Day 1 - Blancaneaux Lodge

Blancaneaux Lodge

Tucked away beneath the canopy of Mountain Pine Ridge Reserve, surrounded by national parks and nature reserves, Blancaneaux Lodge is a secluded hideaway in which to recharge and connect with the jungle.Once a private dwelling for the family of filmmaker Francis Ford Coppola, the lodge is now a luxurious wilderness retreat.Listen to the soothing sounds of nearby waterfalls cascading into opal pools. Feel the footfalls of ancient Mayans who once traveled through these forests. Revel in the seclusion and peace of Belize’s protected interior from within your own thatched-roof cottage.

Days 2 & 3 - Barton Creek Experiences

Barton Creek Cave Experience

Barton Creek flows through the Maya Mountains, boring a 4.5-mile-long passageway of sculpted limestone, crystal formations, and eerie silence.Paddle your canoe into the cave’s yawning mouth. Turn on your headlamp and illuminate this dark otherworld, where stalactites reach down from high ceilings and the only sounds are made by your paddle dipping into calm water.Your light plays on sparkling crystals as your private guide explains how ancient Maya ventured into these same passages for sacrificial purposes.

Mountain Pine Ridge Forest Reserve Biking Adventure

Mountain Pine Ridge Reserve is a land of generously spaced pines, fun trails, and thrilling drops. Grab your mountain bike and set off on a guided trip through this natural wonderland. Speed along granite slabs and drop into limestone sinkholes, or take your time and enjoy the scenery.Your private guide will tailor the adventure to your capabilities, so you can tour in the shadow of the Maya Mountains at your own pace.

Che Chem Ha Caves Spelunking Plus Xunantunich Tour

Sacrificial altars and hundreds of examples of fine Mayan pottery lay in quiet darkness, undisturbed for millennia, until a dog stumbled upon the entrance to Che Chem Ha Cave in the 1980s.Step into this world of stillness and ancient mystery. Venture deep into the Maya Mountains, along hundreds of meters of black tunnels lit only by your headlamp. Arrive at a large chamber and then explore the connecting ceremonial rooms. Tread lightly—ancient artifacts abound, lying where they were left roughly two thousand years ago.Afterward, visit another archeological site above ground. Xunantunich was once a bustling Mayan city. Millennia later, all that remains are large plazas surrounded by pyramids.

Day 4 - Caribbean Coast

Cayo Espanto

Open water surrounds the most exclusive accommodation in Belize. Cayo Espanto is a private island three miles off the coast of San Pedro—splendid isolation and the perfect home base for any manner of sea-going adventure. Arrive by helicopter or boat and settle into your own ocean-front villa. Feel the breeze at the end of your private dock or swim in the inviting water.Master chefs draw ingredients from fruit trees and the surrounding sea, crafting meals specially designed according to your tastes and preferences. At the end of each day, it’s the rippling water, the waving palm fronds, and the quiet that make this place so special.

Days 5 & 6 - Epic Marine Experiences

Belize Barrier Reef Scenic Helicopter Flight

Hundreds of sandy cayes and mangrove islands. Astonishingly clear turquoise water. The world-famous Great Blue Hole.Soar high enough to appreciate the abstract beauty of atolls emerging from shallow seawater and then drop low enough to pick out manatees, sharks, and stingrays swimming around the reef.Absorb the astonishing scale of the second largest barrier reef on earth from a bird’s perspective. A helicopter ride over the Belize Barrier Reef and its almost mythical Blue Hole is an experience like no other.

Dive the Great Blue Hole

Before the last ice age, a great limestone cave system formed in what is now the sea off Belize’s coast. As the ice retreated, waters rose and the cave flooded. What remains is often counted among the great wonders of the natural world: the Blue Hole.A circular sinkhole whose depths vanish into the deepest blue, the Blue Hole’s novel ecosystem attracts everything from flounders to scuba divers. Picture steep walls bejeweled with rich coral, sharks navigating between sunken stalactites, rays drifting in the abyss.The Blue Hole dive requires a minimum depth of 100 feet, so intrepid divers must have an Advanced scuba certification to explore its wonders.

Glover's Reef Sea Kayaking

From your base on Glover’s Reef at the boundary of the Belize Barrier Reef, venture out onto crystal clear waters in a sea kayak.Float gracefully above coral reefs teeming with marine life. The water here is so shallow that you can clearly see crabs scuttling along the seafloor, curious fish following in your wake, and sea turtles grazing. Take advantage of double kayaks with sails to harness northeasterly trade winds, or explore on your own in a single. These waters are even suitable for prospective paddlers with no sea kayaking experience, and expert guides can demonstrate the basics before leading you out into the big blue.

Hol Chan Marine Reserve & Shark Ray Alley Snorkeling Trip

Snorkel in the middle of a crowd of sharks and rays!Hol Chan is Mayan for “little channel,” and the name refers to a 23-meter cut in the world’s second longest barrier reef. This channel, around which the marine reserve was established, is a key travel route for fish and other creatures. The steady stream of species makes it a fantastic snorkeling destination.Better still is Shark Ray Alley, a patch of water teeming with nurse sharks and southern stingrays. Float in their midst and get close enough to touch these impressive creatures.

Day 7 - Departure