding. When I mentioned a potential trip to my husband, he said, "Remember I'm a birder." Didn't know if Belize would come through in that aspect, and it sounds like there's a lot of potential to see some cool things so he'll be glad to hear that. DuPloy's sounds like another neat spot.

Belize is a fabulous place for birding. I've got over 400 on my CR lifelist, but added about 50 while at Chaa Creek. It was great! I wasn't so impressed with their resident guide, but we were able to identify a lot of them by ourselves. That's always a plus.

If you make it to Tikal, try to land archaeologist Roxy Ortiz as a guide. She bases at the Tikal Inn (which is managed by her brothers) when she's not on a dig. In addition to her knowledge of the history of the site, she's really knowledgeable about the flora and fauna and quick to spot birds. Plus she's just really great to be around.

I'd agree that, if you can manage it, overnight at Tikal would be really nice. We didn't do that, and loved our day at Tikal anyway. But still, more time there would be great.

And it's not just more time, it's the cooler hours when the crowds are gone and the wildlife is out. Every time I go I see different things and enjoy Tikal in different ways.

After our first visit we went back with the intention of buying property. It is so close to many different countires and cultures. However during our second visit we came to the realization that we were only going to stay 4 maybe 5 months out of the year here and why be tied down to one place. We can rent different properties, don't have to worry about coming down and finding out the house has been ransacked and if we get tired of the area we go some place else the next year. We were supposed to be in Belize in a couple weeks but recent events may slow us down this year.

Wear lots of sun screen.

I want to reinforce the idea of spending a night or two in or around Tikal if one can. We stayed at El Remate (about 45 min. from Tikal) and got up really early to take a "sunrise" tour. That was the highlight of our trip to Tikal. There wasn't really a sunrise however, as it was hazy/cloudy. I wonder if it's like that all the time in the jungle, with the clouds always burning off by mid-morning.

I just priced a couple resorts for next year. I cant believe their package prices, $3K a person?

We spent a week in Hawaii & spent less then that & did everything.

We've stayed in great places and participated in caving, hiking, diving, and cultural activities for less than half that for both of us - you don't have to stay in a high end resort to enjoy Belize.

Which resorts?

Volcano girl, we went to San Ignacio, which was a terrific place for exploring ruins (the ones right in town are fab); Tikal can be done easily in a day trip, and there are lots of tours available. You can also do ATM from there, along with other day-trip ruins, and there are many lodging choices.
Ambrigris Caye is not a beach destination, and I thought the snorkeling was overrated (talk about mob scenes; Hol Chan was Grand Central Station). Shark Alley is unsettling (tons of rays, because they're feeding them). lMexico Rocks is very nice, though. Try the paradisevilla condos; very reasonable, great location, nice pool.

A really high percentage of people traveling to Belize only go to Ambergris Caye. Most other people heading to Belize split their time between an inland spot like San Ignacio and Ambergris Caye or Caye Caulker. If you have more time and/or more money and want to spend significant time in the water, head to one of the outer atolls. The diving and snorkeling from shore off Glover's Atoll, for example, is absolutely world class. We spent a week there again last summer and later in the trip spent time on Caulker. We really loved the island and enjoyed our diving and snorkeling but, as my grandma used to say, it didn't hold a candle to Glover's.

hopeful, one of the things I didn't like about Ambergris or Caulker was the fact you had to pay for each venture out (and it ain't cheap). Can one step into the water and snorkel off Glover's, or is it more of the same reserving boat excursions?

Really fabulous snorkeling, right from shore: the usual cast of colorful Caribbean fish characters in large numbers, great sponge and coral variety, and big ticket items like juvenile spotted drums, eels, barracuda, nurse sharks, spotted eagle rays, trumpet fish, scorpian fish, the occasional turtle. Blue water heaven!

In addition to the atolls, you can snorkel from shore from the cayes on the reef such as South Water and Tobacco. Keep in mind that with most of the locations that offer shore snorkeling, there isn't much else to do besides snorkel, dive, kayak or fish which could be a plus for some and negative for others.

That's true - Glover's Atoll doesn't have anything close to a town, just a few small islands with a resort here or there. The place we stay is Glover's Atoll Resort which is the most unresort-like place I've been, barely a step up from camping, no electricity or running water. It's paradise for us but not for everyone. Here's a link:
http://www.glovers.com.bz/

Here are other places on different islands on Glover's Atoll:
http://www.islamarisolresort.com/
http://www.slickrock.com/gloversreef.html (seasonal)
http://www.divetrip.com/manta.htm (currently not open)

Thanks, everyone for all this good info. I was curious too about flying in country - is Tropic Air the airline to use if we're interested in Ambergris? Any others?

We used Tropic Air. Portofino (where we stayed in Ambergris) arranged the flight for us(round trip) we just showed up at the airport (the transfer to the airport was arranged by Chaa Creek). One thing I really liked about getting the packages at both resorts was that all of our transfers were totally pre-arranged, including the Tropic Air flights. It was so convenient for us. It's a really short flight.