Arrive at the Belize International Airport where you are met by an Island Expeditions’ representative and transferred to the Tropical Education Centre, adjacent to the Belize Zoo. We are staying in Forest Cabanas situated in the midst of idyllic tropical pine forest with a network of interpretative trails and wildlife viewing platforms at our doorstep. There is also a great Interpretive Centre, which details the diverse ecology of Belize and is an ideal starting point for the adventure ahead.

After checking into our accommodation, we enjoy a ‘Welcome to Belize Dinner’ with our fellow travelers and our Belizean guide team. This day is your day to arrive before the trip starts, meet your fellow travelers, and acclimatize to your new tropical environment. Transfers from the airport and lodging are included.

Overnight in Forest Cabana.

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 night’s accommodations. We’ll land our kayaks right in front of our lodge, settle into our accommodations, and then enjoy drinks and dinner.

Overnight in Lodge

Situated right on the Barrier Reef in the heart of the Southwater Caye Marine Reserve we are ideally positioned to explore the surrounding reefs and cayes. Starting with a steaming mug of coffee and fresh tropical fruits we enjoy an early morning swim or paddle before breakfast. Our focus for the morning will be snorkeling and kayaking. Our first day’s snorkeling session begins with a thorough instruction and demonstration (beginner through to advanced skills are taught) at the Tobacco Caye cut and the outer reef walls. In the afternoon we’ll paddle to nearby cayes to explore the sheltered lagoons and mangrove channels – returning in the evening to Tobacco Caye.

Overnight in Island Lodge

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 travelling to today – Southwater Caye. After packing our kayaks with our personal gear bag and wishing fond farewells to our hosts we’ll 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 Southwater 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 we can maybe try a little bone fishing action on a fly rod or even a night time snorkel session on Southwater cut.

Overnight in Island Lodge

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. For divers we can arrange dives as requested and for those who’d like to try out diving for a first time, we can arrange Discover Scuba courses with prior notice. As we explore by kayak, our routes often cross those of the fishermen who make their living from the sea and with this interaction we gain good company and an insight into a way of life that is very different from our own.

Overnight in Island Lodge

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.

Overnight in Island Lodge

After an early breakfast our water taxi carries us back to the mainland and the town of Dangriga. Any extra luggage that you have stored at our Operations Base will be made available to you to repack and you can catch the connecting flight to the Belize International Airport.