Belize,
unique and unusual, is an exciting destination for the
traveler seeking to experience different cultures and
exotic environments. An English-speaking, democratic nation,
Belize is blessed with an amazing variety of bio-geographic
regions including: the longest barrier reef in the Western
Hemisphere, hundreds of tiny cayes (as the Belizeans call
their islands, pronounced 'keys'), miles of unexplored
beaches, and world class diving, snorkeling, and fishing.
Stretching 450 miles from the Yucatan Peninsula
to the Bay of Honduras, the Belize Barrier Reef is renowned
as one of the most pristine reefs in the world. A fantastic
diversity of habitat is found here, including hundreds
of islands, extensive shallow water flats, mangrove ranges,
and innumerable coral reefs.
Belize
is much more than a water sports destination - in a matter
of a few hours you can travel from the coral reefs to
the largest remaining tracts of undisturbed rainforests
in all of Central America. Wildlife abounds - the rainforests
are home to jaguar and Baird's tapir, tayra, agouti, and
howler monkeys. The bird life is world famous. This is
a land where it is still possible to see the legendary
harpy eagle in the wild and where colourful tropical birds
like toucans, trogons, and orependolas are seen daily.
If this is not enough, Belize was also at
one time the heart of the Mayan civilization. With a cultural
vista that stretches back over forty centuries to the
beginning of the Maya, we can trace this civilization
through over 600 archaeological sites in Belize alone.
Since
the decline of the Mayan empire beginning around 900
AD, and the later arrival of Europeans, Belize has continued
to evolve - with Spanish explorers, Garifuna settlements,
Scottish buccaneers, and a hundred years as a colony of
Great Britain, alll contributing to the cultural mosaic
we find in Belize today.
Today, the main languages of Belize are English, Creole,
and Spanish. Unlike many other countries in Central
America, Belize has a relatively modernized infrastructure
with safe food and clean drinking water. Looking towards
the future, Belizeans recognize the incomparable value
of their abundant wildlife, rainforests, and coral reefs,
and in the last decade have moved to protect over 36%
of the country with marine reserves, parks, and wildlife
sanctuaries.
In
Belize our trips take you to these most spectacular locations
on sea and land and introduce you to an exciting variety of
adventure activities. Group size is limited to 6-20 participants,
providing a genuine and personalized travel experience.
We invite you to join us as we explore the most diverse and
exciting adventure travel destination in the Americas.
"I read the website a dozen times yet still didn't get what a rich cultural experience it would be. In fact I worried that I wouldn't really have contact with local people and would be separated as a tourist. While this is inherent in travel, I did feel like I had some authentic meaningful contact with the Belizean people."
Lynne Pattin
Port Townsend, WA
Glover's Reef & River of Caves
