Belize Family Journey: Rainforests, Beaches & Ancient Caves

Welcome to Belize City–your arrival transfer to the hotel is included. Check in and get excited to meet your fellow travelers during a welcome meeting this evening where all families can bond before the Journey ahead.

Included Experiences

• Welcome Moment - Meet Your Expedition Leader and Group: Your opportunity to meet your Expedition Leader and fellow travellers, and learn more about your tour. Don't forget to see the notice in the lobby (or ask reception) for the official time and place to meet up with the group on the morning of day two.

Dive into the day with a fun, challenging and informative river cave expedition. Begin with a drive to Nohoch Che’en National Park and hike to the starting point of the cave system. As you walk, listen to your guide talk about the plants, trees and wildlife of the surrounding area. At the starting point, take turns jumping from rocks into the water. Then, you and your family will board inner tubes and enter the first part of the cave via small rapids. Once inside, you’ll switch between tubing and swimming underground. During the expedition, learn about ancient Maya ceremonial centers dating back to AD 400. While you float through this underground cathedral, turn your headlamp lights off and listen as your guide narrates the history of the caves and their importance in the Maya world. After exiting the caves, enjoy a riverside picnic for lunch as you soak up the joy of being back in the sun. The rest of the afternoon will be at your leisure. You can swim in the pool or sit in the hot tub before a group dinner, where everyone can swap stories about the day.

Included Experiences

• Family Cave Tubing: Hop on your innertube and spend time floating through the cave, search for bats and scorpion spiders, marvel at the stalagmites and stalactites, and learn about how the Mayans used the caves for rituals. After being in the dark you'll enjoy time to soak up the sun and can opt to jump in the river for a cool down.

This morning, set out on a full-day excursion to tour the stunning Maya ruins of Xunantunich, which were built over 1,000 years ago on a hilltop above the Mopan River, Cayo District and neighboring Guatemalan countryside. Along with a local guide, you’ll climb the steps of El Castillo and marvel at the panoramic views of the jungle from the site’s tallest structure. Wander amid well-preserved temples, palaces and intricately carved stelae. In the afternoon, travel to the village of San Antonio to visit the San Antonio Women’s Cooperative, which was founded as a way for underprivileged women to earn income, learn new skills and share centuries-old Maya techniques and knowledge. Get your hands dirty as you visit the cooperative’s pottery workshop, where you’ll attempt to throw clay utilizing traditional methods of making pots. Then, learn how to prepare corn tortillas using ancient Maya practices. Enjoy the results of the group’s efforts with a cup of atole, a local corn drink. Afterwards, sit down with these inspiring women for a sampling of traditional foods of the Cayo region. Travel back to the lodge and enjoy dinner and an evening exploring the grounds on your own.

Included Experiences

• Xunantunich Visit: Visit the top of this impressive 9th-century Maya centre, set high on a natural limestone ridge, with a local guide and admire the view of the Mopan River, Cayo District and neighbouring Guatemalan countryside. The tallest temple, El Castillo, is partially excavated and explored and there’s a unique stucco frieze on the east side of the structure. Discover why Xunantunich is Belize’s most visited site with intricately carved stellae, 25 temples, and well-preserved palaces.
• San Antonio Women's Cooperative visit with Pottery Class & Local Lunch: Like in many places around the world, education for women in the village of San Antonio isn’t prioritized. Girls don’t typically attend school beyond primary levels. So a women’s cooperative was founded here, as a way for underprivileged women to earn income, learn new skills, and share centuries-old Mayan techniques and knowledge. Visit the pottery workshop, which is newly expanded with an investment from G Adventures. Meet some of the women who’ve found community within its walls and gain insight into the tradition of throwing pots. Try your own hand at these ancient techniques during a pottery class. Afterward, enjoy lunch together with these inspiring women and sample traditional foods of the Cayo region.
• Tortilla-Making Lesson: After lunch, drop by the San Antonio Women’s Cooperative for a tortilla-making lesson and demonstration. Corn tortillas are a staple of Belizean cuisine, and the fresher they are the better. Help grind wet corn kernels on an ancient stone that’s been passed down through generations to the special ladies who work here. Then try your own hand at making perfectly round tortillas, which is harder than you may think. Enjoy the results of the group with a cup of atole, a local corn drink.

Enjoy a day on your own, taking advantage of optional activities in the area or relaxing by the pool at the lodge. You can opt to visit the Baboon Sanctuary, cofounded by National Geographic Grantee Dr. Robert Horwich, where you’ll learn about their aim to preserve the thick forested habitat for a large population of howler monkeys. Lunch and dinner will be served back at the lodge. After dark, set out on a jungle safari walk with local bushmen as your guides. Creep through the darkness and try to spot elusive nocturnal animals, including howler monkeys, wild boars and even big cats! You’ll also learn about interesting plants that grow in the surrounding jungle.

Included Experiences

• Free Time: Spend a full free day enjoying optional activities in the area. Choose to relax by the pool at the lodge, visit a baboon sanctuary, or set out on a hike in the beautiful surroundings.
• Jungle Safari After Dark: Tonight’s adventure begins in the early evening with local bushmen as guides. Walk through the wildness of the jungle in search of the many elusive nocturnal animals that live in this area of thick forest. As you walk, the guides will teach you about the animals you’re seeking such as the howler monkey, wild boar, and even big cats! As the darkness settles around you keep your eyes ready to spot an elusive jaguar and learn about the interesting plants that call the jungle their home.

Optional Experiences

• Community Baboon Sanctuary: Take a guided tour through the majestic rainforest, or hike on your own, to see the Black Howler Monkey firsthand and learn about traditional rainforest medicine.

Depart Caves Branch area and travel to Placencia. Along the way, enjoy a visit to Cockscomb Wildlife Sanctuary. Located in southern Belize, this unique sanctuary covers an area of 150 square miles (241 km) of tropical rainforest and is the world’s only jaguar preserve. Explore the trails of tropical, moist rainforest lying in the shadows of the Maya Mountains. Keep your eyes open for birds, amphibians, crocodiles—and maybe you’ll even spot a jaguar! Arrive at Placencia in the afternoon and enjoy time to relax by the hotel pool or walk along the beach. Dinner this evening will be on your own. You can pick one of the many restaurants nearby or ask your guides for a recommendation for some delicious food to enjoy in the soothing coastal atmosphere.

Included Experiences

• Cockscomb Wildlife Sanctuary Naturalist Guided Walk: Visit this unique sanctuary in south Belize and walk through the world’s only Jaguar Preserve with your naturalist guide. Officially named a preserve in 1986, the park is the culmination of many, many years of hard work by national and international organizations. Spend half the day exploring the trails through the Jaguar Preserve in the Cockscomb Basin. Absorb your surroundings in the tropical forest lying in the shadows of the Maya Mountains. Think waterfalls, rivers, wildlife, and plant life galore in a place dedicated to protecting the natural beauty of its environment.
• Free Time: Choose to play by the hotel pool or take a family stroll along the smooth sand beach.

See what life is all about under the sea on a full-day boat and snorkeling excursion. Make multiple stops to swim in the tranquil, tropical waters and come face-to-face with sea turtles, manta rays, parrotfish and nurse sharks—to name a few of the fascinating creatures that call this area home. Perhaps spot a manatee or 2 among the vibrant coral formations. Lunch will be served, then you'll have time to relax or explore the island before a second snorkel session to look around the coral reef. How many species will you spot? After spending the day under the sea, you’ll catch a boat back to shore. The remainder of the afternoon and evening will be yours to do with as you please. Choose to swim in the hotel’s pool or search for seashells on a walk along the beach.

Included Experiences

• Free Time: Enjoy more free time at your accommodations in Placencia. Swim in the pool and create some games with your fellow traveling families or hit the beach for some sunbathing.
• Placencia Snorkeling & Boat Trip: Hop on board for a full-day boating excursion to experience life under the sea. Swim in the calm, warm waters and peek under the surface with your snorkelling gear in search of manta rays, nurse sharks, and other types of tropical fish. Enjoy a fresh cooked lunch and time to relax by the water before a second snorkel session and an exciting ride back to shore. Learn more about the ecosystem the coral reef thrives in and admire the beauty of Belize from the water, offering a different perspective.

Following breakfast, head to the beach and get ready for a sandcastle building experience. Pair off into teams and build the best sand creation you can imagine using sand, rocks, shells and fallen leaves from the trees by the water. Design moats, tunnels and bridges as you work against the tide to finish your sand masterpiece. After the judging of the castles—even though it’s not a competition—you will have the afternoon to yourself to enjoy the resort grounds. Go for a walk in the nearby jungle, swim in the ocean or make a splash in the pool. This evening, gather together with your fellow Travelers for a farewell dinner at a local restaurant and celebrate the amazing adventures you shared.

Included Experiences

• Sandcastle Building Experience: Grab your family and head to the beach for a morning sandcastle building activity. Work together and create a masterpiece of sand as the waves wash up against the shore behind you. Use sand, rocks, shells, and fallen leaves from the trees by the water to design moats, dig tunnels, pack down bridges, and work against the changing tide to finish a sturdy fortress. When you’re finished, take a photo next to your sandcastle and watch as the water reclaims her land.
• Free Time: Spend time soaking up the laid back vibes and smells the sea breeze during free time. Walk in the nearby jungle, swim in the ocean, or start a cannonball competition into the pool. By now you and the other families on tour will be fast friends and there's nothing like some fun competition to round out your experience in Belize.

Depart for Belize City via pre-arranged shuttles that will take you directly to the airport to catch your flight home. Flights should depart no earlier than 1:00 PM.

Included Experiences

• Departure Day: Depart for Belize City.