Belize is an amazing country with great biological, cultural and scenic diversity, ranging from jungle and mountains to the second largest barrier reef in the world. It has one of the lowest population densities of any country in the western hemisphere - 300,000 people in an area the size of Massachusetts.

Your Belizean experience begins at Indian Creek Lodge located in the southeastern part of the country. This new lodge is situated within walking distance of the famed Nim Li Punit Maya ruin. Here you will spend time exploring not only the Mayan culture, but sampling the nearby jungle and perhaps exploring one of the caves of the region. Many of the staff people and guides at Indian Creek Lodge can trace their ancestry to the Maya people. Continuing your journey you will kayak down the gentle Golden Stream to the next destination, Jungle Lodge. Though this new lodge is remote and isolated, it offers incredible luxury and fabulous meals. Days here will be spent exploring the jungle by kayak or trail, with an opportunity to go by boat to small, isolated Caribbean islands in the Port Honduras Marine Zone, a protected reserve. From this southeast region you will travel to the Maya Mountains and the Mountain Pine Ridge Reserve where you will spend two nights at Francis Ford Coppolas' famous Blancaneaux Lodge. Situated on a lovely stream with waterfalls, the lodge is noted for its aesthetically designed cabins and fine food and wine. Blancaneaux is the perfect place from which to visit the famed Caracol Maya ruins - an all day excursion with picnic lunch. The last part of your journey is spent in the northern part of the country at Lamanai Outpost, noted for its own unique Mayan ruins and fabulous bird life.

DAY 1
USA - Belize City
Fly from the US to Belize City (about a two hour flight from Houston). Here you will make a connecting flight (about 40 minutes) to Indian Creek Lodge for dinner and overnight. D

DAY 2
INDIAN CREEK: CULTURAL & ECOLOGICAL EXPLORATION
Today you will have your first exposure to the tropical jungle (technically it's known as a moist tropical forest, as opposed to rain forest) by hiking on the Boden Creek trail. Your native guide can point out and explain traditional medicinal plants whose uses date back to Maya times and earlier. He or she can also identify the many birds and flowering plants found here. With luck you may spot such wildlife as the white lipped peccary or tapirs or maybe even a jaguar.

After lunch at the lodge, you will visit Num Li Punit, the Mayan ruins nearby. In its heyday, the Mayan civilization lasted from about 250AD to around 900AD. Though sparsely populated today, this region once had hundreds of thousands of Mayan inhabitants living in such places as nearby Lubaantun and Num Li Punit. Num Li Punit means "Big Hat" and was so named because one of the intricately carved stelas (standing monoliths created by the Mayas for ceremonial purposes) depicts a chief wearing a huge hat. The longest Mayan stela yet discovered is found here - 33 feet in length. If time allows there may be a visit to Lubaantun ruins.

Dinner and overnight at Indian Creek Lodge. If you wish, you can enjoy a meal featuring traditional cuisine. B,L,D

DAY 3
INDIAN CREEK TO JUNGLE CAMP
In the morning you will have time to do some more exploring by short hikes or spend some time at the ecological exhibit. This exhibit features two captive jaguars that were rescued by Ken Karas, documentary filmmaker and founder of Indian Creek and Jungle Lodges. These jaguars, captive born in Mexico, were destined to be sent to a zoo in Honduras and, at great effort, Ken has designed and built for them a very large natural enclosure in the forest reserve here. Since biologists determined that these magnificent cats would probably not survive on their own in the wild, Ken has provided for them the closest thing to a wild environment.

After lunch you will begin your kayak journey on Golden Stream to Jungle Camp. This pleasant trip takes about three hours on the quiet waters of the stream as it flows through the heart of pristine tropical forest. B,L,D

DAY 4
JUNGLE CAMP EXLORATION OF THE FOREST ENVIRONMENT BY KAYAK AND TRAIL
In the morning after breakfast you will have the opportunity of exploring the forest environment by kayaking both upstream and downstream from the lodge. The quietness of the kayaks allows you to approach animal and birdlife closer than one could in boats powered by engines. Overnight Jungle Camp. B,L,D

DAY 5
EXPLORATION OF TROPICAL FOREST BY TRAIL AND KAYAK
Today you have the option of more exploration by Kayak on Golden Stream or walking the jungle trails with expert guide(s). The more time you spend on the trails or in the kayaks the better your chances of spotting the more elusive wildlife and birds. Overnight Jungle Camp. B,L,D

DAY 6
EXPLORATION OF THE CARIBBEAN COAST
Getting an early start, you will boat down Golden Stream to the Caribbean, using a specially designed silent electric boat. On the way to the Caribbean coast you can experience the changing ecosystem, from thick forest to mangrove swamps. Mangroves are a vital ecosystem for many species. The tangle of roots and mud provide shelter and food for young shrimp and turtles and this zone has many different species of birds. At the Caribbean shore you will switch to a conventional power boat for exploration of the many small, uninhabited cays that make up the Port Honduras Marine Zone. You will enjoy a picnic lunch under a palm tree on a dazzling sandy beach, looking out on a vista of clear turquoise waters. Later you will return to Golden Stream and travel back to Jungle Camp for dinner and overnight. B,L,D

DAY 7
JUNGLE CAMP TO BLANCANEAUX LODGE
After an early breakfast, you will once more travel downstream, this time to a meeting point where you will transfer to a vehicle to be driven to Indian Creek Lodge for an early lunch. After lunch, you will drive overland, along the scenic Hummingbird Highway, to the Mountain Pine Ridge reserve in the Maya Mountains. This drive is leisurely and gives an opportunity to see and photograph the diverse land features of Belize. Later in the afternoon you will arrive at Francis Ford Coppola's famed Blancaneaux Lodge. Originally built as a writing retreat by Coppola, it now has numerous guest cabins set in a forest environment on a stream with waterfalls. The food and wine here are outstanding. Overnight Blancaneaux Lodge. B,L

DAY 8
A VISIT TO CARACOL
After breakfast you will embark on the drive to the famed Caracol Mayan ruins. The road travels through diverse forests ranging from pines to tropical ecosystems. Next to Tikal in nearby Guatemala, Caracol is one of the most famous and impressive of Mayan ruins. As you wander through this quiet place cloaked in thick jungle, it's hard to believe that several hundred thousand people once lived here. You will have a chance to explore leisurely and have a picnic lunch here, returning to Blancaneaux Lodge in the afternoon. Dinner and overnight at Blancaneaux Lodge. B,L

DAY 9
XUNANTUNICH AND SAN IGNACIO
After breakfast you will drive to another famous Mayan ruin, Xunantunich (pronounced Shoo-nahn-too-neech). To get there your vehicle will cross the Mopan River by means of a hand cranked ferry! At the ruins, you will see some of the amazing architecture and from atop El Castillo, the central temple, you have an incredible 360 degree panorama. After picnic lunch and leisure exploration, you can return to the town of San Ignacio for some shopping. This will give you a chance to sample the town's famous "Mayan Pizza" in one the small restaurants and perhaps speculate on whether the Mayan people really did invent pizza. Returning to Blancaneaux in the afternoon, you will have a chance to explore the beautiful grounds along the river. Dinner and overnight, Blancaneaux Lodge. B,L

DAY 10
BLANCANEAUX TO LAMANAI AND VISIT TO BELIZE ZOO
After breakfast you will drive on the Western Highway toward Belize City, stopping for a visit at the Belize Zoo. This is no ordinary zoo! Founded by naturalist Sharon Matola in 1983, it displays native Belizean wildlife in natural surroundings. Here you'll see more than 125 native animals, including jaguars, ocelots, howler monkeys, tapirs and an abundance of birds. You will continue on to the northern part of Belize, arriving at New River. Here you will journey upstream for about two hours and observe an amazing variety of bird life. In late afternoon you will arrive at Lamanai Outpost Lodge on the west shore of New River Lagoon, a long, narrow lake. The setting of the lodge is amid beautiful landscaped gardens on a hillside overlooking the lake. After dinner you can enjoy evening wildlife viewing by boat using spotlights along the shores and channels of the lake. Overnight at Lamanai Outpost Lodge. B,L,D

DAY 11
LAMANAI MAYAN RUINS, CANOEING AND BOATING, MEDICINAL PLANT WALK
After breakfast you will visit the Lamanai Mayan ruins with a guide. The most unusual feature of Lamanai is a huge stylized mask carved into the wall of a temple. The intricate detail of the carving will amaze you. After lunch at the Outpost Lodge, you can relax or take a leisurely canoe trip on the lake with a guide. Later in the afternoon you will have an opportunity to take a walk with a guide well versed in traditional medicinal plants. After dinner you can make another evening wildlife viewing boat trip. Overnight Lamanai Outpost Lodge. B,L,D

DAY 12
LAMANAI OUTPOST TO INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT, RETURN HOME
After an early breakfast, you will boat down the lagoon and New River to the Northern highway to be met by our vehicles. You will return to the Belize International Airport in time for your connecting flights to the U.S. B

- US$ 3,600.00 Per Person
- US$ 4,150.00 Per Person During Holiday Season