Belize Blog – Belizeadventure.com

When you run an eco-resort in Belize you really learn to appreciate the value of a wonderful guest. What qualities do wonderful guests possess, you might ask? Well, to start with, they have to have a great sense of humor. This is key! You must keep us laughing to keep us happy, don’t you know. And you want to keep us happy, because we are in charge of keeping you happy! What a great system.

And, wonderful guests are flexible. They don’t mind not having a private restroom, and they are game for any crazy idea Victor, Charlie, Matt, Mark, or Joelle might come up with to keep everyone entertained when it’s blowing 25 mph and is a *freezing* 65 degrees out (yes, even Paradise can have bad weather sometimes).

Wonderful guests are also easily entertained! Get them to search for a fast hermit crab by headlamp, then give them some duck tape and a marker to name their crab with, and run a race, and they are EXTREMELY happy for at least 30 minutes!

Another great thing about “my” guests (yes I do feel somewhat possessive) is that they stay in touch! It’s fabulous to hear from everyone on and off over the years. Yesterday I heard from Dick Head of Windsor, CA (he is fond of running up to people he is just meeting and saying “Hi! I’m DickHead!). He and his wife Jan joined us on 4 trips between 1992 and 1999. Even though I didn’t speak to him (it was an email), I can say for certain that he hasn’t changed A BIT.

And then there are the two New Yorkers who joined us a couple of years ago… Vladimir Brezina and Johna Johnson are NYC sea kayakers. I’ve heard their stories, and their lives sound FANTASTIC, but now I can get more of the scoop on paddling around, ALL the way around, Manhattan. They have a new blog about kayaking New York City! Check it out!

Can’t decide between windsurfing, fishing, rafting, snorkeling, caving, or kayaking on your next adventure? Who says you need to?

If you are in seeking an active vacation based out of your own private island, then start packing your snorkel gear!

There’s a little slice of paradise with your name written in the sand; it’s called Adventure Island at Glover’s Reef, 35 miles off the coast of Belize. And it doesn’t hurt that the water is 80 degrees.

Slickrock Adventures bought the island in the early 90s. The owners (that’s us) are former river guides from the Western US, and we have created a premier Belize resort, with more water sport toys than any other location in Central America. Multisport vacations in desirable locations are becoming one of the hottest segments of the travel industry, and the more sports the better. Slickrock’s Belize Adventure Week, an 8-day, action-packed itinerary, will satisfy both the athlete AND the escapist in you.

This adventure tour starts out at a jungle lodge in the Maya Mountains. Over several days you explore a whitewater river by kayak, an underground river by raft, Tikal Mayan temple in nearby Guatemala, and a Mayan ceremonial cave, deep in the jungle.

After all this activity it’s actually relaxing to arrive on the island where you only have sea kayaks, surf kayaks, windsurfers, and paddle boards waiting for you. You can paddle off to some coral patch reefs or receive windsurfing and kitesurfing instruction from expert North American and Belizean guides.

This eco-lodge is powered by the sun and wind with a little bit of propane thrown in to cool the beer. Beach front cabanas perched right over the surf will have you belting out the words to Gilligan’s theme song in no time.

This all inclusive Belize package is offered weekly from December – April.

(Thanks to Vladimir Brezina and Susan Tesarik for the images above.)

Slickrock Adventures’ Water Sports Mecca for Boomers who never grew up

It’s not surprising if you’ve never heard of Glover’s Reef, in fact that’s more or less the point of our program on Long Caye, a remote, private island getaway. You won’t find crowds, room service, air conditioning, night clubs, or access to your Facebook page. What you will discover is the best collection, hands-down, of sport toys in Belize, with expert guides that teach each sport. Rather than supply a single type of kayak, we have numerous models for small women, tall men, total beginners, and experienced boaters, in both single and double configuration. We also have a fleet of surf kayaks, fishing kayaks, surf boards, paddleboards, and a full range of windsurf gear for never-ever sailors up to sailboard fanatics. NOT to mention the best kitesurf school in the country, AND the only surfable break in Belize!

Our beach huts and other facilities are built to blend in with the island ecosystem. The fridge is permanently loaded with cold Fantas and Belikin beer. And it is all powered by the sun and wind; an adventurous tropical paradise where Gilligan would feel right at home. It’s the five-star version of adventure travel – right down to the excellent Garifuna chefs who cook your meal and then sit down at the table with you to dine.

The Glover’s Reef ecosystem is famous the world-over for the diversity of its sea life and the pristine condition of the coral. As special places become more discovered, it figures that the hardest-to-get-to areas remain pristine… and Glover’s Reef is the most remote of Belizean island areas. Thirty-five miles offshore and sixty-five miles from Belize City, Glover’s is a UNESCO World Heritage site and a national marine park.

Due to the remote location, our boat only travels to the island twice a week (once a week in shoulder seasons), so guests must be able to travel on these days, with the shortest package being 5 nights (3 on the island). Contact us for more info!

(Thanks to Vladimir Brezina for the cabana picture.)

We are closed in September and October because of hurricane season. Hurricane season officially starts sometime in June, but usually hurricanes don’t go as far south as Belize until September. This year was an exception, however, because we just had Harvey go over Glover’s Reef on August 20 of this year (no damage to our island , it never went beyond Tropical Storm status). But anyway, we are closed because if a hurricane did come during a trip, we would have to evacuate the group, and likely lose a great deal of money. A bad storm can really mess with us on Long Caye, we are on a tiny island (13 acres) WAY out in the middle of the ocean. (See this Belize map to see exactly where we are.) So we just avoid hurricane season altogether.

But still, every year I hear from numerous individuals wanting to visit Belize in September and October. If there is no hurricane, the weather still could be rainy, but then again, it also might be just fine. So I have some advice for people wanting to visit Belize in the Fall (well actually this advice would apply to anywhere in the Caribbean during hurricane season).

Possibly the best thing about visiting Belize in September and October is that it is the “off” season. Many places will be closed, but the ones that are open will likely have a special going on. So wherever you go, it will not be crowded, and it might be a really good deal.

Because it is the off-season, you don’t have to sign up early like you do for Christmas or Spring Break. So, what I recommend you do is just wait and watch the weather, especially if you wish to go to the sea. If you are planning to visit inland Belize, I would greatly temper this advice.

You can watch the hurricanes as they form off of Africa and see the storm track for each storm. This is what we do all summer long (welcome to my world.) We usually know at least 2 weeks in advance if a storm is going to head toward Belize. Obviously no one knows ultimately where a storm is going to end up making landfall, but you can get a very good idea if a storm is going to turn north right away and just go through the mid-Atlantic, or if it is projected to stay south and possibly head toward Belize.

Our favorite site is Wunderground, the most useful tropical hurricane site that we use regularly. If you go there now, and scroll to below the world map, you can see the 3 active storms and what their projected tracks are. In fact, going within the next two weeks would be a very good idea!

And finally, if you want to visit Belize in September and October, buy trip insurance! Because even the best laid plans can go awry.

One of the most outstanding features of a week on Adventure Island is how multi-sport the experience truly is. Snorkeling is by far my personal favorite, but I love the scuba diving, kayaking, and surfing, too. I never really got the hang of windsurfing on my last trip to the island but I’ll definitely give it another go the next time I visit.

One of the most surprising “sports” I discovered while visiting the island, and something I’ve never heard of being played anywhere else, is something called “the ‘biner game.” Inside the dining hall, under the huge palapa roof, the staff have a simple string hanging down from one of the overhead beams. A carabiner is tied to the bottom of the string around chest high. On the wall opposite is a simple metal hook, at just the right height so that if a person swings the carabiner on the string toward the hook with exactly the right speed and angle, it’s possible to catch the ‘biner on the hook, but anything even slightly off the mark ends with a clean miss or you hit the bottom of the hook and bounce off. With a little patience, finesse and luck, the average beginner gets a successful ‘biner hook after 20 or 30 tries. And then they’re hooked, as in addicted.

After a bit of practice some folks are hooking on every few attempts. And that’s when it gets interesting because there’s a tradition on the island of trying for consecutive hooks — not an easy thing to do. And the elite of the sport compete for the highest number of consecutive hooks. A friend of ours, Bob Walker, is the current reigning champ with eight consecutive hooks — a nearly impossible feat.

Despite the fact that we’ve been playing ‘biner game on the island for over 19 years, I surprised to find that we have no photos of anyone swinging a ‘biner. Lucy searched through thousands of pics hoping to find one to accompany this blog post and … zip!

If you have a photo of the ‘biner game, please post it on our Facebook page or send it to us at slickrock@slickrock.com and we’ll post it here.

When looking for a snorkeling vacation, be sure you can snorkel from shore. The great thing about snorkeling is it’s so free feeling. No watching your watch or your depth gauge like in scuba diving, you just swim wherever the spirit moves you. It is much better to just wade in and swim away than have to need to join a big group in a motor boat. The big islands in Belize don’t have snorkeling offshore. Not only are they a half-a-mile from the coral, but there is so much boat traffic, that it isn’t safe. You can snorkel from shore at all of the atolls in Belize: Lighthouse, Turneffe, Glover’s Reef. And there are a few small islands on the Barrier Reef also: Tobacco Caye, Southwater Caye, and Ranguana Caye.

Snorkeling is a big part of all adventure vacations we offer in Belize. Of course every trip varies, but sometimes we snorkel every day for 1-2 hours per session. We have a lot of good snorkel spots right by the island. Using Google Earth, I have marked some of them on the image below. We both swim to nearby snorkel spots, and we also use our kayaks to access even more areas. In the photo below, 10 spots that we explore regularly are shown and listed here. Glover’s is the best place to snorkel in Belize!

1. Practice Reef. This is where we conduct our snorkel orientations and where we also go night snorkeling. Our most accessible reef, you can walk or swim to it, and much of this patch is only about 3 feet deep, so you can stand up whenever you wish.
2. The Aquarium. Just a 1/2 mile paddle away, this is our favorite snorkel. You can stand up everywhere at this reef. Most of the incredible snorkel images on this site are taken here.
3. Dado’s Reef. This reef is just a swim away. It is quite deep in places. One of the most beautiful snorkel spots you will ever see.
4. The Horseshoe. This nearby reef is accessed by kayak, although for a longer swim you can also swim there with a safety kayaker joining you. It is just over 1/2 mile from our island. This is usually our first paddle/snorkel, where you paddle to a patch, tie your boat up to the guide’s boat, and jump out WITHOUT tipping over (we teach you to do this.)
5. The Wall. When the conditions are right we swim to this famous Belize dive site. This entire snorkel is over your head, and conditions have to be calm. Here we can see huge loggerhead turtles swimming right in front of us!
6. The Cut. Here we swim from the southern end of the island along the barrier reef of the atoll from the inside. We cut through the boat channel, and return on the outside of the reef. A fantastic, long exploratory snorkel.
7. Snorkel Around the Island. We often swim almost all the way around, and the outside of the island is the best. We are not as far out as The Wall snorkel, the coral and parrot fish here are amazing!
8. The Channel. We paddle out to a deep patch reef between Long and Northeast Cayes. Huge schools of fish, black grouper and spotted eagle rays are seen almost every time!
9. Northeast Caye. There are several areas of reef over near this caye that we like to paddle to. A fairly deep snorkel, it’s nice to have your boat to hang on to if you need extra flotation. This is a gorgeous area.
10. Drift Snorkel. We swim out from the north end of our island, and then drift with the prevailing winds which takes us by three small patch reefs. Then we swim back in at the south end. A very aerobic swim!

Every week we update our Belize flights page. We manually enter 24 US and Canadian airports on a specific date to track fares to Belize for posting on our site. Today we were astounded to see an across the board, drastic drop! Belize airline tickets dropped up to $285 from 23 of the 24 cities we track!

Here are some of the savings (other cities went down as well, but not as much):

Baltimore: down $210

Boston: down $193

Chicago: down $194

Denver: down $251

Detroit: down $229

Indianapolis: down $257

Las Vegas: down $215

Los Angeles: down $100

Manchester: down $91

Miami: down $108

Minneapolis: down $254

Phoenix: down $198

Salt Lake City: down $262

Seattle: down $285

St. Louis: down $271

Washington, DC: down $98

See the complete list on our Belize airfare page. If you are thinking of traveling to Belize, don’t hesitate! Get your ticket now!

On our vacations to Belize we provide a complete packing list. You can email us if you would like a copy. But we have one primary tip: Pack so that it’s ok if your luggage is delayed.

Luggage is lost very seldom these days. Ever since 9/11 the airlines have made extraordinary progress in this department. I assume it is because they want you and your luggage on the same plane (in case you have a bomb in there, I guess.) So this has meant that in at last 10 years I have heard nothing about lost luggage. Occasionally luggage still gets bumped because everyone on the flight brought too much stuff. We have seen guests get very angry over this, but think about it, would you prefer that they overload the plane? So pack your carry-on with a change of clothes and other essentials you can’t replace, like medications, etc. to avoid being caught with only the clothes on your back. Remember that all of our trips are in very remote areas. The airlines may not be willing to deliver your luggage to the island. Don’t contribute to this problem; pare down your luggage. We have a good packing list, stick closely to it and you won’t be sorry.

In reading our literature you will see numerous references to either fly in a day early, or make sure you have long layovers, so that you don’t miss your final flight to Belize, and therefore miss the boat to the island. Another good reason to have more than two hours between flights is so that your luggage makes it as well. Since many of the airlines only fly once a day to Belize, delayed luggage means you may not see it until the end of the trip (we leave Belize City well before the flight arrives the next day.)

Years ago there was a woman on one of our trips where half of her luggage got bumped. She was extremely upset. She had a HUGE bag and I couldn’t imagine what she could have possibly had in addition to what had made it. She had a fit for about a day, and then started getting in the groove of things. Our Belize City staff managed to get her bag released to them and out on the Wednesday boat. When the boat arrived I ran and found her, happy to tell her “Your other (GIGANTIC) bag is here.” She was completely uninterested. “I don’t need any of that stuff.” she replied. Seems that she really did achieve the island attitude!

CORRIDOR PADDLE BOARDS SUMMER UPDATE:

What do Island Guides do all summer? Much of the same only different. As a seasonal watersports junkie I spend half the year in Belize and the other half in Idaho and the Northwest. I’m generally paddling whitewater in a kayak but as of the last few summers have started experimenting with SUPs on whitewater rivers. This summer I’ve stepped it up a few notches in difficulty. We have had such a great water year that I just started running bigger stuff than normal right off the bat. I Was able to grab some first descents this year. Here are a few shots from the first descent of the Canyon section of the South Fork of the Payette.

 

Not too long ago the satellite images of our island were updated on Google Earth. Want to “fly” to our island? Open Google Earth and paste these coordinates into the search box: 16.75559,-87.77957

It’s a great way to see Belize snorkeling spots too! You can easily see from the Google Earth images that you can swim to snorkel spots from our shore.