Belize Glover's Reef & Mayan Caves Multisport

Comments about REI Adventures Belize Glover's Reef & Mayan Caves Multisport:

The "Reef And Caves Multisport" trip description was the key draw for us (50-something couple & teenage daughter). The itinerary was well-planned to provide good diversity of outdoor Belize while emphasizing the remote reef atoll experiences. Plus a short roadway tour of interior Belize between the two main parts of the itinerary.

Read and heed the comments of other travelers taking this trip, with special thanks to Barrett for his 2012 travel log.

The most memorable mainland activity was the cave tubing. Lots of fun, and very relaxing, but we tubed at a low water period so maybe the current is more challenging at other times. Everything you bring on the fairly easy hike to the river for the tubing is subject to immersion. Your footwear will get wet. Water shoes (Teva, Keen, etc.) make more sense than boots (I see no need for hiking boots at any point in this trip), and flip flops may flip off. Leave day packs and dry clothes in the shuttle bus.

We thoroughly enjoyed the island activities and setting. The snorkle-accessible reefs were very healthy. A couple folks took advantage of the SCUBA opportunities with the other outfit sharing the island, and they reported that the deeper reefs were even better. We enjoyed the kayaking, but we own our own at home so we were adequately conditioned. Some of the first-time kayakers were challenged, especially when the wind came up, but the guides were very helpful. Kayak sailing was a new experience.

Take the sun exposure seriously. Long sleeve synthetic tops were the rule. I used a thin (1.5 mm) wetsuit for a complete head-to-toe sun block on the water, but most others didn't. Water temp was ~80 degrees F; very nice for snorkeling, but I was glad for the full body covering. Wide brim hats, or neck gaiters, were helpful.

Major "con" #1: biting flies and mosquitoes. Other reviewers seemed to avoid these but we didn't. Our trip the second week of April was ~3 weeks after the last rain, but may have come after a big bug hatch.

Major "con" #2: the safari tents used on the island got very hot in the full sun and took all night to cool down. Breezes were nice, and constant, but sleeping was still somewhat uncomfortable. No electricity so no fans.

I had hoped to be able to do a little hand laundry with liquid camp soap after a few days, but this was not realistic. Rinsing opportunities only. Good clothes lines between the tents.

The abundance and quality of the Glover's Reef food was impressive given the modest kitchen. Not quite gourmet, but tasty, and usually fresh & local. Pretty good breakfast coffee too.

The guides and staff were cheerful, helpful, knowledgable, and enthusiastic about sharing Belize.

Comments about REI Adventures Belize Glover's Reef & Mayan Caves Multisport:

Notes from a gear aficionado on the family vacation in Belize

The basics of the trip were two days inland and five days offshore – the actual outfitter was a company called Island Expeditions and we booked it through REI (Island Expeditions is also the Belize outfitter for National Geographic). As a bit of color to the company, we spent a couple of days with the founder in country – he is a tall, lanky Canadian with the most excellent stories of 'the early days' driving from Canada to Belize festooned with equipment hanging off a van and trailer.

Our trip was nine guests – we made up four (maw, paw, 13 year old-going-on-30 son and 11 year old never-met-a-stranger daughter) and there was only one other kid on the trip – nine-year old Dalton.

The first two days were with Juan Carlos on the mainland. We had some time at the nature preserve by the zoo, tubing in a cave (which was worth doing), zip-lining (I'm partial to this setup – they were double cabled on all the runs and they did not freak out when I rode a couple of runs upside down), dinner in a local restaurant and a night trip to the zoo. Some people will not like the zoo because the animals are pretty habituated (to be fair, most of the animals are rescues from being domestic "pets"), but it was pretty cool to actually touch a jaguar's paw as she pressed up against the fence.

We were in permanent structures with a cot/mattress. If you are used to a backpacking tent and an inflatable pad, it was very high end. Bathrooms down the path – but flush toilets and hot private showers.

In addition to the generic gear list, I have the following observations. Binoculars were used – medium small size. This is not the occasion to lug around the big 50mm, but I would go more than the pocket binoculars. The list said hiking boots. We did not encounter anything that was not easily handled by keens.

My piece de resistance for this phase (and similar situations) is a laser point – a high output 'astrological' laser that you can see in daylight. This device has helped the kids find more birds and animals than I can remember – instead of describing the second fork in the big tree, you just follow the green dot. Also, the really high-powered ones provide very cool illumination of the water around a crocodile swimming at night.

The trip to the island involved a good bit of driving on a road in Latin America before getting to the point where we embarked on a boat for the island. There was a lot of interesting communication over concern about stuff getting wet in the boat on the trip out. Could happen, but all the wrapping in plastic bags was overkill for our experience. Trip out was something over an hour. Rough in parts – but in a small open boat most people took it more like a roller coaster ride. Based on the advice most people bundled up in rain jackets, but none of the guides did.

The island was fabulous. The stars were really amazing – maybe the best I have ever seen. We were in tents made of plasticized canvas with wood floors and cots with mattresses. Plenty of windows in the tent and near constant breeze coming off the ocean. Composting toilets and the best bet for fresh water rinsing was the MSR dromedaries they put on a rack by the main building where they would get warm from the sun. Fresh water management is a core element of existing that afar out, so showers were neither hot nor long.

Two unexpected high points – food and kayak fleet. Despite the activity, I gained weight. Really excellent food. Also, I was expecting a couple of beat up, old Ocean Kayaks. Most of the boats were Necky models that I recognized. Half the doubles were fiberglass – older, refitted boats, but most of the refit hardware was Seaward and the local guy refitting the boat is an artisan.

After the obligatory kayak wet exit practice and orientation snorkel so the guides decided we were not totally incompetent, there was plenty of kayaking and snorkeling. One day of organized fishing on the small motorboat – I did lots of fishing on my own.

We have done a number of trips like this and we find the better companies are better because they find guides who like what they are doing. This was no exception – they were interesting individuals who spent time with everyone and really enjoyed being there. This included organizing hermit crab races and facilitating coconut harvesting with the kids.

As far as risk, I found the trip pretty benign. The most concern I had was on the night snorkel when a scorpion fish was spotted (venomous fish that looks sort of like a rock). On the one hand, you don't get to see something like that very often. On the other, it was my 13 year old that spotted and identified it, and we were sort of surrounding the fish in the three feet of water under the pier when the situation became fully apparent. Not unlike spotting a rattlesnake on a hike, just a little closer than you had hoped. Everything ending uneventfully (and hey, how many people have actually been in the water looking at a scorpion fish at night).

On the subject of venomous fish, most people will recognize a lionfish when they see it. What they may not know is that it is an invasive species that is reeking havoc from the Carolinas to Panama and professional guides are working to eradicate them. So our guides speared quite a few with Hawaiian slings. The preferred use is to feed them to moray eels (we did not get to see this, but I am told it is amazing/terrifying to watch the eel feast) trying to habituate the morays to eating them because the moray's can stand the venom. Properly cleaned, you can eat them (we did) and they are a pretty decent fish. There is movement to get them on restaurant menus. Had I known, I would have taken a sling and participated (which the guides would have been fine with given my experience level – probably not a great idea if you don't have much time in the water and/or no experience spearfishing).

For some more gear geek notes, I brought my big Texas hat, which was a mistake. The big brimmed ball cap with a cape worked much better. Check out fly-fishing stores. Also those buff neck gaiters are a good idea. Water bottles better than bladders (camelbaks) because we were using them in the kayaks/boat a lot.

Never put on a short sleeve shirt. Two regular long sleeve shirts (I got by with cotton), plus a long sleeve rash guard and something you might wear in the evening like a linen shirt. I was also mostly in long pants. REI sells a lot of workable stuff, but you might also check out a company called Rail Riders and people who cater to the bonefish/fly fishing the flats crowd.

You need to cover your feet – lots of coral bits. I used a pair of flip-flops and a pair of keens. I also had neoprene bootees that go with my diving fins and a pair of wading boots. You only need the wading boots if you are going to be hard-core fishing in the flats – these were not sand, there was a lot of eelgrass and a lot of coral debris.

On fishing – the fishing that the guides directly support is hand line fishing off the boat. Gloves are a requirement for this. Some people were getting by with bike gloves that they also used for kayaking. Kayaking gloves would be fine. Buff makes fishing specific gloves, which were also good for this application. I took both fly and spinning tackle as well – nothing remarkable from that experience. For the boat, the spinning tackle should be heavier than you think – mostly bottom fishing and trolling – 50 pound line and wire leaders. We landed a vast array of stuff.

Snorkeling was amazing. Great visibility. I got a really good photo of a tarpon I have up as my screen saver. We did do a night snorkel, so you want bring a dive light. My team wore only skin suits – more for sun protection than anything else. Some people put on wetsuits. If you are typically cold, I would consider taking at least a shorty. Wetsuits are something they have a challenge procuring locally, so you might consider donating an older or too small wetsuit. Definitely take your own mask/snorkel that you know works for you – their gear room is not extensive. I used one of the new Nikon ruggedized cameras. Generally worked great (how I took the tarpon picture) but did get some condensation inside. The whole family tried the new split fin style of fin this trip and they were universally preferred to the solid fins.

The island only has power a couple of hours in the evening when the generator is running. You can charge electronics. No electric in the tents – you get a kerosene hurricane lamp for light, so you may want small battery operated lantern. Headlamps were used for getting around and hermit crab hunts.

We had virtually no bug problems, but I observed a lot of lizard and they are eating something. We also had wind almost the whole time. The guides did mention problems with the "hairless tailed coconut squirrel" and strongly suggested that all food products be stored in metal binds in the main building. [If you are struggling with that, we are talking about rats]. We never saw a "squirrel" or any evidence of one.

There were plenty of cloths lines (the support lines for the tents are interconnected, so they are parallel to the ground about 7 feet high) and the wind-dried things pretty quickly. Keep in mind that it is very humid and when I say that it dried things, I do not mean that crisp from the oven effect that you get with your electric dryer at home. Given time in that environment, paper products will fray (look at their bookshelf in the main building) and nothing gets dry in the way our climate-controlled appliance-driven experience back home provides. But I find it a great part of the experience – the cloths had an authentic sea breeze scent to them and seemed to have a slightly different texture. If you really need full dryness, some people suggested talc powder or corn starch for feet, etc. We did not bring any and I think you would need it stored in an air tight bag. I wear a kilt/skirt part of the time to be sure I am staying dry enough (and a big advocate of the kilt for this reason – I mean, isn't obvious which sex needs more freedom down there).

And for the adults, a note on alcohol (eye roll from my wife that I include this). They depend on the bar at the dive resort on the other side of the island for pretty much everything except the night's ration of either rum punch, local wine or local beer. On our week, the bar was closed to us because of a private event at the dive resort. At my request, the guide procured an extra case of beer (which definitely upped the tip). So if you want anything special in the way of liquor, probably a good idea to bring it. Also, it is apparently difficult to get any liquor except local rum at reasonable prices – I got this info at the end of the trip when I offered the guides any of my stuff that I could easily replace and they couldn't get in Belize. The immediate response from the American guide was liquor other than local rum – any time he has a friend or family member visit, he has them stock up at duty free on the way through customs to supply him.

While we still have a fairly long bucket list, we are considering a return trip. Probably not the full prepackaged deal, but some more time on the island. Very isolated, despite sharing the island with the dive resort. Great snorkeling, great stars, great food.

Comments about REI Adventures Belize Glover's Reef & Mayan Caves Multisport:

Only 2 negative comments: we had no time at the TEC to hike the trails, every minute was accounted for. And there was no fresh fruit with meals at TEC. Too many positive comments to list!! The guides on the caye were fantastic - knowledgeable, safety-conscious, friendly, helpful. The food on the caye is 5 star!!!

Comments about REI Adventures Belize Glover's Reef & Mayan Caves Multisport:

Bed on Glover's reef was very hard and even painful to sleep on. Tents leaked and it rained every night. Rats on the island get into your tent. Food was excellent, staff was terrific, activities were at a good pace and everyone could participate at their discretion.

Comments about REI Adventures Belize Glover's Reef & Mayan Caves Multisport:

Bring books, your paintbrush, anything you've been meaning to catch up on...because there will be time. Lose the watch if you can bare it, I didn't bring one, had no cell or computer. Never knew what time it was or what day it was. Just went by the sun...

"hmm it looks like hammock surfing time!"

"Afternoon nap time.."

Conk Horn "oh, time to eat :o)"

Comments about REI Adventures Belize Glover's Reef & Mayan Caves Multisport:

This trip is fantastic. The guides are truly great. Most were local people, well educated, with just the right amount of knowledge as to history, culture, Mayas, marine biology, conservation, and the sports with which they each helped us. At the same time, they were never in your face, nosy, never hurried you, they were there if you needed them and not there if you did not. They just seemed to magically be there at the right place and the right time when you needed/wanted them. Despite group size (20!), we never felt herded or lost in the crowd. Most fellow travelers shared outdoor interests and had the right attitude, which made everything run very smooth. Being on time is important (but it was not an issue for anyone in our group).

The location, Belize, was amazing. Little developed country that felt safe, honest, and warm. The zip-lining and cave tubing were a lot of fun and you always felt very safe. The Caye (key/island) accommodations at Glover's Reef were amazing – it is a privately, locally owned island that was not being used by anyone else, so our group had it all for itself. The kayaks and other provided equipment (like hammocks!) were in very good shape. Snorkeling and fishing one of the world's greatest barrier reefs (second only to Australia's Great Barrier Reef) was an experience like no other. The not so great part were the showers, which had showerheads that basically sprayed against the wall – but you can fix that by taking a small bucket or bowl to shower with you, collecting water there, and then pouring on self. Feel guilty saying that as it's not that big of a deal, but it is an inconvenience for people with long hair.

Overall, everything we expected, wanted, needed, and more.

Comments about REI Adventures Belize Glover's Reef & Mayan Caves Multisport:

We had a phenomenal time on this trip! It was everything we thought it would be and more. The guides and service were outstanding. I would definately recommend this trip.

Comments about REI Adventures Belize Glover's Reef & Mayan Caves Multisport:

The guides from [...] (Bernaldo, Mike, and Dave) were so fantastic. Bernaldo and Mike are native to Belize, and their passion and knowledge of their country is amazing. Dave was also great and very knowledgeable. The cook, Marta, was fantastic about accomodating food allergies and made super delicious food. The snorkeling and kayaking were awesome. There were options for those more and less experienced. There is always the option of opting-out to enjoy the beach. No pressure for participation. Very accomodating and patient guides. I could not have asked for a better vacation. Thank you!

Comments about REI Adventures Belize Glover's Reef & Mayan Caves Multisport:

It was fun to do the two touristy things (cave-tubing and zip-lining) and see a bit of the interior of Belize. We visited Mayan ruins on our own and I am really glad we did. The five days out at Glover's Reef was the perfect length of time! The food and fresh bread were great!! The accommodations were close together and you could hear the nature noises as well as the other tents. Thankfully everyone is very thoughtful and we had no trouble with noise.

Comments about REI Adventures Belize Glover's Reef & Mayan Caves Multisport:

This trip was the most enjoyable vacation I've ever taken! It was so great to have everything planned out for you. Each day, you didn't have to figure out your transportation, what or where to eat, organized activities, etc. Everything is planned out for you! You can choose to relax by the beach or be active the entire time. The guides are exceptional and made the trip so much fun. A word to those who have not traveled in large groups - just keep in mind you will be with 10-20 strangers the entire time. You eat meals together, travel together, do activities together, etc. So, if you're looking for some alone time this is not the trip. This being said, I did meet some incredibly wonderful people in our group!

The accomodations on this trip are that of camping, so keep that in mind and travel light. The weather was absolutely perfect during my trip in March. No rain, really comfortable temperatures, and the humidity didn't seem high. Overall, a really wonderful experience!