You better Belize it! — LIFE WITH DANI

Travel makes one modest. You see what a tiny place you occupy in the world. – Gustave Flaubert

After seeing an insta friend’s pictures, Belize piqued my interest! If you are looking for good food, genuine people and an adventure filled experience then Belize is the place for you! I visited from September 3 - 7 2016. Unfortunately the Airbnbs we stayed in are no longer available but a quick search should show a myriad of affordable options.

Sidebar: Since I love maximizing my vacations, I decided to add a trip to Mexico as well. I plan on sharing in an upcoming blog post, so stay tuned for that! 😆

DFW - BZE

I flew from Dallas to Belize City with a connection in Houston on Southwest Airlines for $171. The customs & immigration process was quite smooth and we were out in no time. We precordinated our transport to San Ignacio with Belize Shuttles & Transfers for $30 each. The driver was prompt and professional and we had a safe trip to San Ignacio in about 2 hours. Once we got there we checked into our room and then grabbed dinner at Guava Limb Restaurant. The food was delicious, extremely fresh and affordable. I think I spent about $20 for an entree, drink & dessert. FYI: The exchange rate is 1 USD to 2 Belizean Dollars. I will say that the food in Belize is some of the best I’ve ever had PERIOD!

CAVE DAY

Actun Tunichil Muknal Tour (ATM)

While Googling activities in Belize, I stumbled upon Mayawalk Tours, a local company that specializes in cave, canoeing and horseback riding tours. Based on the rave reviews, we made reservations for the ATM Tour and Horseback riding to Xunantunich. The communication was great and booking was seamless.

After grabbing breakfast at Pop's Restaurant (must try fry jacks - think fried dough stuffed with eggs, cheese & meat - all around deliciousness), we walked to Mayawalk’s office for a safety briefing and then hopped on the bus. The cave is located in Cayo which is about 1.5 hours away from San Ignacio. Once we arrived, we received helmets and started on our journey. Since phones are prohibited inside the cave we had the opportunity to enjoy the history lessons about the Mayan people and see the artifacts without the interruptions of trying to take pics. You will swim, hike, rock climb and slip a few times but it will all be worth it! This tour was like nothing I’ve ever done before and I still remember how much of a blast it was especially all the jokes from JamJam, our tour guide. This is definitely not for the faint of heart so if you’re interested, take some time to read through the details on their website. Lunch was provided at the site which included rice & beans, chicken, plantains and some rum punch to wash it all down. Overall, I would definitely recommend this $95 excursion if you are an adventure seeker. Prepare to spend about 8 hours on the excursion. You’ll need to pack snacks, water, a change of clothes, a pair of socks and hiking boots/sneakers.

For dinner, we went to Ko-Ox Han-Nah Restaurant where we enjoyed another delicious & inexpensive meal.

GIDDY UP

Xunantunich Horseback Riding Tour

Next on the agenda was a trip to a local stable for our horseback riding tour. We picked our horses and were on our way out in no time. The horses were very calm and easy to ride and since we were the only ones on this tour, we had the tour guide all to ourselves. He was extremely passionate, knowledgeable and excited to share tidbits of his culture with us. During the tour we rode along the Mopan River towards the hand- cranked ferry and then continued on our journey uphill towards the ruins. Once we finally got to Xunantunich - we were able to explore these fascinating Mayan Ruins at our own pace and really soak up the breathtaking views! The tour lasted about 5 hours and included a delicious meal and fresh fruits for $85.

Journey to Caye Caulker

We arranged transportation back to Belize City with Mayawalk for $30 each and we had an adventurous car ride which included being pulled over by the police! Once we got to the pier in Belize City, we purchased our Water Taxi tickets to Caye Caulker (pronounced Key Kaka) for $16.50. Luckily we had enough time to take pics by the Belize sign before departing.

The ride to Caye Caulker was about 45 mins and was a little bumpy so take some Dramamine if you have motion sickness. Once we got to Caye Caulker we checked into our Airbnb and went to grab dinner. Since there are no cars on the island, people get around on bikes and golf carts. We took a golf cart taxi to Chef Juan's Kitchen & Pastries and the food was AMAZING. I had the fried fish, carrot cake and washed it down with a Belikin - the local beer. I wish I was eating that right now, BOMB.COM!

UnDer the sea

We were able to sleep in a little later which I appreciated after two full days of adventure. Our Airbnb host provided us with bikes so we were able to ride to get a few groceries and breakfast at Errolyn's House of Fryjacks. I had fry jacks filled with eggs, ham and cheese and fresh lemonade from the stand next door - cheap (less than $5) and yummy.

While walking along the main strip you will see various tour companies offering snorkeling tours. We went with Raggamuffin Tours for their full day snorkeling excursion for $70, recommended by Jimmy - our horseback riding tour guide. Since it was my 1st time snorkeling, I appreciated that the crew was incredibly patient and I felt very comfortable with them. Did you know the Belize Barrier Reef is considered one of the world’s best snorkeling and diving destinations? We stopped at 3 different locations - Hol Chan, Shark Ray Alley & Coral Gardens; we saw sharks, sea turtles, manatees, stingrays and various types of fish. Seeing the animals up close was spectacular and made the experience an unforgettable one. We were provided with lunch and ceviche during the trip. I enjoyed my time in the water but the time spent on the boat was also fun - we soaked up the sun, drank rum punch and jammed to the latest reggae & dancehall #bliss.

TIP: Remember to keep reapplying sunscreen, that sun aint no joke!

We spent our last night immersing ourselves in the Belizean culture, shopping for souvenirs in cute boutiques and admiring handcrafted local art. Caye Caulker gave me go-slow and stress free vibes.

the Wrap Up

After 3 days of adventure in Belize, it was time to head to Mexico! We woke up super early to catch our 7 am water taxi to Chetumal for $61. Thankfully we had enough time to grab breakfast to go from Amor Y Cafe before heading to the port. The ride to Chetumal was about 3 hours including a stop in San Pedro. During the stop in San Pedro you'll disembark the ship and go through Belize immigration to exit the country. Keep in mind that you’ll be required to pay a $20 departure tax.

TIP: Upon arrival in Chetumal, we were caught off guard when we realized we were required to pay a departure tax. The only way to avoid it is to print a copy of your flight receipt which shows the breakdown of cost including departure tax. In my next blog post I’ll dive deeper into my time in Mexico but I wanted to share this info here.

I had a great time in Belize eating some of the most delicious food I’ve ever had, snorkeling in the clear, blue waters, and soaking up the views at the Mayan ruins. I also enjoyed chatting it up with the locals and getting adventurous at the ATM caves. Adding Belize to your bucket list is a must!

As always, please reach out if you have any questions about this trip.

Until next time...