Belize Review: Island Expeditions Ultimate Adventure – Island Life

Snorkeling along the world’s second largest barrier reef, tandem kayaking with my favourite human being, paddle boarding, and soaking up the tropical sun; the second part of our Island Expeditions Ultimate Adventure tour held great promise. We didn’t get a lot of sun, unfortunately, but that didn’t dampen our enthusiasm.

Tobacco Caye

After a very wet and wild 40-minute boat ride from Dangriga to the Southern Barrier Reef we arrived at the tiny island of Tobacco Caye. At this point I realized that being wet was going to be a permanent condition on this trip. The good news was that it was a warm wet.

Our lodging for the night was Paradise Lodge, a composition of individual little cabins with private baths and glorious decks that extend directly over the water. Steve and I spent about an hour lazing there one late afternoon mesmerized by the many pelicans that came swooping down within arm’s reach of us to fish for dinner.

Photo Credit: Barb Wolff

The island is dotted with numerous coconut trees, which I had to constantly be reminded not to stand under. Apparently people are regularly injured getting pelted by them. They can pack quite a wallop. Obviously I wasn’t the only tourist oblivious to this feature of island life given the emergency instructions posted to our cabin wall.

Learning how to capsize and recover

Who knew this was going to be such a useful skill to have on this trip? As novice paddlers and kayakers, I was just a wee bit apprehensive when we began our sea kayak skills lesson after breakfast the second day on the island. Sure, we’d paddled along in kayaks on calm lake waters a few dozen times, but the risk of the kayak turning upside down with us in it was pretty remote unless a wayward otter decided to teach us a lesson by tipping us.

Photo Credit: Barb Wolff

After a quick demo by our guides, it was our turn to practice the technique of breaking away from the spray skirt, surfacing, righting the kayak, and then remounting. We actually did pretty well until it was my turn to remount. I always have a hard time with spatial orientation. I turned the wrong way, overcorrected and pitched Steve into the water as we capsized a second time. Well, it was good practice anyway.

Southwest Caye – Glover’s Reef

Although we did a bit of snorkeling at Tobacco Caye, high winds reduced visibility and it was mostly a practice run to get used to our gear. The big show came at Glover’s Reef Atoll. We arrived at Southwest Caye via boat (much calmer waters this time) on day three of the tour. This time our accommodation was a safari-style tent just metres away from the bright turquoise water. I’ve never gone “glamping”, but this is what I imagine it to be. Beautiful white sand grounds, palm trees, shared toilets and showers as well as a large, comfortable dining cottage.

The chief cook for our stay was Annette, who prepared mouth-watering, homemade meals for us three times daily.

Glover’s is a UNESCO World Heritage Site and marine reserve and is a true treasure. Speaking of which, the area is named after pirate brothers, John and Rodger Glover, who used it for their base of operations in the 1700s. Our guides suggested that real treasure might be buried on the island, which is fun to imagine.

Exploring the reef   

We had two days to explore the reef via kayak, paddle board, kayak sailing, and snorkeling. Our guides, the incredible Velencio and Mr. B., did an outstanding job leading our snorkeling expeditions, diving deep to point out specific fish and then popping up to the surface to tell us their names.

Photo Credit: Barb Wolff

Now, if someone asked me how many different kinds of fish we saw, I’d really have no clue – lots—maybe 25 or so (math is not my strong suit). WRONG. One of our group members, Anne, was an inspiration in her determination to identify and list every fish she came across. With the help of our guides and poring over the resort’s marine reference books, she named and counted more than 70!

Photo Credit: Barb Wolff

What I do recall vividly is the 4-metre shark that swam directly under our kayak, surprising us as we paddled out to snorkel. I was remarkably calm about it. He (she?) was just on the way somewhere and we were in its path. No big deal.

Getting the kinks out

A day of kayaking and snorkeling can take a toll on the muscles and joints, so it was an added bonus to have the option to participate in daily sunrise yoga sessions at Glover’s. Certified instructor, Jolene, led us through a series of gentle stretches on the beach. With eyes closed, these yoga sessions had the best nature soundtrack ever! No sound machine can replicate real-life rolling waves, tweeting birds, and the rustle of palm leaves overhead. Nice.

Next Up in Part 3: We’re doing what now?

After our relatively pampered tropical beach experience, it was time to get hard core (well, hard core for this urban prairie girl). For the final stretch of the tour, we headed out camping (real camping) along the banks of the Moho River where we’d spend three days river paddling over waterfalls and through rapids. Did I sign up for that? Let me say those capsizing skills we learned earlier really came in handy and if Steve and I didn’t split up after trying to paddle that river together, nothing will tear us apart. Before all that though, we got a taste of rural Mayan life and a lovely stay at Big Falls Lodge.

Heading out on this tour?

The folks at Island Expeditions do a terrific job on their website in terms of info about how to prepare for each of their tours, but there’s always one or two things you wish you’d done differently once you’ve gone. See our insider tips to help with your planning.

If you enjoyed this post, why not subscribe to Tag Along Travel? Twice a month, you’ll receive an email with links to recent posts.

Follow my blog with Bloglovin