Belize - Maya Cave Tubing

For our second day of jungle adventures we signed up for a cave tubing thing. It didn't turn out to be exactly what we thought we were getting in to, but it was still pretty darn cool. The group was 6 people including us (none obnoxious, amazingly) and a cool guide Esperanza, so pretty great on the scale of 'tours' which we typically try to stay away from.

We spent the day tubing down a river that went through a cave system and taking breaks to climb around and explore the cave system. There were lots of really neat stalactites and stalagmites and other cool cave formations, along with old Maya pottery and other ceremonial artifacts. Our guide was fun and knowledgeable, telling us about the cave formations, the history of the Maya in the region and their use of caves for religious ceremonies, etc.  The day certainly didn't help us meet our tanning quotient (darkest place I've ever been) but definitely would recommend it.

walking through orange groves

you cant tell, but that thing was bigger than my face

We got done around 3pm and made a stop at the 'Inland Blue Hole' on our way back to Belize City. The Blue Hole out in the Caribbean is one of the things Belize is famous for and I guess the needed another attraction, because this thing gets a lot of press. It was cool and relaxing but hey, unless you're driving right by (like we were) don't go out of your way.

We had one evening in Belize City because the water taxi's out to the cayes don''t run at night. Everything I'd read beforehand talked about how awful Belize City was and to get out of there as quickly as possible. Those people had obviously never spent time in any other Central American capitol because Belize City was perfectly inoffensive. While I wouldn't call it an attraction, there are a lot worse places to spend the night - it was safe and clean with a some cute parts.

Next up - island time. 

Belize - Jungle Jaguar Preserve

We got SCUBA certified 5 or more years ago now and we try to find a day or two for diving on all our trips, but have never made a more dedicated dive trip and thought was about time.

Our first two nights of Belize we stayed in a very small beach town on the mainland called Hopkins. It didn't really come all that highly recommended but was close to some of the jungle activities we wanted to do, and there wasn't much jungle lodging. Hopkins provided a nice base, first look at the Caribbean, and taste of the Garifuna culture. Our second day we struck out to Cockscomb Basin Jaguar Preserve. We arrived early and had to wait around for opening, and wound up at Nuuk Chiel Cottages in search of some coffee. Aurora turned out to be our awesome host. She grows the coffee on the property and dries, roasts and grinds it herself. We got to chatting and she took us on a tour of the property, even showing us a cocoa plant, pulling down a fruit, and giving us some cocoa seeds (chocolate making).  Good start to the day.

We then did a nice hike through the jungle to a series of waterfalls. The jungle was awesome, lush and dense, we had some great views of the surrounding area, and the waterfalls were the perfect cool-off in the hot humidity. Later in the afternoon we grabbed some tubes at the visitor center and hopped in the river for a couple hour float that brings you on a nice loop through the jungle almost back to where you began.

We didn't spy any jaguars, but we did get surprised by a tapir right as we were crossing the river. "Matt, are tapirs aggressive?" -me, as its walking toward me

If you're headed to Belize, definitely visit the jaguar preserve and Aurora at the cottages down at the bottom, but bring your bug spray!