Belize Wildlife & Family Holiday

This Belize Wildlife tour offers couples and families a wonderful array of activities and experiences to see and interact with the wildlife and nature of Belize, both in rainforest and coastal areas. Wildlife from crocodiles to sea turtles visitors can see all manner of animals and learn from the best nature and birding guides in the business. This Belize Wildlife trip ends with some days staying at the beach where visitors can relax or continue to enjoy a diverse selection of nature and wildlife tours.

For more information on any itinerary to Belize: info@viaventure.com

Itinerary “At A Glance”

Day 1: Meet & Greet Service. Transfer to Lodge by minibus and boat – may not be private – Lamanai Outpost Lodge (3 Nights)

Day 2 & 3: Nature, Culture, Archaeology and Wildlife Activities from the Lodge

Day 4: Free morning at Lamanai to enjoy package activities. Transfer to Airport. Scheduled Flight to Punta Gorda – Lodge at Big Falls (3 Nights)

Day 5: Port of Honduras Snorkel Tour

Day 6:  Rio Grande Kayaking

Day 7: Monkey River: Crocs and Howlers Tour. Land transfer to Placencia – Chabil Mar Villas (3 Nights)

Day 8: Full Day Reef Private Snorkel Tour with BBQ Lunch

Day 9: Free day in Placencia to enjoy the beach and explore the fishing village & lagoon.

Day 10: Transfer to Placencia Airport. Scheduled Flight to Belize International Airport in time for International Flight

Orange Walk District (Lamanai Area)

Located in northern Belize, the district of Orange Walk comprises steamy jungle rivers, wilderness and wildlife, and some of the country’s most important Maya ruins. Factor in a handful of first-rate jungle lodges and the fact that visitors are few and far between, and you’ve got a near-perfect scenario: By day, you can play the intrepid jungle explorer. At night, you can return to a thatch-roof villa and a bottle of red. Visitors to Orange Walk usually make a beeline for the Crooked Tree Wildlife Sanctuary (a birder’s mecca) and Maya ruins like Lamanai and La Milpa, the latter of which is located in Belize’s largest nature reserve, the Río Bravo Conservation and Management Area. Orange Walk is also known for growing sugarcane; Orange Walk Town, the district’s main hub, is nicknamed “Sugar City.”

Punta Gorda

Simply referred to locally as PG, Punta Gorda is the administrative seat of Belize’s Toledo District and the country’s southernmost town. A relaxed, Caribbean community with just a dozen streets (and about as many cars), PG is home to approximately 6,000 people. Its busiest days are market days, especially along Front Street. Here, you’ll find fishermen hauling in their catches, farmers selling cassava and plantains, and Maya women touting handicrafts. The town’s waterfront isn’t much to speak of, but it doesn’t really matter: Nearby are several cayes with great beaches, snorkeling, scuba diving, and fishing. Head inland from PG, and you’ll find some of the country’s most verdant, unspoiled terrain. Here, you can hike through rainforests, bird watch, explore old ruins, and visit modern Maya towns.

Placencia

Placencia is the name of both a slender, 25-kilometer (16-mile) peninsula that runs parallel to the Belizean mainland and the village at its southernmost tip. Home to some of the country’s most spectacular beaches, this long ribbon of land is flanked to the west by a lagoon and views of the distant Maya Mountains and to the east by mangroves and the turquoise Caribbean Sea. Placencia Village draws the majority of the peninsula’s visitors and is a relaxed, somewhat ramshackle spot with dive shops, restaurants, bars, and a colorful mix of expat and Creole locals. Just off Placencia’s shores, you’ll find diving, snorkeling, and sailing; visitors can also explore nearby mangroves and deserted cayes by kayak or fish for tarpon, tuna, or mackerel.

Lamanai Activities

Included for free in the 2 night package are 4 tours. Clients can choose from the following:

• Lamanai Maya Ruins – Maya Archaeology Site (3 Hours)
• Jungle Dawn – Nature walk at Dawn (1.5 to 2 Hours)
• Sunrise Canoe Expedition (2 to 2.5 Hours)
• Maya Medicine Trail (1.5 Hours)
• Sunset Cocktail Cruise (1.5 to 2 Hours)
• Nature Walk (1 – 2 hours)
• Spotlight Nature Safari (1.5 to 2 hours)
• Night Walks (1.5 – 2 hours)

Some special activities are not included in the package and can only be booked and paid for at the lodge:

• Native Fishing (2-3 Hours)
• Howler Monkey Trek (2 Hours)
• Sunset Airboat Safari (2 Hours)
• Crocodile Encounter – Airboat trip to find out about the Morelet’s Crocodile (1.5 to 2 Hours)
• Night Spear Fishing (2 to 2.5 Hours)
• Birding Expeditions

Rio Grande Kayaking

You will be driven the six miles to the village of San Miguel and the road bridge over the Rio Grande where you will begin your kayaking expedition downstream to the Lodge itself. This is a trip of between 3.5-4 hours. There is no white water but you will float down the jungle clad banks of the deep green river and may see turtles, river otters and many iguanas which often launch themselves from their tree perches over the water at the approach of kayaks to seek refuge on the river bottom. There are also many herons, cormorants, kingfishers and other bird species to make this a magical and unforgettable experience.

Monkey River: Crocodiles and Howler Monkeys, Nature and Wildlife Tour

Monkey river is a wonderful nature and wildlife tour where you take a river cruise up a lush jungle river keeping a weather eye out for crocodiles, manatees, green iguanas, a menagerie of birds and then enjoy a moderate, 40 min jungle hike looking for howler monkeys, birds and other wildlife. Guests are met at their hotel and transferred to the dock where they board their boat for this trip. Guests will also need to pay the US$1.00 entrance fee. 

Snorkelling the Famous Belize Reef – Full Day with BBQ Lunch

Guests are met at the hotel and transferred to the operator’s office to pick up their snorkel equipment and for any final preparations. We then transfer to the dock and board the motor boat for our transfer out to the reef and to our island destination. The specific snorkeling destination will vary from day to day depending on weather conditions and guest preference. The boat transfer out to the reef usually takes 35min to 1hr. The closest destination is Laughing Bird Caye and the furthest is Silk Caye, Ranguana or Pompion caye. Once we arrive at the designated caye guests will put on their equipment and the guide will give a small briefing. We then begin snorkeling from the beach, enjoying a variety of tropical fish and colorful coral formations. Guests enjoy a break for lunch and relaxation before exploring another snorkel spot in the afternoon. After a fabulous day of snorkeling on Belize’s reef we transfer back to the mainland and to the hotel.

Orange Walk District: Lamanai Outpost Lodge – Mid Range Jungle Lodge

Lamanai Outpost Lodge is situated on the banks of Lamanai Lagoon and just yards from the famous Lamanai Archaeology Site. Access to the lodge is normally by a tranquil river boat ride where guests can enjoy viewing the local wildlife as they travel. The lodge has 17 cabanas of different categories and a restaurant and bar. The lodge operates an all-inclusive system where guests can choose and sign up for the tours they wish to go on each day. Specialist bird watching tours are available. This is a great lodge for couples, families and small groups interested in nature and wildlife.

• Facilities: Restaurant, Bar, Tours
• Location: 3hr from Belize City by road and boat. Adjacent to the Lamanai Archaeology Site and Lagoon

Toledo District – Punta Gorda: Lodge at Big Falls – Mid Range Boutique Jungle / Eco Lodge

The Lodge at Big Falls is a wonderful, boutique, eco-lodge which offers a high level of service from the live-in owners. The owners operate the lodge with a high level of focus on sustainable tourism and the lodge benefits the local community in many ways. There are only 8 cabins at the lodge making it a unique and highly personalized option in this fascinating area of Belize. Guests can take part in many cultural and nature-based tours from the lodge as well as relax by the pool or take part in activities on the lodge’s grounds.

• Facilities: 8 Cabins, Internet, Full Restaurant, Swimming Pool, River Access
• Location: Remote location 30min drive from Punta Gorda

Placencia: Chabil Mar Villas – Beach Resort Hotel

An All-Villa Caribbean-Front boutique resort, featuring individualized decor crafted from locally grown hardwoods and the colorful artwork of local artisans. Enjoy 400 feet of private beach and pier, and a menu comprised of wonderful Belize cuisine, prepared by an award-winning chef at seaside al fresco Café Mar. Guests may also opt for dining in their own villas at no additional charge.

• Facilities: 1 and 2-bedroom villas, 2 Pools, private pier, restaurant
• Location: 5min drive from Placencia Town and 5min from Placencia Airport

For more information: info@viaventure.com