8-day Belize Vacation
Explore Belize’s wild heart
Belize is a stunning country so full of nature and history that it’s hard to squeeze everything into an 8-day Belize vacation. We’ll sure try though! With our carefully planned itinerary, you’ll spend some time exploring the most gorgeous parts of this tiny country. Hike deep into the jungle to find a cool sinkhole or massive waterfall to swim in. Explore caves and mangroves and paddle along a peaceful river as you enjoy what Belize has to offer.
You’ll also spend plenty of time on the water, as no visit to Belize would be complete without a snorkeling tour or two! Head out to the cayes and enjoy the wildlife that thrives in this protected reef area. There’s no shortage of things to see here, so gear up for a wild ride.
Mayflower Bocawina Park
Belize’s very own Eden
Carrie Bow Caye
A treasure to love and protect
Maya Mountains
Belize, it’s our nature to be green
Tobacco Caye
Island time is calling
Highlights
You’ll travel by plane, car, and boat on your 8-day Belize vacation. With brief stops in Dangriga and Hopkins, you’ll spend most of your time heading out to the far reaches of the area. Enjoy exploring the St. Herman’s Blue Hole reserve and checking out the caves there. You will have a chance to swim and snorkel in the Caribbean Sea, check out the local reefs, paddle down Sittee River, and hike through the jungle.
We’ve come up with the perfect itinerary to show you what many people never see in Belize. You’re going off the beaten path, literally. You’ll hike through the jungle to reach the remote site of the Mayflower ruins, once occupied by Mayan people. Stay on South Water Caye and visit some of the nearby cayes and reefs for the ultimate snorkeling experience. With this amazing trip, you’ll see the real Belize, behind the tourist glamor.
Itinerary
You’ll fly into Belize City International Airport where you’ll hop on a small plane for a short flight to Dangriga. Here, your driver will be waiting to take you to your home away from home, a lodge in Hopkins.
- Four nights in Hopkins.
Belize’s Maya Mountains are the perfect place to enjoy nature. We’ll start the morning off with a little hike through the jungle. Be prepared, there are plenty of birds hanging out in this area and as you hike the trail, you’re bound to see quite a few colorful birds, as well as some local wildlife. Jaguars, tapirs, howler monkeys, and many other animals call the Maya Mountains their home.
Next, we’ll head to the Creole village of Sittee River where you’ll board canoes for a real adventure. Paddling along the river is the perfect way to feel like the original explorers to the area, with jungle on either side of the river. Your journey begins by paddling through thick jungle, which eventually gives way to mangrove forests near the mouth of the river. The scenery is stunning and peaceful.
Along your river trip, you’ll spot wild orchids and assorted tropical plants, as well as animals. It takes some careful watching, but you may be able to spot some crocodiles lounging in the water by the riverbanks, as well as brightly colored iguanas hanging out in the trees with the parrots and toucans. Manatees like to relax around the mangroves, as well, so you may spot some of these gentle giants there.
Finally, you’ll reach the mouth of the river and your driver will take you back to our lodge so you can rest up for tomorrow’s adventure.
Today’s adventure is in the Mayflower Bocawina National Park. We’ll head there after breakfast for a rugged hike through the jungle. Our trek takes us up to Antelope Falls, a rather challenging trip. However, you’ll be rewarded with stunning views that reach the Caribbean Sea and a cool natural pool to take a dip in. The falls are 1,000 feet high and are spectacular in their own right.
After a relaxing swim and plenty of photo opportunities, we’ll continue hiking to the Mayan ruin of Mayflower. This archeological site is still being excavated and right now, there are 11 structures uncovered. The remaining buildings and structures remain hidden under tangled jungle underbrush.
Mayflower is an important area for archeologists, since it has yielded a wealth of artifacts, including pottery, stone beads, hammer stones, and more. The city was a vital ceremonial center during its peak, somewhere between late 800-900 AD. Here, you can see what explorers found when they first discovered the Mayan ruins in this area, but you’ll also have a chance to explore the plaza that has been uncovered, with two pyramid mounds and water reservoirs. It’s a unique site in that it hasn’t been fully excavated and is only reachable via hiking trails.
Finally, we’ll head to the lodge after a rigorous day, so you can rest.
Belize is famous for its blue hole, but Herman’s Blue Hole is actually inland. The sapphire-hued sinkhole is 300 feet around and 100 feet deep. It’s fed by underground streams that keep the water nice and cool, perfect for swimming after the hike to get there. However, swimming isn’t the only reason we’re heading deep into the jungle.
St. Herman’s Blue Hole National Park is also home to two impressive caves, St. Herman’s Cave and Crystal Cave. We’ll take a tour of St. Herman’s Cave, using headlamps as we head into the dark tunnels of this historically important underground space. Mayans originally used the cave for ceremonies, as evidenced by the handful of artifacts left in the caves. You’ll also see some huge stalactites and stalagmites throughout the cave.
On the way back to the parking lot, watch for one of the more than 200 species of birds and animals that make this park their home. These include tapirs, howler monkeys, armadillos, and ocelots, so you never know what you might find!
We’ll return to Dangriga today after a lovely breakfast at the lodge. There, you’ll board a boat to South Water Caye, a small island on the Glover’s Reef Marine Reserve, which is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. This island is often overlooked for other, more popular cayes, but it’s the perfect home base for exploring the reefs and cayes in the area.
Red mangroves, seagrass beds, coral outcrops, and faros, diamond-shaped reefs surround South Water Caye. Mayan people inhabited the island in pre-Columbian times when it was part of the trade routes. You’ll have the rest of the day to relax and explore the area. Spend some time on the beach, take a stroll through the town, or go swimming in the sea.
- Three nights on South Water Caye.
Get ready to swim today! We’ll be taking a half day snorkeling tour to the South Water Caye Marine Reserve. There’s plenty to see in the water here and with several islands to choose from, you’ll see the sights above water, too. We’ll check out Bird Island, which is a nesting ground for several species and an important part of the local bird conservation efforts.
Tobacco Caye is particularly popular for ) snorkeling, thanks to the stunning coral reefs surrounding it. The mangrove forests on the island provide a safe place for baby fish to grow up and it’s a protected area. We’ll also check out Bread and Butter Caye, a valuable mangrove system that serves as a hatchery and protection for smaller fish and other marine life. And finally, the Crown Reserve island of Man O’War Caye is a protected nesting site for both brown boobies and frigatebirds.
You’ll have ample time to get photos of the islands and to snorkel around them. With a variety of brightly colored fish and pretty corals, there’s a lot to see here. You may run into some small nurse sharks, see manta rays, and parrotfish, among many other species of marine life.
Once we’re back at the hotel, you have the rest of the day to rest and explore.
Ready those flippers, because today is all about being on the water. With so many beautiful reefs in the area, there’s no shortage of gorgeous places to snorkel. More than 90 species of corals thrive in the Belize Barrier Reef, which is second in size only to Australia’s Great Barrier Reef. While you can snorkel directly offshore from South Water Caye, we’ll take a boat to some of the most impressive areas in the vicinity.
Aside from the beautiful corals, you can expect to see everything from angelfish and Creole wrasse to spotted eagle rays and sea turtles. Nurse sharks, dolphins, and tarpon are also commonly found on these reefs. If you head to the mangroves, you’ll spot manatees, jellyfish, and seahorses. There’s so much to see and explore, you’ll probably want to go back out on your own once we get back to the caye.
Your 8-day vacation in Belize has come to an end. Your driver will drop you off at the boat to travel back to Dangriga. From there, you’ll take a short domestic flight to Belize International Airport where you can take your flight home.
map, expenses & price
8-day Belize Vacation
Expenses included:
-All private transportation
-Domestic flights
-Seven nights of hotel accommodations
-Professional certified guides
-All tours and excursions as listed
-All park entrance fees
-All-inclusive plan in South Water Caye
Extension
add-on
Not quite done with Belize? We don’t blame you! This extension allows you to spend some extra time on Glover’s Reef Atol. This reef is actually a partially submerged atoll that provides some stunning scenery and is a spawning site for Nassau grouper. This is a very important nursery and feeding ground for a variety of marine life, including sea turtles.
You can choose how to spend your extra days on the atoll. Would you like to do more snorkeling? It really never gets old. However, you can also just relax on the beach and work on your tan, if you prefer, or go ahead and take a kayaking tour or try your hand at stand-up paddle boarding. The reef is your oyster, you just need to decide how you want to enjoy it.
