Island Expeditions

We’ve travelled in Belize twice with Island Expeditions and have had nothing but great experiences. I loved the sea kayaking and snorkeling – the coral and fish were unbelievable. The adventure style vacations they run had something for everyone in our group.

On the latest trip we went by motor boat to Glovers Reef where we were met by helpful staff who carried our bags to large roomy tents with wooden floors - and real beds! The big tents were by waving palm trees right on the reef edge – gorgeous views.

The meals were delicious and plentiful, just like eating healthy home cooked meals. Everyone in the group was really impressed with the staff, including their ability to adapt when one of our group had special dietary needs. The cooks were so friendly and eager to provide whatever was asked for, it was like being at home with a personal cook!

After kayaking and snorkeling with sea turtles, sting rays and so many varieties of beautiful fish we knew we were hooked. A real bonus compared to other trips we have done is that the guides were very knowledgeable – having a marine biologist and incredible local guides who have spent their whole lives on the reef was amazing. They were very enthusiastic and went out of their way to make sure that we were having more than just the usual tourist snorkel experience - not only was there an excellent selection of coral reef books, but the guides would usually conduct a session on some topic of what we saw each day in the water.

We appreciated Island Expeditions’ efforts to partner with and involve local Belizeans, not only as cooks, fishermen and porters, but also as guides and counselors. The staff were upbeat and seemed to enjoy themselves almost as much as we were.

These trips are not for everyone though. You have to be okay with no electricity, computers or cell phones and if the breeze dies off (which rarely happened) it can be quite hot sleeping at night. My only other disappointment is that the coral reefs are deteriorating and overall the corals were not as colourful as they were on our first trip a few years back. The guides talked to us about the effects of global warming on coral reefs and agreed that the corals are starting to be noticeably affected by rising ocean temperatures. So, hurry up and book your trip. Well worth the money.

All in all a super holiday, with great adventure in incredible locations, great food and just the right amount of downtime when we needed it. I would not hesitate to recommend Island Expeditions trips to anyone looking for a fun and adventurous holiday.

Beware being seduced by IECs glamorous and dishonest website.This company charges really high prices for bare bones accomodation and basic food.Many activities are subcontracted to locals who are available on line for half the price.

Though the price for where you sleep and how you travel is quite annoying ($1500 American) for this 7 day trip, I would still recommend it to anyone. You learn to sea kayak, climb palm trees, open coconuts (with both shells), and you learn generally about the Belizean culture.

First thing you get to do is go deep into the Belize Jungle where you will travel deep through a cave to rest upon untouched Mayan artifactes and skeletons. It's a really cool experience. Just don't drop your flashlight or let your guide touch them (I did and he dropped it, broke it, and made me pay for it, by which I was clearly not amused.) Other than that one guy, everyone was extremely nice, and acted with you as they would with a friend they've known for the longest time. After this you go back to your cabins, have dinner, and pack your bags for 6 days of a relaxing kayaking expedition. That night, after the packing and dinner, you go to the Belize Zoo for a nocturnal visit, allowed only for this special company (Island Expeditions).

Once that night is finished and you have headed down to Dangriga, you will take a motor boat to the South Water Cayes (pronounced keys). There you will learn to sea kayak. Almost everyday you will snorkel with two friendly guides. You'll sleep in spacious tents, or, if you want (and the weather allows), you can sleep outside in your sleeping bags, as we did almost everynight.

There was never a bad day in Belize, the weather was perfect, even out at sea. On this trip you will visit the second largest barrier reef in the world (next to the one in Australia), and snorkel at the edge. You will also be able to visit this very cool bird sanctuary, where thousands upon thousands of birds stay looking for a mate (it is unknown why the birds gather to this one island). The water is impossibly amazing. Not too great for swimming other than snorkelling, as the ocean ground is full of life (definitley no surf).

However, you are able to touch the bottom (or at least see it) anywhere you go, up until the reef. This allows you to be able to see all the fish, including barricudas, sting rays, and alot of tropical fish, with out disturbing them. Also, no fear of sharks at all; the only sharks who travel in these warm waters are harmless to humans. If anything, Stingrays and jellyfish should be your main concern, but don't make anything of it.

Overall this trip was amazing to me, I had too much fun, if thats possible. I was also able to relax, watch the sun set and rise, while enjoying a nice, cold, Belikin or Fanta while having the time of my life sea kayaking (which I really thought I would have not liked at all before the trip).

Visit www.islandexpeditions.com for info on this and other types of trips through Belize, or if you would like to know about this exact trip check this link out: http://www.islandexpeditions.com/ie-tripdesc-coral.html.

Cheers.

I couldn't imagine 'doing' an organized trip in Belize with any other company than the three Canadian guys who run Island Expeditions. I have done several trips with them and as a result Belize has become my second home. Their enthusiasm is contagious.
Highlights?
Barrelling along a back road with my charming Belizean guide when he suddenly stops at his thatch-roofed, mud-walled home and proudly introduces me to his wife and kids and chickens.
Launching our inflatable kayaks over 4-16 foot high vertical drops in a jungle river and catapulting down waterfalls - 40 in three days.
Swimming and wriggling through the awesome Actun Tunichil Muknal cave to photograph 900 year old skeletons of women and children sacrificed to the Mayan rain god.
But my favourite place in Belize - some people say it is their favourite place on earth - is Half Moon Caye, Lighthouse Reef, snorkelling with your kayak in the clear emerald water or photographing the colourful boobies and frigate birds. Island Expeditions runs the only camp on Half Moon Caye.
As well as the trips they advertise in their brochures, IE uses its 24 plus years of experience and local contacts to arrange customized trips in Belize and neighbouring Guatemala. Denver arranged a super trip one year for myself and a few friends which included a tour of behind the scenes Belize City, a paddle on the Sibun River, an overnight stay at the Belize Zoo where we hugged a python (or rather the python hugged us),and a flight to Flores in Guatemala (where we were the only people on the small plane)and a stay in the home of Yolande, probably the first woman entrepreneur in that country. Yolande took us to Tikal and being an avid birder, we saw more than the monuments.
In the end it is the people who make the difference in how to see a foreign country and I'd recommend the people you meet at Island Expeditions if you want your trips to be memorable.