Belize Paradise Islands Kayaking

Paradise Islands Kayaking Itinerary:

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• Day 1 Welcome to Belize, Mother Nature's best kept secret. Settle into your forest cabana at the Tropical Education Center.

  Your trip begins today in Belize City, Belize. Arrive at the Belize International Airport where you will be met by an Island Expeditions representative and transferred in the late afternoon to the Tropical Education Center, adjacent to the Belize Zoo. After settling into our forest cabanas we have a chance to meet our fellow travelers over dinner. At the Tropical Education Center, you can explore the surrounding savannah forest through their network of interpretative trails and wildlife viewing platforms. There is also an interpretative center, which details the diverse ecology of Belize, and is an ideal starting point for the adventure ahead. Dinner included.

• Day 2 Travel the Hummingbird Route through the Maya Mountains before boating out to the first island on the southern Barrier Reef.

  Waking up to the sounds of the tropics is a pure delight with the chatter of parrots and parakeets flying overhead, the fresh morning air scented with tropical blossoms and the expectation of an exciting adventure filled day ahead. After breakfast, we travel the Hummingbird Route through the Maya Mountains to meet up with our motor charter waiting to take us to our first island on the southern Barrier Reef. We’ll introduce you to safety in a tropical marine environment and then begin with teaching the fundamentals of sea kayaking, including safety, group and self rescues and touring techniques. Enjoy a swim, explore the island shoreline and then after a tasty Belizean lunch we begin our journey paddling over top submerged coral reefs , turtle grass beds and through narrow mangrove channels to reach our first nights accommodations. We’ll land our kayaks right in front of our lodge on Tobacco Caye, settle into our accommodations and then enjoy drinks and dinner. All meals included.

• Day 3 Paddle around the sheltered lagoons, mangrove channels and surrounding reefs and cayes of the South Water Caye Marine Reserve.

  Situated right on the barrier reef in the heart of the South Water Caye Marine Reserve, we are ideally positioned to explore the surrounding reefs and cays. Start with a steaming mug of coffee and fresh tropical fruits, then enjoy an early morning swim or paddle before breakfast. Our focus for the morning will include snorkeling (our first session begins with a thorough instruction and demonstration with snorkeling techniques, beginner to advanced) to Tobacco Caye cut and the outer reef walls.
  
  In the afternoon we’ll paddle to nearby cays to explore the sheltered lagoons and mangrove channels returning in the evening to Tobacco Caye. All meals included.

• Day 4 On to our next destination today - South Water Caye. Hoist the sails for a little kayak sailing!

  Looking south with our gaze following the line of breaking waves along the barrier reef crest we can see the next island we'll be traveling to today—South Water Caye. After packing our kayaks with our personal gear, we'll wish fond farewells to our hosts and start our day on the water with an introduction to kayak sailing. From here, we'll paddle and sail our kayaks along one of the most beautiful sections of the entire reef system. The waters are shallow and clear and we'll see a tremendous variety of marine life including southern stingrays, eagle rays, grouper, nurse sharks and more. As we make our way to South Water Caye with its coconut palms swaying in the wind, this is a day you'll wish could go on forever. We'll land our kayaks on the beach, check into our accommodations, enjoy an ice cold drink and explore the island before dinner, then maybe try a little bone fishing action on a fly rod, or an evening snorkel session on South Water cut. All meals included.

• Day 5 Discover different regions of the reef from the kayaks or with your mask and snorkel.

  We have plenty of time to kayak, snorkel, fish and enjoy the scenery and marine life of Belize. We explore different regions of the reef including the inner and outer walls, patch and fringing reefs, mangrove ranges and protected lagoons. As we explore by kayak, our routes often cross those of the fishermen who make their living from the sea, and with this inter-action we gain good company and an insight into a way of life that is very different from our own. All meals included.

• Day 6 On your last day you paddle to Billy Hawk Caye to enjoy the incredible off-shore snorkeling.

  For our last day on the cayes we will paddle to Billy Hawk Caye (in the Blue Ground Range), a Garifuna fishing camp, for lunch and an afternoon of snorkeling. This evening we celebrate our final night together with a seafood feast and island festivities. All meals included.

• Day 7 Depart out of Dangriga, Belize today.

  After an early breakfast, our water taxi takes us back to the mainland and the town of Dangriga, where the trip finishes. Any extra luggage that you have stored at our Operations Base will be made available to you to repack. Unless otherwise requested REI Adventures will arrange a flight for you from Dangriga to the Belize City International Airport. To allow enough time for the charter boat from the cayes to the mainland, picking up bags you have left behind and your flight from Dangriga to Belize City you should schedule flights out of Belize City after 12:00 pm on the last day of the trip. Breakfast included.

Although we do our best to adhere to the schedule listed above, this itinerary is subject to change for numerous reasons beyond our control.

Please check with us before purchasing your airline tickets to ensure your trip has the necessary minimum number of participants required to operate the trip.

Trip accommodations are based on double occupancy. If you are willing to share we will pair up single travelers based on their gender and no single fee will be required. On some occasions a share room may not be available and only a single room with the applicable fee may be possible. If single accommodations are requested, you will be asked to pay the single supplement amount. Please note: we will do our best to accommodate you with single accommodations but some lodges we use are very small and a private room may not be available for all nights. If you need to share a room with a fellow traveler of the same gender we will refund any single supplement amount that may apply to the shared room.

All accommodations; all meals as noted in the daily itinerary; airport transfers; transportation within Belize; local English-speaking guides; kayaks and gear (life vests, paddles, dry bags, etc.); South Water Caye Marine Park Fees; Government taxes.

Airfare to Belize, flight from Dangriga to Belize City; departure taxes; guide gratuities; items of a personal nature; alcoholic beverages or soft drinks; excess baggage charges or insurance of any kind. NOTE: Flight from Dangriga to Belize City is not included in the tour cost, but the cost of this flight is collected by REI Adventures and arrangements are made and pre-paid in conjunction with your tour booking.

A special cancellation policy applies to all Belize trips. Please note that the cancellation policy is stricter than REI Adventures’ standard policy. Final payment is due 60 days before departure for regular season and 90 days prior for holiday dates. The following change and cancel fees apply:

Regular season departures (Jan 2 to Dec 14)
91+ days prior to departure – $200 penalty
61 to 90 days – full deposit is non-refundable
31 to 60 days – 50% of trip cost
0 to 30 days – 100% of trip cost

Holiday season departures (Dec 15 – Jan 1)
91+ days prior to departure – $400
61 to 90 days – 50% of trip cost
31 to 60 days – 75% of trip cost
0 to 30 days – 100% of trip cost

This trip is rated as Easy Active [2]. It is suitable for people of all ages who enjoy an active, adventurous, and educational vacation. We provide thorough expert skills instruction during our trips—no previous experience is needed to participate.

The climate of Belize is sub-tropical. Although we will be traveling during the dry season, the infrequent “northerly” can blow down from the Gulf of Mexico, bringing with it cooler temperatures and rain. Inland conditions can change quickly with afternoon thunderstorms and heavy rainfall commonly occurring. Typically, temperatures range from 70 - 100° F with high humidity during the day, dropping at night to 70 - 80°F. From December to May, conditions are usually clear, sunny and warm. December is generally cooler.

On our arrival into Belize we will be spending the night at the Tropical Education Centre in our Forest Cabanas. Our cabanas are situated in a serene tropical pine forest setting. Bathrooms and showers are situated in a separate building in the Forest Cabana complex. The Education Centre harbors Belize's largest collection of tropical animal specimens, a fantastic Interpretative Centre, and has a great network of trails and wildlife viewing platforms perfect for exploring the pine savannah setting. While out on the cayes we kayak between islands along the Southern Barrier Reef and stay in small Belizean owned lodges. Facilities include running water and fully serviced bathrooms where we stay. We stay a total of 5 nights along the eastern edge of the Barrier Reef. On the final morning after breakfast we take a water taxi back to the mainland in time to make your flight connections home or connect with the next stage of your trip. NOTE: You will be carrying your personal equipment and clothing in waterproof bags which go into the hatches of each kayak. You will be supplied with several 20 litre waterproof bags for this purpose.

This trip is subject to the booking information set forth in the current REI Adventures Reservation Information. Please read this information carefully and call us if you have any questions. A full gear list and pre-departure information is sent upon sign-up. We highly recommend the purchase of travel insurance through REI Adventures. If coverage is purchased at the time of your initial reservation, the 'Pre-existing Conditions Exclusion' is waived (certain exclusions apply).

We look forward to having you join us for the trip of a lifetime! Why wait? Space is limited, reserve your adventure today.

The key to staying comfortable while on an active trip is layering. To get maximum comfort with minimum weight, you need versatile layers that mix and match to create the right amount of insulation, ventilation and weather protection. This gear list has been created to help you in choosing your equipment for the trip. Try to bring only what is necessary, as this will help you and the field staff.

Weather

The climate of Belize is sub-tropical. Although we are traveling during the dry season, there can be the infrequent “northerly” which blows down from the Gulf of Mexico, bringing with it cooler temperatures and rain. Inland conditions can change quickly with afternoon thunderstorms and heavy rainfall commonly occurring. Typically, temperatures range from 70 - 100° F with high humidity during the day, dropping at night to 70 - 80°F. From December to May, conditions are usually clear, sunny and warm. December is generally cooler.

Gear Checklist

Things to Consider

• Please remember to always pack essential items such as your passport, money, eyewear, hiking boots, a pair of shorts/shirt/fleece top/sandals and medications in your carry-on baggage, in case your luggage is delayed.
• Cotton is wonderful in warm weather. However, once it becomes wet, it will drain your body heat. Bring wool or synthetics such as Capilene, MTS and Thermax.
• Bring clothing that is light in weight and color, which ventilates and protects you from the sun. It is always good to have a lightweight, long-sleeve fleece or synthetic top, especially for the evenings.
• Always test your layers before a trip. Your outer layer should fit easily over the inside ones without binding and bunching up.
• Pack lotions that can help ease itching from bug bites.
• Stuff sacks are great for sorting gear. Use different sizes/colors to differentiate contents.
• Plastic bags are the key to keeping clothing and gear dry. Use Ziploc bags to keep wet clothes separate from dry clothes.
• If you wear prescription glasses, use a safety cord and bring an extra pair if possible. Contact lens wearers should also bring an extra set, or bring eyeglasses for a backup.
• Space for luggage is limited. Pack lightly, fitting all clothing into one duffel bag. During the day, plan on carrying a small daypack with sunscreen, water bottle/hydration system and camera.