Traveling to the Belize Rainforest
My fiance, Ronnie, and I wanted to take full advantage of our Southwest companion pass and also wanted a trip that would mix adventure and relaxation so after checking the Southwest destination map we decided to check out Belize.
Most people head to Belize to spend time at the beach, but we wanted to take a trip inland to the rainforest (technically it’s a "sub tropical climate", but I really don’t understand the difference). If you want a beautiful, relaxing vacation with a lot of options for adventure, I would highly recommend adding Belize to your list!
Where we stayed
We stayed at Sleeping Giant Rainforest Lodge, located in Belmopan, Belize, after reading very positive reviews and it definitely held up to the hype. This is definitely a place to go if you want to check out from reality for awhile. There is no WiFi in the rooms, only in the lobby and restaurant, and there is no TV. As someone who always finds an excuse to work I loved that this resort ensured you disconnect.
We stayed in the Mountain View room which had a king size bed, huge bathroom with a shower of glass looking out into the jungle, a private dipping pool and a hammock. The features in this room were truly incredible, but you also can't beat the view. You climb some stairs to get it, but it's worth seeing out over the property.
The room also included a large filtered water dispenser so we weren't constantly going through plastic bottles which I appreciated.
The hotel property also had a lot to offer. There was one day where we never left the hotel and spent the day hiking one of their trails to a beautiful Gazebo overlooking Belize and the Subin river, paddle boarding, kayaking, and biking to the property’s orange groves. If you go during the right season they encourage you to just grab a ripe orange right off the tree and eat it!
The hotel restaurant, The Grove House, was also very good. It is a field to table restaurant - their farm produces most of the food they serve and what they don't have the get from a farm nearby. I am a pescatarian and am happy to report they have many options to accommodate dietary restrictions such as mine. I would say of all the meals I had, my two favorites were the taquitos and the curry seafood. Ronnie, my meat-eating boyfriend, said his favorite was the pork sandwich they serve for lunch.
No reservations were needed and the hours for each meal were reasonable:
Breakfast: 6am - 9am
Lunch: 12pm - 3pm
Dinner: 6pm - 9pm
Where to go
The resort helped us arrange an array of activities which I have listed below, and we learned that even if something is not listed on their site as available they will generally do what they can to make it happen.
ATM Cave ($115+ USD per person)
The ATM Cave was truly an unforgettable experience. The tour is active and full of Mayan history. It definitely crossed my mind a few times during the tour that this is likely not something that would ever be allowed in the United States, especially not without signing waiver documents in advance.
The tour starts in a parking lot equipped with bathrooms, showers and picnic tables. You will be asked to leave all your belongings in the tour van/car so make sure not to bring any valuables with you. We made the mistake of bringing over $300 USD which concerned us, but it was all there when we returned to the van hours later. The tour guide will provide you with a life vest, helmet, headlamp and a bottle of water before you head into the jungle.
The tour starts with a 45 minute jungle hike which will take you to the opening of the cave. You will cross the river three times during this hike and based on the time of year you may be walking through ankle high water or swimming through deep water. If you aren't a great swimmer don't worry - you have a life vest and there is a rope that goes across that you can use to help pull yourself along.
Just before the opening of the cave there is a restroom for women and men are told to find a tree, if needed. There are a few picnic tables where you will be asked to leave your water bottle to avoid any litter being left behind in the cave.
Once everyone has dropped off their water, you will walk to the opening of the cave where you will quickly realize what an adventure this will be. I won't give away too much, but know that you will immediately jump into water and start swimming, climbing and squeezing your body through small spaces. You will view incredible rock formations, maybe see a bat or two and the further you get from the cave opening, the more aware you will be that the only source of light you have over the next couple hours is your headlamp and the headlamps of those around you.
About an hour into the cave hike you will be asked to remove your shoes. This is the part of the cave where you will learn a lot about Mayan culture and their practice of human sacrifice. You will stand just inches away from pottery and human remains, including five skulls and one almost fully intact skeleton - this part of the experience is truly unbelievable.
There are rumors every few years of the government closing this cave to the public - these especially sparked when someone dropped their camera onto one of the skulls and broke it - so plan your trip there sooner rather than later. As someone who is not very adventurous, I would highly recommend ATM. This tour alone was worth the trip to Belize for me. Note: no phones/cameras are allowed
What to bring:
Obviously follow the instructions of what the tour company tells you, but my recommendations are:
Lots of bug spray. I recommend Herbal Armor for those that have a bad reaction to Deet (I learned I react badly during this trip)
A towel
Waterproof gym shoes
A change of clothes including sandals
A snack for right before the tour - it could be awhile until you make it back for lunch
Do NOT bring a camera as they are not allowed in the cave
St Herman Cave Tubing ($95+ USD per person)
The activity started in the parking lot which is equipped with bathrooms and a few picnic tables. Your tour guide will equip you with a life jacket, helmet, headlamp and floating tube - you will be asked to leave everything else behind in the van.
You start with a 20 minute flat hike through the jungle to the cave. Our tour guide, Abel, who is also the owner of Upside Down tours, was great about pointing out unique birds and bugs to us as we walked. The cave opening has stairs to lower you into the darkness. I highly recommend snapping a photo if you brought a waterproof camera from inside the cave towards the opening. Incredible.
Once you hit deep enough water you will sit into your tubes and your guide will pull the group upstream before jumping in his tube and letting the water push you through the cave. Our group was brave enough to completely turn off our headlamps for over a minute to experience the extreme darkness of the cave. We all agreed that when you did that you would hear voices - it sounded like an evening party with clinking glasses and conversations. Creepy.
From here it’s just a relaxing tubing adventure down the cave where you can view amazing rock formations, many that glitter against the light from your headlamp. You will feel lost in time since it is complete darkness and just the sound of you and the water below you.
Towards the end of the stream we did pass the original entrance to where all the bats spend their time. There were probably over 10 of them flying above our heads back and forth very quickly. I have definitely never been that close to bats before - it was quite an experience. When it got too shallow we picked our tubes up and started walking back to the entrance.
Overall this activity was good for a day when you want an adventure, but not something extremely active. I think this would be a good activity for kids as well since it doesn’t require a ton of activity, but is still interesting and a bit spooky
What to bring:
Obviously follow the instructions of what the tour company tells you, but my recommendations are:
Lots of bug spray. I recommend Herbal Armor for those that have a bad reaction to Deet
A towel
Waterproof gym shoes
A change of clothes including sandals
A waterproof camera
Blue Hole National Park ($4 USD entry per person)
The Blue Hole National Park contains caves, one which we tubed through called St Herman's, and the Blue Hole, not to be mistaken with The Great Blue Hole in the ocean off the coast of Belize.
The caves can be explored with a guide who will educate you on Mayan history and show you calcified Mayan ruins throughout the caves. For a more laid-back activity you can just go for a swim in the blue hole. This body of water is fairly small and in the right season is uniquely blue - during rainy season and can turn a bit brown. A recommended activity for anyone looking to just go for a swim surrounded by the natural beauty of the jungle.
What to bring:
Bug spray - I recommend Herbal Armor for those that have a bad reaction to Deet
Swimsuit
Towel
Bird Watching ($35 USD per person)
Honestly, I thought bird watching was going to be extremely lame but after another guest at our resort bragged about what he saw the morning before, we knew we had to do it. It required a 5:30am wake up call so we were ready to meet our guide in the hotel lobby at 6am - early, but worth it.
Our guide had an incredible eye and was able to replicate the sounds of most of the birds he was looking for. He would see something yellow the top of a mountain and immediately set up his telescope to show us that the yellow spot was actually a keel-billed toucan - unbelievable.
The birds we saw were beautiful and included:
Sulphur-bellied Flycatcher
Bat Falcon
White-collared Seedeater
Groove-billed Ani
Golden-fronted Woodpecker
Red-lored Parrot
Aracari Toucan
Grey Hawk
Belted Kingfisher
We will definitely be heading back to Belize in the future to take advantage of the excursions we didn't have time for, but highly recommend visiting this beautiful country and staying at this incredible resort.