xyz99

Belize was on top of our destinations list for a while, but I think it finally made it to #1 for Feb-March 2012. I read a lot already, and there are sooo many places I want to see and spend time at, how do I narrow them down?

We would like to split our time between jungle and beach. We like nature, wildlife, good food, snorkeling, photography and we want to relax. We’ll have 2 weeks and will probably want to split our time in 3 places (or 3 places plus a 2 nights stay at Tikal ).

First question, and then I will come back with more (a lot more): I understand that snorkeling off the beach is not easy to find, but from the pictures I saw, it looks that it might be decent snorkeling off the resorts’ piers in Ambergris. Is that true? I would like to be able to go snorkeling just for a little bit, while DH naps or reads a book on the beach.

For the beach portion, I am torn between spending time in Ambergris (with snorkeling trips to Hol Chan, Shark/Ray Alley and Mexico Rocks) and spending some time at a more secluded caye or atoll (Thatch Caye, Turneffe Reef Resort and Isla Marisol, they all look great). Are 2 beach locations redundant? I had not looked into prices and the logistics of getting from one to another yet, but will do that soon.

For the jungle part, I am torn between Lamanai and Chan Chich. I love birds, and anything wildlife mostly as photography subjects, but my husband is not a bird-lover (although he loved Bosque del Cabo). So, out of these 2, which one should we pick? I am leaning towards Lamanai for its river setting and because it seems to offer more activities, not all “birds” related. Your opinion?

Would a split like 4 nights jungle, 2 nights Tikal , 3-4 nights Ambergris and 3-4 nights an atoll be a good one? Any other opinion would be great. Thanks

Katie_Valk

Lamanai Out Post and Chan Chich are both excellant, but different choices. Lamanai Outpost overlooks the expansive 23 mile lagoon and is next to the site of the same name and is accesed by boat, road or charter flight. Chan Chich is our most remote lodge and therefore, more wildlife. Both are excellant for birding, jungle hikes, good food, friendly attentive staff. CC has a pool, horses and a small lagoon for canoeing. You can snorkel from any dock in Belize and see fish, but certainly not the variety you will see on our 190 mile reef, or 3 atolls or small cayes on the reef. Thatch Caye is nice, but 3 miles from the reef, so you will need a boat to snorkel or dive. Isla Marisol is on Glovers. There are 3 lodges on Turneffe atoll, all very good. The lodges on the atolls offer 3,4 and 7 night packages, with boats going to and from on Sat and Wed and the BH dive or snorkel on Tues from Turneffe lodges. Marisol might be running whale shark dive or snorkel trips to see the 45 ft whale sharks which start to congregate off the Placencia coast in March around the full moon. Tikal is fascinating and you can stay in the park, on the island village of Flores and get a taste of Guatemala or at inns within 35 mins of the site, in a reserve, on the lagoon with howlers in the trees. You have lots of great choices to make a head of you.

RAC

I would strongly recommend staying inside Tikal national park itself. It's at its most magical when the tour buses and day trippers leave. We also spent a night in Flores to catch an early flight the next morning back to Belize.

LOL vs CC seems to be a frequent choice/dilemma for people. We chose the former because it had better ruins, more varied activities, and offered the amazing boat ride for free, whereas you have to shell out an extra $500 to fly to Chan Chich. That said, if we had had the time and money to see both, we would have. CC certainly seems to have its own advantages--more luxe, better chance at seeing larger mammals. We can say that the LOL was a fantastic experience that we'd recommend to anyone.

Another jungle option might be the San Ignacio area, though the world class lodges there don't seem to offer the same wildlife opportunities.

volcanogirl

We did our split between Ambergris and Chaa Creek in the San Ignacio area. If you're interested in the caves and ruins, the San Ignacio area is a good pick. We did see some wildlife there like toucans and howlers, but it wasn't abundant like at BdC. Ambergris was gorgeous; we really loved Victoria House, and Hol Chan is the best snorkeling we've ever done - big sea turtles, nurse sharks, huge rays, and lots of colorful tropical fish. Not much great snorkeling around the piers, lots of sea grass in most places.

hipvirgochick

xyz - I've been planning for a summer trip as well and it's hard because there are so many great options! I'm going with Chaa Creek, LOL, Tikal Inn, and then either a split between San Pedro/Caye Caulker, San Pedro/Glover's or San Pedro/North Ambergris. On north ambergris there's a place called Tranquility Bay where you swim/kayak or literally walk (water's 5-6' deep) to the reef. Glover's is still calling me. Caulker is easier to get to. Sigh. Of course this all may change as I'm still also thinking about more time in Guatemala. . We'll probably spend a night at Belize Zoo also.

Not that this helps any, just sharing my thoughts so far...

JeanH

I don't think two beach sites is redundant at all. If you stay at one of the atolls, or, maybe Southwater Caye, for a few nights, it's a different type of vacation than Ambergris.

One year we spent three nights on Tobacco Caye before heading to Ambergris. Pretty rustic, but we enjoyed ourselves. If you fly from Dangriga, to the Municipal airport then onto San Pedro, you could be in SP for a slightly late lunch. You really don't lose an entire day traveling, distances are short.

volcanogirl

I would have loved to see two different beach locations if we had had more time.

xyz99

Ok, this is great info, exactly what I was looking for. I know 2012 is still a year away, but I need the planning part of the trip, plus, I had some time…

Katie – Even though CC has a pool, I think that LOL will be our jungle destination. Thatch Caye still looks amazing, but maybe for a different trip. We haven’t snorkeled in 3 years, so this trip we need to maximize it, we need to be able to snorkel off the beach. Is that possible on Turneffe? And I am really interested now into swimming with whale sharks, we might decide to go later in April for that. Will research it some more, and come back with questions.

RAC – We will definitely stay inside Tikal , if possible. If not, I think there are a few options right outside the park.

Volcanogirl, hip – your CR advice (and not only yours) was amazing. If I never thanked you, I am doing it now. We are not interested in caves (I know, a lot of people here love them, so please don’t yell at me). I was hoping to replicate the BdC experience, but I guess we need to keep the reason to go there, right?

Victoria House looks wonderful, and I am very tempted – but they say snorkeling off the beach is only possible from Tranquility Bay. Maybe because we will take morning snorkeling trips, we would be ok just around the house in the afternoon. Decisions, decisions…

VG, Victoria House grounds look great – any birds, hummingbirds for photography there?

Hip, I totally agree with you – too many great options. I think we are going with LOL, Tikal, Ambergris and another beach location where we can snorkel off the beach.

Jean, your knowledge of the area is amazing, and I read a ton of info you shared on this board and TA. Our second beach destination can be rustic, but we need some comfort: electricity, running water, a restaurant with decent food. Still searching for that destination…

Logistic-wise: is the above itinerary doable in 2 weeks? Thanks

Ruth_Alice

Depends on your budget and likes/dislikes, but Ambergris Caye is VERY expensive, and overcrowded with tourists, and just generally not very Belizean in feel. Caye Caulker is closer to the local dive and snorkel sites, but much more laid back and Belizean in feel - there are still upmarket options, but also cheaper but good options for food and accommodation there.

If nature is your thing though, then Toledo district is the most pristine district - it has more birds and wildlife than anywhere else in Belize and is very much untouched compared to the rest of the country. The highway to Toledo was recently completed and is now the best highway in the country, so it takes 4-5 hours to drive from the international airport. The reef off Toledo district is also untouched compared to around Ambergris and Caye Caulker, and a local non-profit dive and snorkel company called Reef CI (www.reefci.com) operate off the Sapodilla Cayes down there. There are a couple of fantastic all-inclusives in Toledo - Cotton Tree Lodge and Machaca Hill Canopy Lodge - just check out their Trip Advisor ratings. In my opinion just as good in terms of food and accommodation quality though is Hickatee Cottages - all 111 reviews on Trip Advisor give them 5 stars and it's only 90USD per night per cabana - surely the best value in Belize for beautiful jungle cabanas surrounded by howler monkeys!

volcanogirl

x, we didn't do any snorkeling off the beach in Ambergris; we did see some rays right in front of VH, but there's sea grass there, so we stuck to guided tours. The beach at VH is really pretty - it's a lot bigger than a lot of the other beaches we saw, and the sand is white; they take very good care of it. We saw them out raking/cleaning early every morning. It didn't feel crowded at all to us. A lot of times we were the only people on the beach and had the same situation at the pool. They have hammocks and lounge chairs you can relax in. Did not see any hummingbirds there, but I think (not sure) that would be rare at the beach; I usually seem them in more jungly spots. We did see a lot of iguanas and some sea birds. Definitely the biggest draw was Hol Chan. If I could go there every day, I would do it. And I think a split with Ambergris and another caye is a great idea.

JeanH

We have cinnamon hummingbirds at our feeder every day. Noisy little things, considering they are so small. Last March a flock (not sure that is the right term) of ruby throats stopped on Ambergris on their way north. There were a couple dozen around our feeder for several days. And, unlike the cinnamons, we had a few come in the open door to the condo.

I guess I just feel the need to defend Ambergris a bit. It doesn't have to be expensive. If you do some research, eat local food, drink local drinks, it's very reasonable.

Yes, there are tourists and expats. That's makes for a wide variety of restaurants, lodging and entertainment.

Busy on Ambergris is so very different than busy in other tourist destinations.

hipvirgochick

On Ambergris we'll be staying at Ruby's for $45/night with ocean view and a/c and North Ambergris at Tranquility Bay for $95/night so not too bad I don't think. For me, I like a little of everything in my vacation so while I really look forward to the isolation of some of the jungle lodges I'm also looking forward to the big city of San Pedro ;-) and some great dining options.

RAC

xyz99: Yes there are places right outside the park, but the reserve is still about 25 minutes inside the park. Also, you miss out on just being able to wander and explore the park looking for wildlife between meals, during down time, etc. When we stayed at the Tikal Inn, we were treated to toucans and aracaris flying 10 feet over our heads while we were in the pool.

xyz99

Ruth, you are throwing into the mix 2 areas I haven’t looked much into: Caye Caulker and southern Belize. Obviously, I need to research some more.

The Toledo district sounds fantastic…my concern is distance. I am thinking 4 days jungle (LOL is option #1 now), 2 nights Tikal, 4 nights Ambergris (now, maybe Caye Cauker) and 4 nights a place with great snorkeling from beach (Isla Marisol? Does such a place exist in the Toledo District?). Could we leave that place in the morning and still make a 12-1 pm flight back home? With a 4-5 hrs drive, I am not so sure.

VG – from what I read, it seems that the snorkeling trips to Hol Chan, Indian Rocks, etc are a few hours each. We are not really beach people, but love snorkeling. For us, the beach is just a place to get dry from snorkeling – so, what could we do in the afternoon, if staying at VH (which really, looks great)?

Jean, do you know if any resort on AC has bird feeders? I looked at Caribbean Villas, they seem to have a bird sanctuary on the property, but I’m not sure…it’s definitely not the Victoria House. Plus, we would prefer an individual villa/bungalow/structure, not a condo-like room.

We loved Virgin Gorda a few years ago, because snorkeling was off the beach and when not snorkeling, our villa had beautiful grounds with flowers visited by birds, butterflies and hummingbirds that I would photograph in the afternoon, while DH enjoyed the ocean view and/or a book in a hammock. I am actually looking for something similar in Belize. Does it exist?

RAC – so Tikal Inn is inside the park, right? I just saw a map on the Tikal Inn’s site. Wow, I did not realize how vast the complex is…we’re definitely staying 2 nights there.

Thanks, all.

RAC

Yes, Tikal Inn is inside the park, just off of the parking lot for the reserve and museums. We were certainly happy to have two days there. Tikal was probably the best place we've experienced for unguided birding--so many brilliantly colored birds in plain sight.

xyz99

RAC,
Thanks a lot. Sounds wonderful.
BTW - Loved your trip pictures. Thanks for sharing them.

volcanogirl

x, we did a few snorkeling trips - Hol Chan, Shark Ray Alley, Mexico Rocks, and the rest of the time we either explored town, relaxed and read books at the pool, or took pictures. There are some good restaurants; we liked Mango's, sometimes called Wild Mangoes, and D&E Custard, and Fido's sometimes has live music. Victoria House has free bikes you can use. We ate the bar there, and the food was good, and there's also a fancier dining room. I'm usually not a fan of hotel food, but VH had very good food. Actually all the food we had in Belize was good, a little more sophisticated than what we're used to in CR and great fresh seafood. One thing I liked about their Hol Chan tour was that it was guided, and the guide pointed out a lot of cool things we would have missed. At one point, he told me to put my head under, and two big sea turtles were swimming by.

xyz99

VG, thanks. I think 4 nights at VH (or maybe Tranquility Bay?) and 4 nights at some place (more rustic) where we can snorkel off beach would be a nice combo.
Can you book your snorkeling trips at VH when you get there? Or did you have to book in advance?
We are not big fans of rice and beans, but loved CR food. So I’m sure we’ll have no problem with Belize food. Actually, we never had any place we traveled.
Also, for this trip, I think we will get scuba certified…sounds like fun.

JeanH

Tranquility Bay is a nice looking place. But, if you're going somewhere else with walk in snorkeling, why not stay closer to San Pedro and enjoy some of the great food and entertainment available?

I enjoy watching the kids come and go to school. Stop and chat with the vendors sellilng various crafts around town. Stop and have a drink or something to eat and watch the boats come and go. When you're tired of the hustle and bustle of downtown, you don't have to get very far away to find peace and quiet.....

volcanogirl

x, we just booked when we got there. There's a little house on the pier out front, and there's a guy at the desk that will hook you up with whatever tour you want. They had them all written on a chalkboard when we were there. We just always booked a day ahead since we wanted some early morning tours, and they'll pretty much let you do anything that you want. Their tour groups are pretty small compared to some of the bigger outfits, and that really appealed to us. We did one that was just us and one other couple. I think the most we had was about eight people. I think your idea to get SCUBA certified is a great one.