At 185 miles long, the Belize Barrier Reef is second in size only to Australia’s Great Barrier Reef.  It includes 7 marine reserves, over 400 islands, and three atolls.  Roughly 70 species of coral and 450 species of fish inhabit the reef.  Just a half mile off the coast of Ambergris Caye, snorkeling is an easy half day trip from the island. Two years ago, the boys had attempted snorkeling at the Stingray Adventure on Castaway Caye during our Disney cruise.  It didn’t go especially well, but the water was shallow enough that they could just swim or even walk …

We had three nights and two full days on Ambergris Caye.  We had one snorkeling trip planned but otherwise were just looking forward to some good, old-fashioned R&R. We arrived around 6pm after a super long day of travel.  The kids wanted to swim and the parents wanted to eat (and possibly drink).  We checked into our room and the kids changed into their bathing suits.  We grabbed a table in the pool bar, where the kids could conveniently swim in the adjacent pool or even float by in the lazy river that wrapped around the bar.  They swam until …

The Journey to Ambergris Caye As long, tiring, and eventful as our trip from Tikal to Belize City had been (read about it here), our travel was still not over yet.  Our final destination was Ambergris Caye, an island that could be reached from Belize City by water taxi or airplane.  We had opted for a plane to save time. Whether or not we ultimately saved time is questionable.  After our van broke down between San Ignacio and Belize City, we weren’t sure we had the time and definitely didn’t have the patience to stop for lunch.  As a result, …

Most people who stay overnight in Tikal do so in order to go on the sunrise tour.  I am certain that watching the sun come up over the jungle treetops while listening to the birds and animals wake up around you would be an absolutely amazing experience.  I am also certain that it involves getting up at a ridiculous hour.  I know my children’s limits.  A 4am departure time for a tour is not within their limits. But we still wanted to experience the jungle early in the morning when the animals are most active and the park is least …

After a somewhat stressful drive from the Belize border, we made it to the Jungle Lodge in Tikal.  The boys had held up well on the trip but were definitely starting to get hungry.  A little too early to check in, we had them hold our bags while we went to get a bite to eat.  Things started to fall apart when we realized we were a little short on Guatemalan cash to eat at the comedors and had to head back to the hotel restaurant where we could use our credit card.  When the waitress and the menu were …

After a fascinating tour of Barton Creek Cave and a relaxing picnic lunch, we were ready to head on to our next adventure.  I was not looking forward to going back out on the road we came in on so it was a very pleasant surprise when Roque headed in the other direction.  Apparently Big Rock Falls did not require backtracking down that crazy bumpy road.  Yay!  Instead we headed up an extremely steep road with dozens of switchbacks as you climbed higher and higher.  We were marveling at the fact that the truck could make it up the steep …

While JB’s favorite activity in Belize was the Green Iguana Project, RB’s was Barton Creek Cave.  Caves play an important role in Mayan history.  The Maya believed caves were a portal to the underworld (known as Xibalba, or “Place of Fright”) and used them as a site of offerings, ceremonies, and sacrifices.  Many believe that the collapse of the Maya in the 9th century AD was largely due to drought, and there is evidence that the ceremonial activities in the caves were a last-ditch effort to appease Chac, the Mayan rain god.  Belize’s large cave system is fascinating to explore …

After coming back across the Mopan River on the hand-cranked ferry from Xunantunich, we stopped for lunch at Benny’s Kitchen.  Serving traditional Belizean cuisine (as well as basic kid-favorites like burgers and hot dogs), the open-air dining restaurant recommended by our guide Roque did not disappoint.  I had a good chicken and rice dish but my husband made the even better choice and tried the pibil, which is a slow roasted pork dish.  It was amazing.  We enjoyed our meals and the boys enjoyed drinking from the tallest Sprite bottle I’ve ever seen and using our Belizean change to get …