Classic Belize & Tikal
9 days, Belize City to Caye Caulker
When arranging your transportation, such as flights, please take into consideration the below time restrictions for joining and departing from your group. With these times, we have taken into account travel time to/from the airport in the given destination and required time for check-in or baggage collection/immigration.
Itinerary
Day 1Belize City
Arrive at any time.
There are no activities planned until an evening welcome meeting.
Your Welcome Moment: Welcome Moment - Meet Your CEO and Group
Your opportunity to meet your CEO and fellow travellers, and learn more about your tour. Opt to join the group for a local meal afterwards. Don't forget to see the notice in the lobby (or ask reception) for the official time and place to meet up with the group.
Accommodation
Below is an example of the hotel we may use in this city. For the actual hotel your specific departure will be using, please check your voucher.
Golden Bay Hotel (or similar)
Day 2Belize City/Flores
Cross the border into Guatemala and continue on to Flores.
Notice the difference in culture, with the heavy Mayan influence and Spanish language.
Enter Guatemala at the northeast jungle Petén region. The descendants of the Maya of Chichén Itzá migrated to the Petén area several centuries after the collapse of the great Mayan cities in the Yucatán.
Local Bus
Climb aboard, grab a seat, and enjoy the ride.
Border Crossing (Belize - Guatemala)
Ready for a little more ink in your passport? Grab your bags and get ready to check another country off your bucket list.
Private Vehicle
Settle in and scan the scenery from the convenience of a private vehicle.
Accommodation
Hotel Petén (or similar)
Day 3Flores
Enjoy a guided tour of the Tikal archaeological site. Return to Flores and choose to relax or go for a swim in Lake Petén Itzá.
Private Vehicle
Take the same transportation back to Flores after the tour.
Tikal Ruins Guided Tour
Put on your walking shoes and prepare for a tiring but memorable day walking through history at the impressive site of Tikal. The Mayan site is set in the heart of the jungle, in Tikal National Park, now a UNESCO World Heritage site. Along with our bilingual guide, see some of the temples, plazas, carved stone monuments and public squares, more than 3,000 buildings in all, dating from as far back as 600 BC. Climb to the top of Temple IV, catch your breath, take photos, and then sit and contemplate the magnificence of the site and the tropical rainforest beyond. Look for monkeys, anteaters, armadillos, and deer, as well as macaws and eagles, snakes, and spiders.
Optional Activities - Day 3 HideShow
Swimming
Grab your bathing suit and go for a refreshing swim.
Accommodation
Hotel Petén (or similar)
Day 4Flores/San Ignacio
Cross back into Belize and the town of San Ignacio, and enjoy a free afternoon to explore or choose from optional activities like a visit to the nearby ruins of Xunantunich.
Private Vehicle
Settle in and scan the scenery from the convenience of a private vehicle.
Border Crossing (Guatemala - Belize)
Ready for a little more ink in your passport? Grab your bags and get ready to check another country off your bucket list.
Private Vehicle
Settle in and scan the scenery from the convenience of a private vehicle.
Free Time
Start exploring with a free afternoon.
Optional Activities - Day 4 HideShow
Xunantunich Visit
65USD per personHike to the top of this impressive 9th-century Maya centre, set high on a natural limestone ridge, and admire the view of the Mopan River, Cayo District and neighbouring Guatemalan countryside. The tallest temple, El Castillo, is partially excavated and explored and there’s a unique stucco frieze on the east side of the structure. Discover why Xunantunich is Belize’s most visited site with intricately carved stellae, 25 temples, and well-preserved palaces.
Horseback Riding
80USD per personChoose from one of the 45 horses at Hannah's Stables and ride over farm trails and forested paths, all the way along the river to the Mayan site of Xunantunich. Enjoy a short guided tour of the site before taking a different trail back to the stables. Watch for native birds, including toucans and parrots, listen for howler monkeys, admire orchids and fruit trees and breathe in the fresh air of the Belize countryside.
Accommodation
Midas Resort (or similar)
Day 5San Ignacio
Take a free day to choose from a long list of optional activities from San Ignacio. Opt to visit the sacred Mayan caves of Actun Tunichil Muknal, check out Barton Creek Cave, Mountain Pine Ridge Reserve, or the visit the ancient ruins of Caracol or Xunantunich.
Your Discover Moment
There's plenty to see and do in San Ignacio, and we wanted to make sure that you had some time to take it all in. Feel free to relax or try optional activities like cave exploring, visiting Mayan ruins, and horseback riding. Your CEO has more ideas if you need them. Just ask!
Optional Activities - Day 5 HideShow
Actun Tunichil Muknal Cave Visit
140USD per personThe Actun Tunichil Muknal cave has only been open to the public since 1998. Take advantage of this rare opportunity to see up to 1400 artifacts, including pottery, tools and vessels used by the Maya for a thousand years. Hike 45 minutes to the cave entrance, wade/swim through deep pools, past calcite formations, to explore this damp, dark place of ritual and sacrifice. With a helmet and headlamp, see the skeleton of the “Crystal Maiden,” a young girl whose bones have calcified over the past 1,100 years, making them appear to sparkle.
Xunantunich Visit
65USD per personHike to the top of this impressive 9th-century Maya centre, set high on a natural limestone ridge, and admire the view of the Mopan River, Cayo District and neighbouring Guatemalan countryside. The tallest temple, El Castillo, is partially excavated and explored and there’s a unique stucco frieze on the east side of the structure. Discover why Xunantunich is Belize’s most visited site with intricately carved stellae, 25 temples, and well-preserved palaces.
Barton Creek Cave Canoeing
120USD per personStrap on a headlamp, step in the canoe and paddle along an ancient Mayan waterway inside the Barton Creek Cave. Bring your camera to take memorable photos of cathedral rock chambers, stalactites and stalagmites. Upon return, opt to swim at Big Rock Falls.
Horseback Riding
80USD per personChoose from one of the 45 horses at Hannah's Stables and ride over farm trails and forested paths, all the way along the river to the Mayan site of Xunantunich. Enjoy a short guided tour of the site before taking a different trail back to the stables. Watch for native birds, including toucans and parrots, listen for howler monkeys, admire orchids and fruit trees and breathe in the fresh air of the Belize countryside.
Caracol Ruins Tour
125USD per personSet within the Chiquibul Forest Reserve, prepare to be wowed by Caracol. It’s the largest known Maya site in Belize and was once home to an estimated 180,000 people. The site was discovered in the 1920's by a logger looking for mahogany. One of its pyramids, Canaa or “Sky Place”, built in 800 AD and standing 43m (143 ft), continues to be the tallest man-made structure in the country. Bring your walking shoes, water and a sunhat because there’s lots to see here. Tombs, temples, altars, carved stelae and other stone monuments – it’s well worth the effort and easy to be impressed.
Cave Tubing
90USD per personHike through the lush subtropical forest to the entrances of remarkable limestone caves within the mountains. Jump into crystal blue waters, tube down stream, enjoy a cool swim in refreshing therapeutic cave waters in a natural pool formed between two cave entrances, float through some rapids, view sparkling cave formations and learn of cave geology and Maya history during the tour.
Accommodation
Midas Resort (or similar)
Day 6San Ignacio/Caye Caulker
Travel by bus and boat to beautiful Caye Caulker, where "go slow" is the island's motto. Later, explore the island on the G Adventures-supported Bike with Purpose tour.
Enjoy tons of optional activities that will keep you busy here for days.
Local Bus
Climb aboard, grab a seat, and enjoy the ride.
Taxi
Jump in the back and tell the driver to step on it, just like they do in the movies.
Your G for Good Moment: Belize Bike with Purpose Tour
Take a leisurely bike tour around Caye Caulker with a guide from the G Adventures for Good supported Bike with Purpose project. See the island through the eyes of a local on this two-hour tour, and live the island's motto of 'Go Slow'. Feel the island breeze in you hair while knowing you're supporting a program that helps youth from Caye Caulker build skills for tourism jobs upon graduation from high school.
Optional Activities - Day 6 HideShow
Sunset Sailing Boat Tour
60USD per personSet sail just before sunset. Relax with reggae music and rum punch, snack on shrimp ceviche and snap a few photos as you sail around the island as the sun sets to the west of Caye Caulker.
Accommodation
Hotel Tropical Paradise (or similar)
Day 7Caye Caulker
With free time, opt to snorkel in the Hol Chan Marine Reserve, or just chill out, Belizean style.
Your Discover Moment
There's plenty to see and do in Caye Caulker, and we wanted to make sure that you had some time to take it all in. Feel free to relax or try optional activities like snorkelling, sea kayaking, and sailing. Your CEO has more ideas if you need them. Just ask!
Optional Activities - Day 7 HideShow
Hol Chan Marine Reserve Day Tour
Explore the oldest marine reserve in Belize with a full-day tour filled with snorkelling and sightseeing. The tour includes stops at three popular snorkelling destinations – the Hol Chan Channel, Shark and Ray Alley, and Coral Gardens. Stop at two additional viewing spots to marvel at tarpon and manatees. Expect to see an abundance of angelfish, blue-stripped grunts, schoolmaster snappers, and hundreds of other varieties of species in their natural surroundings. Keep your eyes peeled to see green moray eels poking out from their tiny caves.
Tour Includes: snorkeling mask, fins/flippers, lunch, assortment of tropical fruit, water, and other snacks.
Sunset Sailing Boat Tour
60USD per personSet sail just before sunset. Relax with reggae music and rum punch, snack on shrimp ceviche and snap a few photos as you sail around the island as the sun sets to the west of Caye Caulker.
Fishing
250-450USD per personCast a line and see what you can reel in. Fish for snapper, barracuda, horse-eye jack and more. Bring your catch to any local restaurant and have them gut and grill it just for you. Buy the rest of dinner and some drinks and enjoy! It doesn’t get any fresher than this.
Bike with Purpose Rental
1-30USD per personRent a bike from the G Adventures-supported Bike with Purpose project on Caye Caulker and cycle around the island out to the split and back. It's a great way to get some exercise and see the sights on this laid-back island. Don't forget to bring water and wear lots of sunscreen.
Accommodation
Hotel Tropical Paradise (or similar)
Day 8Caye Caulker
Continue to explore Caye Caulker and its water or land-based activities during free time.
Your Discover Moment
There's plenty to see and do in Caye Caulker, and we wanted to make sure that you had some time to take it all in. Feel free to relax or try optional activities like snorkelling, sea kayaking, and sailing. Your CEO has more ideas if you need them. Just ask!
Optional Activities - Day 8 HideShow
Bike Rental
Rent a bike from a local shop and head out to explore.
Guided Kayak Trip
15-20USD per personFollow a guide on a sea kayak tour around the southern portion of Caye Caulker. Paddle around the mangroves and try to spot some of the unique wildlife in the area.
Sunset Sailing Boat Tour
60USD per personSet sail just before sunset. Relax with reggae music and rum punch, snack on shrimp ceviche and snap a few photos as you sail around the island as the sun sets to the west of Caye Caulker.
Hol Chan Marine Reserve Day Tour
Explore the oldest marine reserve in Belize with a full-day tour filled with snorkelling and sightseeing. The tour includes stops at three popular snorkelling destinations – the Hol Chan Channel, Shark and Ray Alley, and Coral Gardens. Stop at two additional viewing spots to marvel at tarpon and manatees. Expect to see an abundance of angelfish, blue-stripped grunts, schoolmaster snappers, and hundreds of other varieties of species in their natural surroundings. Keep your eyes peeled to see green moray eels poking out from their tiny caves.
Tour Includes: snorkeling mask, fins/flippers, lunch, assortment of tropical fruit, water, and other snacks.
Fishing
250-450USD per personCast a line and see what you can reel in. Fish for snapper, barracuda, horse-eye jack and more. Bring your catch to any local restaurant and have them gut and grill it just for you. Buy the rest of dinner and some drinks and enjoy! It doesn’t get any fresher than this.
Accommodation
Hotel Tropical Paradise (or similar)
Day 9Caye Caulker
Depart at any time.
This trip finishes on Caye Caulker, which is located 1 hr by water taxi from Belize City (an additional 30 min by taxi to the airport). There are frequent ferry departures between 7:30am and 5pm. You can purchase your return ferry ticket easily once you get to Caye Caulker.
If flying out of Belize City today, please ensure to book your departure flight after 11:30am to allow for enough time to reach the airport.
Departure Day
Not ready to leave? Your CEO can help with travel arrangements to extend your adventure.