BELIZE: Mayans, Monkeys & Marine Life BELIZE: Mayans, Monkeys & Marine Life It s a tiny country with a small population, but Belize is packed with an endless array of activities that surprise, delight, entertain and educate visitors of all ages. Thomson s exhilarating family vacation in Belize showcases the country s geographical diversity, its cultural wealth, and its amazing ecosystems from high mountain forests to the longest reef system in the Western hemisphere. From Toledo district of Southern Belize, to Belize s famous Caribbean beaches in Placencia whether you re traveling with youngsters or teens, or decide to introduce the grandkids to a new culture, Belize truly does have something tantalizing for everyone. Highlights: Explore ancient Mayan ruins Snorkel in the famed Southern Barrier Reef See iguanas, crocodiles, manatees and howler monkeys DIFFICULTY RECOMMENDED age : 8+
ITINERARY Day 1: Arrive Belize City transfer to Toledo Welcome to Belize! Step off the plane and feel the warmth of the Belizean air, almost as warm as the personalities of this little Central American country s people! Connect with a one-hour flight to Punta Gorda for your drive to the Lodge at Big Falls. Explore the property by foot or river tube and rest up for the family adventure that awaits! Meals Included: Dinner Day 2: Toledo Wake up to the invigorating Caribbean sunshine and explore the Mayan archeological site of Lubaantun, built around 700-900 AD. Lubaantun, meaning place of the fallen stones, features a myriad of impressive structures with all sorts of original purposes, made of hand-cut limestone blocks with no visible mortar holding them together. The site is known for the mysterious and controversial story of the crystal skull, allegedly discovered in the 1920s by the daughter of a British explorer. Drive through Mayan villages on the way to Rio Blanco National Park, where you ll eat lunch and swim in a waterfall pool there s even a rock cliff you can jump off! Dry off and trek through the jungle trail here, keeping an eye out for small mammals and tropical birds. On the way back to the lodge, you ll visit the Chiac family for a demonstration of their traditional craft making skills using palm leaves and other natural fibers. Day 3: Toledo If you wish, start the morning off with bird walk, led by your expert naturalist guide. Afterwards, you ll be driven down to the Warasa Garifuna Drumming School to learn about traditional Garifuna drumming, and you and your family can try your hand at some basic rhythms on hide drums made from cedar and stretched deerskin. Head to IxCacao, a family-run organic chocolate making operation, to witness the process of turning raw cacao into delicious chocolate, which you ll have the chance to taste! Work off that chocolate with an adventurous zip line ride over the river and rain forest canopy at Big Falls. Then it s time for your children to meet their Belizean pen pals! They ll enjoy a fun, eyeopening activity with the local kids they ve been writing letters to since before the trip began. Tonight, join your guide for a night walk, looking out for kinkajou, owls, tarantulas, armadillos, and more. Day 4: Toledo to Placencia You ll be transferred down to Placencia today, visiting Monkey River en route to the coast. Enjoy a boat tour of the river, with a local expert pointing out abundant wildlife, like howler monkeys in the surrounding trees and crocodiles basking in the sun. Check into your hotel and then enjoy some time to swim or just relax before dinner. Accommodations: Laru Beya Resort, or similar.
Day 5: Placencia You can take it easy and relax at the hotel this morning, before heading to Laughing Bird Caye National Park, one of the premiere protected areas within the Belize Barrier Reef a UNESCO World Heritage Site. It is located on a beautiful Belizean isle just 11 miles off the coast of Placencia, with coconut palm trees, white sand beach, and clear blue water. Spend several hours snorkeling (or scuba diving, at additional expense) in the shallow waters surrounding Laughing Bird Caye, where over 250 species of tropical fish swim in its waters, as well as an abundance and variety of coral habitats. Enjoy a BBQ lunch on the caye before heading back to the resort. Days 6 & 7: Placencia Snorkel along the outer Southern Barrier Reef. Travel to Silk Caye and South Water Caye, located 20 nautical miles off the coast of Placencia, approximately a one hour boat ride. These marine reserves are abundant with aquatic life, including a wide variety of tropical reef fish and colorful corals, and some of the best snorkeling in the Caribbean. Eagle rays, moray eels, dolphins, turtles, barracudas, lobsters, and more frequent these waters. Enjoy another great lunch on the caye. Then enjoy a free day to relax with your family and enjoy Placencia as you please. Day 8: Placencia Today is free for your family to enjoy the amenities of your hotel at your leisure. If you d like (at your own expense), visit a Mayan site, hike in Cockscomb Basin Jaguar Preserve, or sail in the Caribbean on a catamaran. Your farewell dinner is tonight, where you ll share a meal and some stories with you guide and fellow travelers. Days 9: Depart Belize All great adventures must one day come to an end. Bid farewell to your new friends and beautiful Belize as you head to the airport for your early morning departure. Meals Included: Breakfast
Why choose Thomson Family Adventures? Because we know families we were the first and remain the only company devoted exclusively to family travel. Adult tour companies have imitated us, but we are still as we were in 1998 the only one to offer strictly family adventures. We offer meaningful family experiences like horizon-broadening encounters with local children. Our Friends Across Borders, or pen pal program, has proven to be one of the most memorable components of our adventures for all who participate. We invite your children to write ahead to local children whom they will meet on your adventure for a game of soccer or a community service project. Our Guides are all native to the country you are visiting, so you gain real knowledge of local life from the get-go something a non-local, no matter how scholarly, could never match. Our rafikis, in addition to our guide travel with almost all of our groups of eight or more. Their job is to engage the kids in fun games and activities to help break the ice among families and make sure everyone s entertained. Grandparents and Family Reunions nothing can bring a family together like a shared travel experience. No matter the age difference be it a parent and child, grandparent and grandchild or multiple generations observing how we each see the world is not only remarkable but a sweet reminder that certain things in this world are, and will always be, totally ineffable. Relax you re with Thomson our expertise in this specialized field is unmatched, and we spend every minute of every day coming up with new ways to make family travel more fun, eye-opening and safe. Accommodations We ve personally visited every ship, hotel, and campsite to be sure they all meet our family travel standards. Meals We know hungry kids and fussy eaters can make travel difficult, so our meals and buffets are carefully selected. Transportation It s all taken care of: airport transfers, ground transportation, plenty of snacks on the vehicles, and no overly long drives because nobody wants to hear, Are we there yet?! Included travel insurance If the unexpected should arise no worries, we have you covered. Guaranteed departures It s tough to find time out of your busy schedule; school vacation is when it is, the kids summer camp is not going to move to a different week Once you ve confirmed a trip that works for your family, we won t cancel on you. ACCOMMODATIONS Lodge at Big Falls The Lodge at Big Falls is situated on the banks of the Rio Grande river in Belize s southern Toledo District. The property is located on a meander of the river with almost a mile of river frontage. There are views towards the Maya Mountains to the north west while the south eastern bank faces the village of Big Falls. However, there are no big falls in Big Falls. This is just the name of the village! Laru Beya Laru Beya Resort, whose name means on the beach in a local dialect, is located on the white beaches of the Placencia Peninsula. The resort is only three miles from the town of Placencia. The hotel features beautiful, air conditioned rooms with private patios. CLIMATE Belize has two seasons: a dry season and a green season. The dry season runs from January to April and the green season runs from May to December. This nomenclature has led to a misconception about what the weather is like in Belize in these two seasons. Many visitors expect that it will not rain at all, anywhere in the country, during the dry months and then pour buckets all day long, for the rainy months. Not true! It can rain in the dry season and be dry in the rainy season, so your best bet is to be prepared for precipitation regardless of the season. People often ask us how much it will rain each day during the rainy season. As is true in the U.S. and Europe, weather patterns vary from year to year and day-to-day, so this is very difficult to predict. The rainfall amounts in the Macal River region outside of San Ignacio have varied greatly over recent summers. Many days it may not rain at all while others it could rain for a good portion of the day. The best thing to do is bring along your rain gear and sense of humor. And regardless of season and precipitation levels, Belize enjoys average temperatures in the 70s and 80s year round. Let us take care of all the details for you. Parenting is hard work vacationing doesn t need to be.
TRIP DETAILS Included Services of a guide who will accompany you throughout the trip All entrance fees for sites indicated in the itinerary Accommodations based on double and triple occupancy at comfortable and distinctive tourist level hotels Meals as per the above itinerary Land transportation, airport transfers and internal air All excursions as listed in the itinerary Bottled water for the land portion of your tour Groups of 8 or more will be accompanied by one of our mentors Ages 6 to 17 will be matched with pen pals with whom your children will correspond and meet in country Trip journal including bird lists, mammal lists, sketchpads and address lists Travel Insurance for your family Not Included Soda, beer, wine and spirits (where we include dinner, you will need to pay the bar tab) Fees for passports, visas and immunizations Meals and expenses en route to your destination Laundry, phone/fax/email, and other items of a personal nature Additional activities not listed on this itinerary Tips to your guide, driver & mentor (if applicable) Departure taxes 2014 Dates and Prices: 10 or more 7 to 9 3 to 6 Internal travelers travelers travelers Air Nov 22-29* $4,290 $4,490 $4,990 $100 Dec 20-28 $4,890 $5,090 $5,390 $100 2015 Dates Mar 21-28* $4,490 $4,690 $4,890 $100 Dec 26-Jan 3 $4,790 $4,990 $5,190 $100 * Denotes an 8-day trip Child Discount (<12): $200 off the adult price Triple Discount 2014: $400 for children <12 sharing w/2 adults. Triple Discount 2015: $200 for children <12 sharing w/2 adults. Alumni Discount: $500 per family for returning Thomson guests Be sure to check our website for newly added & sold out dates. If you don t see a date that works for you, call us; we can personalize any trip to meet your travel needs. BOOKING YOUR TRIP IS EASY Just give us a call at 800-262-6255. Our family travel advisors are here to help you choose and prepare for your family s adventure. We are a special group of world travelers, many of us parents ourselves, who are here for you every step of the way. We provide personal attention to every detail, and we really do get to know all of our travelers as individuals no phone banks, no voicemail, no scripting just real live people who want your family to have the best adventure possible! Payment & Cancellation Policy Deposit: A $700 per person non-refundable deposit, payable by check or credit card, is due at the time of booking. Final Payments: The balance is due no less than 90 days prior to departure (120 prior to departure for December trips) and is payable by personal check, money order, or wire transfer. Cancellation & Refunds: Notification of cancellation must be made in writing to Thomson Family Adventures. Once notice is received, the following per person cancellation fees will apply. Number of days Cancellation December Before Departure Fee Departures Only 121+: $700 $700 120-91: $700 50% of the package price 90 61: 50% of the 65% of the package price package price 60 days or less: 100% of the 100% of the package price package price In order to offer the best trip possible, Thomson Family Adventures reserves the right to change trip itineraries, prices and/or departure dates. Thomson Family Adventures 5/21/2014