janenicole

After wanting to go to Belize for a few years now, we are finally going at the beginning of February! We're thinking of splitting our time with 4 nights in the Cayo District and 4 nights on Caye Caulker. For the inland portion, we want to go to Tikal (I think just a day trip will be enough for us), my 17 year old and my husband want to do the ATM cave while my 11 year old and I do something else (Barton Creek?), we all want to go to the Mountain Pine Ridge, and also cave tube and horseback ride.

Does the Mountain Pine Ridge include the Rio pools? Can you ride horse to the Mountain Pine Ridge? My husband also looked at Barton Creek and thought that looked fun, but wouldn't that be similar to ATM?

Are all of these things doable in 3 1/2 days? I'm thinking we could do something on our transfer day (the cave tubing?).

We thought about doing a 5/3 split, but we really love to have ocean/island time so I'm not sure 2 full days would be enough on Caye Caulker.

Lots of questions, I know. I appreciate any input.

hopefulist

I think that's too much for 3 full days, even with overflow on your transition day. And I think the zoo is really worth a stop, too.
www.belizezoo.org

I would either leave out Mt. Pine Ridge or (much as it pains me) Tikal. As a day trip, that's A LOT of time in the car for just a few hours of exploring. Maybe ride horses to Xunantunich instead? Or choose Caracol instead with your Mt. Pine Ridge loop?

You could do the 3 full day trips you have listed (Tikal, ATM, and Mt. Pine Ridge) and hit cave tubing on the transition day but then no zoo or horses. And packing every day full with a tour won't leave you time for things like the market, people watching, local hiking, hanging out at your hotel/jungle lodge, reading in a hammock, etc.

No matter how many days you have, you always have to choose - I know that from 4 trips, typically 3-4 weeks in length. We've barely scratched the surface! I'd stick with 3 full days on Caulker - 2 wouldn't be enough for me, either.

My photos with blog and travelogue links on the main page of each collection are below in case you're interested - all my recommendations are embedded there. http://www.flickr.com/photos/staceyholeman/collections

I don't have a photo collection up yet for the trip we just returned from a week ago; here's a link to the blog page that might interest you:
http://hopefulistinlatinamerica.blog...e-caulker.html

Have a great trip, whatever you decide!

Katie_Valk

Day 1-arrive Cayo
Day 2-ATM full day for husband and 17 yr old; MET horses to Barton Creek cave full day for you and other child
Day 3-Tikal
Day 4-MTn Pine Ridge

sylvia3

If you are staying in the San Ignacio area, there are also wonderful ruins right there (Cahal Pech) that you shouldn't miss.

volcanogirl

We did the Barton Creek cave when we were in the San Ignacio area. We loved it; it's really beautiful, and there are some small artifacts inside. It's a canoe trip, so doesn't involve a lot of climbing or wading. We did Tikal as a day trip and were happy we did it that way, saw some nice wildlife there too - monkeys, aracaris, oscillated turkeys, etc. Our split was between the Cayo District and Ambergris. Hol Chan was our favorite.

RAC

I would think that Barton Creek would trump the cave tubing thing, but that's just me, not having done either (we had to miss Barton Creek due to an airline screw up).

Instead of a strict Mountain Pine Ridge tour, I would do a Caracol tour that would include both the Rio Frio cave and the Rio On pools on the way back. If you're looking to consolidate days/be efficient, that could also be a substitute for a Tikal day trip (Tikal is okay during the day but day trippers get the ruins at their hottest, most uncomfortable, and crowded hours of the day).

janenicole

Thank you all! Sounds like most of what we want to do is possible with 4 nights, minus something. I don't mind being on the go for the inland portion. I really want to see Tikal. Do you think it will be really crowded at that time of year?

I'm wondering if Mountain Pine Ridge is going to be similar to some of the scenery we've seen in Costa Rica (waterfalls, big boulders, rivers) or even here in northern Minnesota (pine forests, rivers, waterfalls). We really like that kind of thing, but maybe that is one we should skip?

Volcanogirl, have you done both Barton Creek and the ATM cave?

RAC

MPR isn't going to be close to its most beautiful for years, if not decades, as it recovers from the damage from the southern pine beetle starting in 2001. The attractions, not the area itself, are the main reason to go. It's a tropical pine forest, which will make it unlike the pine forests of northern Minnesota and unlike Costa Rica (unless you've been to Savegre/San Gerardo de Dota).

janenicole

RAC - Do you mean the Rio On and Rio Frio Cave for attractions?

volcanogirl

Janie, we've only done Barton creek; the guide paddled while I held the big spotlight. We saw a human skull and some pottery inside. It was really interesting and felt very mysterious. Tikal was not crowded when we did it.

RAC

Rio Frio and Rio On are very nice bonus attractions, but the real star is Caracol.

Katie_Valk

RAC-last time you were in the Mtn Pine Ridge and in which area of the 100,000 reserve? Much has recovered and is looking grt

RAC

KV:

I was there in 2010--granted all I saw was what was visible from the road and around the military stations, but it looked pretty rough.

But, you're in a much better position to judge current conditions, so if you say they're much improved the OP should absolutely take that to the bank.

janenicole

Volcanogirl - how was the scenery before you get to the cave? Or is most of the time spent in the cave?

Katie - I like your plan, except the 17 year old is the biggest horse lover.

I'm leaning towards:
Day 1: Arrive in Cayo
Day 2: ATM for hubby and older daughter, MPR with Rio On and Rio Frio for younger daughter and me
Day 3: Tikal
Day 4: Barton Creek Cave and horseback riding
Day 5: Cave tubing and transfer to Caye Caulker

Does that sound like it would work? Lots of cave stuff, but it sounds like they are pretty neat, plus, we really love water activities, too. If we spot any wildlife while doing these things, that will be a bonus.

volcanogirl

Most of the time is spent in the cave. You do a little walking to get there but nothing too strenuous. There were toucans around when we went. If I remember correctly we walked over a really narrow bridge. Once you get to the cave it's just beautiful, the outside area, as well as the inside. The water was a pretty blue color, and there's lots of greenery hanging outside the entrance, at least when we went there was. One thing I did not like is that someone had a monkey chained up outside. Our guide said that someone had reported it and the monkey had been seized, but then they got it back somehow. Hopefully not still there and I'm not sure who it belonged to. Once we were in the cave, we pretty much had the place to ourselves, just our little canoe cruising around through all the openings. There are some nice formations. Occasionally another boat would pass us, but it was quiet and peaceful. Our guide had us turn off the light to see what complete darkness is like. I would do it again in a heartbeat. The caves were sacred to the people that used to live in that area, so there's a sense of solemnity to it too.

janenicole

You describe it so well, vg. It sounds very cool. Poor little monkey, that is horrible.

Wonder if it will be too similar to ATM (as far as the interior of the cave, not the tour) for my husband and daughter and we would be better off river canoeing?

Anyone who has done both have any thoughts on that?

janenicole

I've changed it up a bit and now I think I am done:

Day 1) Arrive Cayo
Day 2) Barton Creek/MPR on horseback/Quick stop at Rio On pools
Day 3) Tikal
Day 4) ATM for hubby and older daughter/River canoeing half day for younger daughter and me with some time to relax poolside or check out San Ignacio.
Day 5) Cave tube and transfer to Caye Caulker

Thank you all for your help and suggestions!

hopefulist

Looks good! Do you have time to stop at the zoo on the way west?

ShellD

janenicole- we did both the ATM tour and Barton's Creek. I didn't think they were really similar at all, except that they were both caves. I'm typing on my phone now, so if you don't mind, I'll come back with details. You can also probably find them in my Belize trip report, or my blog if you can find a link to it. ATM was definitely an experience not to be forgotten though!

janenicole

Hope, we might be able to - we get in at 12:45, although our flight takes off at 5:30am, so we might want to see how we feel. Walking around might be nice, or we might just want to get to San Ignacio. I love the thought of seeing all of those big kitty cats!

Shell, I found your wonderful report. Great details! Thanks for the scoop on Barton and ATM. I would love to go to ATM myself, but my youngest does not feel comfortable with it. We've pushed her out of her comfort zone quite a bit on our family vacations, and she's been happy we did, but we don't think this is one we should push.