Travel to Belize and Guatemala – Episode 862

Hear about travel to Belize and Guatemala on the G Adventures “Classic Belize and Tikal” week-long small group tour: Mayan pyramids, cave tubing, and snorkeling on the Barrier Reef.

An adventurous trip to Belize and Guatemala. The tour started in Belize City, and then we traveled to Flores in Guatemala. Then, we returned to San Ignacio Belize and the Island of Caye Caulker. 

One of the highlights was visiting Mayan ruins, including Yaxha and Tikal in Guatemala and Caracol in Belize. I climbed to the top of 4 pyramids in 3 sites while learning about the Mayan Classical age from 200 to 900 AD. We saw Mayan ballcourts, temples, and noble houses. These sites are all in the jungle with the sounds of howler monkeys in the background and spider monkeys and kudamundi wandering the grounds. We saw tucans, turkeys, and other birds. 

We stayed in the colorful island town of Flores, Guatemala, a tourism center for Tikal.

We did cave tubing in Belize “near” San Ignacio, Belize. We floated through caves on inner tubes. We could get out of the tubes and see artifacts left by the Mayans of the Classical Period. Some of the group went to the well-known ATM cave, where the remains of some who were sacrificed to the gods at the end of the Classical Period are still present. Others visited the Raptor Center, where they got to interact with birds of prey.

The trip concluded on Caye Caulker, an island in the Caribbean Sea. Our group went snorkeling on the Belize Barrier Reef, encountering diverse marine life, including dolphins, manatees, sea turtles, rays, and sharks. We toured the island with local high school students as part of Bikes with Purpose and concluded our trip with a lazy sunset cruise. 

This was an adventurous tour. It is meant for people who are open to taking a crowded local bus, jumping into the water in a dark cave, and following a guide through the jungle canopy at a Mayan site. If you are such a person, the G Adventures “Classic Belize and Tikal” might be a great use of a week’s vacation.

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Show Notes

Guatemala and Belize with G Adventures – Adventure Travel in Central America
Visiting the Caracol Mayan Ruins in Belize

Hotels:

• Belize City, Belize: Golden Bay Belize Hotel
• Flores, Guatemala: Hotel Peten
• Flores, Guatemala: Hotel Isla de Flores (Magoes Rooftop Bar)
• San Ignacio, Belize: Midas Belize Hotel
• Caye Caulker: Tropical Paradise Hotel and Restaurant

Community

on Travel to Lake Garda and the Verona Countryside – Episode 855

This episode brought me back! My family and I spent a week in the area in 2019. Rented in San Zeno di Montagna and would do it again in a heartbeat. Loved exploring the region alternating lazy days on Riva del Garda. For a special treat, we spent a day at Aquardens Terme Verona and it was magic. Definitely felt like we were living like a local. Hope to go back one day.

Ezra

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Hi Chris, The chapter images are one of the things I love about the Amateur Traveler podcast. At the end of this episode, you asked how we see them. I’m using Pocket Casts on my Samsung Galaxy Note. Usually, though, I also download podcasts to my Windows laptop with gPodder and listen with Winamp through a decent set of speakers. So I take the effort to synchronize playback on Winamp and Pocket Casts to have good sound to accompany the visual. Love the show, Dan.

Dan

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