Belize

Why we went…

We loved our experience at the jungle lodge in Panama and wanted to try another lodge in a new country. The kids were 10 and 12 and the perfect age for all of the activities. We love being active and adventurous together. These adventure lodges are so much fun for families with pre-teens and teens.

How we got there…

We flew Christmas night to Dallas. We arrived late, stayed in an airport hotel in the terminal, and left bright and early the next morning for Belize City. The lodge is about 1.5 hours from the airport, and we arranged transportation there and back through the lodge. On the way home, we took Tropic Air to Cancun and spent a couple of days in Tulum before taking a direct flight home from Cancun to Los Angeles.

Where we stayed…

We stayed at Ian Anderson’s Caves Branch Jungle Lodge, and it was fantastic. The all-inclusive resort is situated in the heart of the Belize jungle. The accommodations are very comfortable. We stayed in a river view tree house (room 16) with a queen bed and bunk bed. We were close to the lodge for easy access to the restaurant and pool. We loved the open-air aspect of the tree house, and the outdoor shower is always a treat. Lighting in the tree house is limited so bring flashlights for the evening.

Where we ate…

The hotel is all inclusive! All meals are provided by the hotel and are quite good. Breakfast and dinner are buffet style and vary from day to day. We loved sitting with other guests and chatting about our adventures. Lunch is also provided on the excursions. The kitchen is open in the afternoons and the kids liked getting chicken tenders as an afternoon snack. We loved the jacuzzi time at the hotel after a long day of adventure. The kids got mocktails, and we had a cocktail.

What we did…

Caves Branch offers a number of excursions for guests. Each evening an adventure guide comes to your table to sign you up for the next day’s excursion. Your group can participate in the same activity or divide based on preference. Two of our excursions were private for our group only and one excursion included one other family. Either way, they keep the groups small for maximum enjoyment. We opted to do the three signature experiences run by Caves Branch guides.

River Cave Expedition – I highly recommend starting with the River Cave Expedition especially if you have kids or are worried about your physical ability to do more difficult activities. This is a great “warm up” for the rest of the trip. Plus, we really enjoyed learning about the caves and Mayan culture and history. Spence was a bit young for the Waterfall excursion and doing this adventure allowed the guides to see that he was physically and mentally capable for harder challenges.

This adventure includes tubing (upstream and back down) through a spectacular cave. Once inside the cave, we climbed and hiked to explore ancient Mayan ceremonial centers. Our guides were very knowledgeable and loved sharing Mayan history and culture with us. They provided us with a candlelit lunch deep in the cave. After exiting the cave, we had the opportunity to jump off a cliff into the river.

The Black Hole Drop – This was so cool! My favorite part was the jungle hike. It is spectacularly beautiful. We learned all about the flora and fauna. We saw an amazing veiled mushroom and Ainsley tried termites (a good source of protein if you ever get lost in the jungle). We also heard and saw howler monkeys. They make these crazy Jurassic Park-like noises. The kids loved the repelling. It was exhilarating though I think they wish it lasted longer. Rick (who is afraid of heights) did not wish it lasted longer.

Waterfall Cave Expedition – Our overall favorite experience, but definitely the most strenuous physically and mentally. Physically, you need to be steady on your feet to hike through river rocks, climb waterfalls and swim through pools of water. Mentally, you need to be ok being deep within a narrow cave for 4+ hours and jumping from about 15 ft off a waterfall into a small water hole. For smaller kids with not a lot of fat on their bodies, I would recommend a wetsuit shirt to keep you warm. Most of us didn’t need this, but Spence could have used something.

The Blue Hole Cenote – There is a nice little swimming hole at the entrance to the hotel. It is about a 10 minute walk down the driveway and across the street. Ainsley loved the little fish that nibbled on our dead skin. We mostly had it to ourselves!

The Night Hike – We love a good night hike! We like to try to do the hike the first night at a jungle lodge, so we have an idea of all the creepy crawlies in the surrounding jungle. We saw spiders, lizards and a snake! It’s exciting and educational.