We left home near San Francisco about 11pm on Saurday. Our plane was scheduled to leave San Francisco Airport at 1:35am. We boarded the plane about 1am. Our flight on TACA airlines actually pulled away at 1:30 - five minutes early. The plane looked full, I couldn't see any empty seats. I tried to get some sleep, but didn't sleep for more than on hour. We arrived in San Salvador at about 7:00 to change planes before continuing on to Belize. Our plane arrived in Belize at 9:45am. Arrival in Belize was interesting. After the landing, the plane turned around at the end of the runway and taxied back to the terminal on the same runway. Turns out, the Belize airport is fairly small for an international airport. There is only one runway/taxiway. When we came to a stop and got off the plane, I could see that our plane was the only airliner at the airport. There were some other smaller turboprop aircraft at the airport, but no other large airliners.
Belize International Airport
We were met at the terminal by William Black, or just Black to his friends. Black was to drive us to the Cahal Pech resort in San Ignacio located west of Belize City. It was about 2 hours drive to Cahal Pech. Along the way, we passed a number of bicyclists preparing for the Tour de Belize. The cyclists were being escorted by cars and motorcycles. The temperature was about 90, so those riders must have been hot. The terrain around Belize City if flat and there did not seem to be much agriculture near the 2-lane highway as we drove west. The road was fairly clear of other vehicles. Every few miles we’d pass through a small town. In almost every town, Black would cave to someone he knew. The first hour for driving was mostly through a flat plain, with few trees near Belize City, but turning to jungle and low mountains for the last hour.
On the Road west of Belize City
Cyclists practicing for Tour de Belize
Local school girl in her school uniform with her school in background
Gas station near Belize City
On the way to Cahal Pech we passed the Belize National Prison. It was not the kind of place you'd
want to visit. However, it did have a Prison Gift Shop - we didn’t stop at the Gift Shop, but now I wish we had stopped in for a look. What kind of stuff do you buy at a prison gift shop??
Typical colorful home on the road between Belize City and San Ingnacio.
We arrived at Cahal Pech Resort in San Ingnacio at about 12:30pm and checked into our cabana. Cahal Pech is a very relaxed resort with hotel rooms or cabañas. We stayed in one of the cabañas, complete with thatched roof and ceiling fan. After we checked in we had lunch and then went on a walking tour of the small museum and the Mayan ruins at Cahal Pech.
The pool and roof of one of the cabañas at Cahal Pech resort.
Kristin and I at Cahal Pech Resort
The next day we had an early breakfast and met out guide for a trip out to the Mayan Ruins at Caracol. This trip included a 2 hour drive by 4 wheel drive truck through the Mountain Pine Ridge National Park. The road was tough going and full of pot holes and several water crossings. Part of the drive was on 1 lane dirt with dense jungle on both sides of the road. Personally, I could not see any way to even walk through the jungle; it was so dense.
The road to Caracol, this area used to be a pine forest, but was devastated by pine beetles.
A river we crossed on the way to and from Caracol
The road to Caracol, water crossing with road going into the jungle on other side.
Caracol is the largest known Maya center in Belize and is the best ruin this side of the Guatemala border. It has giant temples to climb and from which to see the view of miles of protected Chiquibul forest.
The ruins of Caracol are situated on the Vaca Plateau of the Cayo District. The name Caracol is Spanish for "snail shell" and was given because of the inordinate numbers of snail shells found there. It is one of the more difficult ruins in Belize to access, but conversely, it provides one of the most scenic drives.
At the peak of its existence, the Mayan city of Caracol covered some sixty-five square miles and was home to more than 200,000 people. Caracol, a Classic Period complex, covers 30-square miles of thick, high-canopy jungle, and includes five plazas, an astronomic observatory and over 35,000 buildings which have been identified. The loftiest among them, a massive pyramid (Caana) which is capped by three temples and rises over 140 feet above the jungle floor. Caracol was linked together by more than 20 miles of roadways that radiated outward from its epicenter like the spokes of a wheel.
Since it's rediscovery in the 1920s, archaeologists have found the earliest dated carved stelae in Belize, dating back to 400 A.D., and unearthed the massive structure called Canaa or "Sky Place", believed to have been completed around 800 A.D. It is the tallest and largest human made structure in Belize.
Below are pictures from Caracol.
Caana Pyramid
The Observatory at Caracol.
It's me on top of the Caana pyramid.
On the return trip from Caracol, we stopped at the Rio Frio Cave. Which has a 65 foot high archway at the each end, a stream running through the cave, and huge stalactites had from the rood of the cave.
Rio Frio Cave
And then we continued on to Rio on Pools, where we did some swimming and some slipping and sliding in the waterfalls. The water was cool and comfortable. It was a great way to end the day before going back to the resort.
Rio on Pools
The next day we were off to Barton Creek Cave to do some canoeing. It was another hour or so of four wheeling through jungle and bad roads to get to the cave. Once at the cave, you can canoe about 1 mile into the cave. The only light is from a battery powered, hand held lamp. There were 4 canoes in our little group. Some areas of the cave looked to be 50-60 feet high, in other areas we had to almost lay down in the canoes to pass under the rocks. There is a small restaurant near the cave entrance where you can get lunch and a beer after your return from the cave.
Another road for four wheeling through the jungle on the way to Barton Creek Cave
Entrance to Barton Creek Cave
Trying not to hit our heads on the rocks in Barton Creek Cave
Another view inside Barton Creek Cave
After the cave canoeing, we did some more four wheeling through the jungle to return to the resort by 2:00pm, so we could do even more canoeing. This time it was to canoe down the river that passes through the town of San Ignacio and then into the jungle. This was a chance for us to do some wildlife viewing of iguanas, birds, and other jungle animals while enjoying a peaceful time on the river.
The next morning it was time to go to Ambergris Caye, an island offshore and northeast of Belize City.. We checked out of the resort about 11 am and first headed for the Belize Zoo. We got to see many interesting animals, like jaguars, spider monkeys, tapirs, colorful birds, and many more. It’s a very nice zoo.
Tapir – National animal and one of the residence at the Belize Zoo
Jabiru
After the zoo, it was off to the water taxi for the transfer to Ambergris Caye and the town of San Pedro. We caught the water taxi at Belize City. The water taxi was an open powerboat that carried 30-40 people. Once we pulled out of the harbor, the water taxi really moves fast across the open water and between some small islands with mangrove forests at the waters edge. It was a windy and bumpy on the ride, but all the four wheeling we had done the previous 2 days had gotten us ready for the bumpy ride on the water taxi. After we arrived in San Pedro, we took a taxi to the Banana Beach Resort.
Leaving the harbor at Belize City
A view from the bow of the water taxi as we are speeding through the mangroves
Just a little windy on the water taxi – Kristin is going to kill me for posting this
The next 2 days I focused on snorkeling. We had reservations with Alphonse and his boat, the ‘Lil Alphonse’, and went out to the reef. The reef off Belize is 200 miles long and is the second longest reef in the world.
Sorry I don’t have any underwater pictures. Let’s just say there are a lot of colorful fish, sharks, large rays, and coral formations. Alphonse jumped in the water with us and he was a great guide. He obviously loved his job and was very knowledgeable about the local fish, pointing and naming out many different species of fish. Over the 2 days of snorkeling we visited 4 different places on the reef. The first day we went to Hol Chan Marine Reserve and then to Shark Alley. Frequently I would swim down 20 to 30 feet deep to get a close look at the fish. While at Hol Chan, I went down to see a Moray Eel, but when I got too close to the eel, Alphonse pulled me back by grabbing one of my swim fins. He said I should be a little more careful, the eels have a rather nasty bite. At Shark Alley there were quite a few Nurse Sharks and different kinds of rays. There were several large Horseshoe Rays about 4 feet wide and 6 feet long. The Horseshoe Rays usually have some sand on their backs and if you get close enough to touch them you can draw pictures in the sand on their backs. So I would go down and draw smiley faces or write my name on their backs. Alphonse also showed me how to grab a Nurse shark, so I gave that a try and wrestled one Nurse Shark to the surface so Kristin could take my picture.
Searching for a some sea creature to annoy.
Alphonse playing with a Horseshoe Ray
Wrestling a shark at Shark Alley
The second day of snorkeling, Alphonse took us out to two more spots on the reef, Mexico Rocks and then to Tres Cocos. Mexico Rocks is not part of a protected marine reserve, so you can go fishing or collect shells from the bottom. While we were there we found a couple of Conks (large marine snails). We brought them to the surface where Alphonse showed me how to clean and get the meat out of the Conk. We then ate some very tasty Conk sashimi. At Tres Cocos, I swam out to the breakers at the edge of the reef. Here the water was only about 3 feet deep and the current are quite strong. However, fighting the currents to see the fish and coral as quite an adventure and a lot of fun. You have to be very observant and careful not to get cut on the coral, but I couldn’t resist swimming there because I like to do crazy stuff like that.
Conk shell on right, not yet cleaned Conk meat on left
Eating Conk sashimi fresh from the Carribean– tastes a little like raw shrimp
There is an active nightlife in San Pedro. Two good places to keep yourself occupied at night are Wet Willie’s Lizard Lounge or the Crazy Canucks Beach Bar. Both these places have live music at night, lots of beer, tequila shooters, dancing, and good times
Crazy Canucks Beach Bar - more people and a lot more fun at night
For our last full day in San Pedro, I was planning to rent a motor scooter or motorcycle. However, the roads were so full of potholes and sandy, I had no gear, and I would be two up with Kristin, I decided this was not a good (or safe) idea. Instead we rented a golf cart to tour the island. Golf carts seemed to be the most common form of transportation on the island, where they could be seen all over downtown San Pedro. The speed limit is posted at 15 mph on the island; however, the roads are so bad that while driving the golf cart I don’t think I ever got up to that speed.
Typical motorcycle you could rent in San Pedro
Downtown San Pedro
The main road on Ambergris Caye, a couple of miles north of San Pedro, this picture really doesn’t do justice to the potholes
Lunch – Beer and The Cubano sandwich - roast pork, ham, melted cheese, pickles, and hot sauce, very tasty. When I was taking this picture the waitress asked why I was taking a picture of the lunch. Kristin just said that taking pictures of food was some strange hobby me and my friends have. Strange maybe, but what good is a trip report without a picture of food??
Here’s a pic of one of the local kids out having fun with the local animals. Look at those choppers!!!
A local method for relaxing at the end of the day – The beach and some rum and coke, made from locally produced 1 Barrel rum. The 1 Barrel rum has a nice caramel flavor, fantastic!
Sunday was the day we had to return home. Here are a few shots from our last few hours in Belize.
Sunrise on Ambergris Caye
The plane for our flight from Ambergris Caye to Belize International Airport
Our last view of the town of San Pedro and Ambergris Caye
Our flight arrived back in San Francisco about 12:30 at night. The return flight had one plane change in San Salvador. We again flew on TACA airlines and both flights were on-time. I highly recommend TACA if you are going to Central or South America.
Man, what a great trip. I’m ready to go back.
Check out the following link if you are interested in visiting Belize - this was the organization that I used for my adventure in Belize.
Belize Explorer