Belize Adventure Holiday: Caves, Waterfalls and the Blue Hole
Nine days of sharks and stingrays, a flight over the Great Blue Hole, the ATM cave, a rope drop into a jungle sinkhole and a waterfall rappel: Belize for people who like their holidays with a bit of a thrill.
Your trip
Your 9 days in Belize
If you would rather do things than look at them, Belize is your country. This adventure holiday packs the best of it into nine days. You start on Ambergris Caye, snorkelling with nurse sharks and stingrays and flying over the Great Blue Hole. Then you head inland to float through a cave on a tube, zip line through the canopy and go deep into the ATM cave by headlamp. The Black Hole Drop lowers you on a rope almost 100 metres into a sinkhole in the jungle, and at Bocawina you rappel down a waterfall and swim at the bottom. You finish with a boat day on the reef off Placencia. It is active, not extreme: every activity is run by licensed guides, with the gear and training on the day.
At a glance
9 days
Private tripJust your own party
Moderate to ChallengingActivity level
Flights includedATOL protected
Flexible datesYou choose when you go
BelizeOur destination guide
What makes it special
Highlights
Shark Ray Alley
Snorkel with nurse sharks and stingrays at Shark Ray Alley and Hol Chan
The Great Blue Hole
Fly over the Great Blue Hole, the most famous sight on the reef
The ATM cave
The ATM cave: wade, swim and climb to Maya pottery left more than a thousand years ago
The Black Hole Drop
The Black Hole Drop, a rope descent of nearly 100 metres into a jungle sinkhole
Bocawina Falls
Rappel down Bocawina Falls, then swim in the pool at the bottom
Cave tubing
Float through a cave on the Caves Branch river, then fly through the canopy on a zip line
San Pedro food
A street food evening in San Pedro, from fry jacks to fresh ceviche
Flights from the UK
Return flights from London, so the whole holiday is ATOL protected
Day by day
Your itinerary
Day 1Arrive in Belize, fly to San Pedro
You land at Belize City and take a short hop in a small plane out to San Pedro on Ambergris Caye, three nights by the sea. If your flights land late, we book the first night near the airport and you fly out in the morning.
Day 2Hol Chan and Shark Ray Alley
A boat to the Hol Chan Marine Reserve, a cut through the barrier reef full of fish, turtles and coral, and then to Shark Ray Alley, where nurse sharks and southern stingrays come right up to you in shallow water. Breakfast included.
Day 3The Great Blue Hole, then dinner on the street
A morning flight in a small plane out over the reef to the Great Blue Hole, more than 300 metres across and over 120 metres deep, and back along the atolls. In the evening a guide takes you round the food stalls and kitchens of San Pedro: fry jacks, fresh ceviche, stew chicken and, from July to February, lobster. Breakfast and dinner included.
Day 4Cave tubing and zip line, to Cayo
Back to the mainland by water taxi and west towards the hills, stopping at the Caves Branch river to float through a cave system on an inner tube and fly through the canopy on a zip line. Two nights at a jungle lodge in Cayo. Breakfast and lunch included.
Day 5The ATM cave
The big one. A walk through the forest and a swim into the cave mouth, then hours of wading, scrambling and climbing by headlamp to the chamber where the Maya left their pots and offerings, and the calcified skeleton of the Crystal Maiden. No cameras are allowed. Breakfast and lunch included.
Day 6The Black Hole Drop, then the Hummingbird Highway
A hike up through the forest to the rim of a giant sinkhole, then a rope descent of almost 100 metres down past the treetops to the jungle floor, with full training first. After lunch you take the Hummingbird Highway south to the Placencia peninsula for three nights. Breakfast and lunch included.
Day 7Rappelling Bocawina Falls
A morning in Mayflower Bocawina National Park, where you hike up to the falls and rappel down beside the water, then swim in the pool at the bottom. The afternoon is free back on the beach. Breakfast and lunch included.
Day 8An island day on the reef
A boat out to a small caye on the barrier reef for snorkelling, lunch on the beach and a kayak or a fishing line in the afternoon. Breakfast and lunch included.
Day 9Fly home
A short flight from Placencia to Belize City for your flight home, arriving in the UK the next day. Breakfast included.
Your price covers
What's included
Flights
Return flights from London to Belize City, changing planes in the US or Canada (other UK airports on request)
We can also book other airlines, including flights with one stop, to suit your dates and preferences.
Accommodation
Eight nights in a seaside hotel in San Pedro, a jungle lodge in Cayo and a beach hotel in Placencia, twin or double rooms, named in your quote
Meals
Breakfast every day, lunch on the trip days in the itinerary and the San Pedro food tour
Internal flights
The domestic flights in Belize, the Great Blue Hole flight, water taxis and private transfers by road
Guides and tours
Every trip in the itinerary with a licensed local guide
Also included
All the safety gear and training for the caves, the Black Hole Drop and the waterfall rappel
ATOL protection
ATOL protection on the whole holiday
Not included: Travel insurance · Meals not listed · Drinks · Tips for guides and drivers · A US ESTA or Canadian eTA for the connecting flight · Personal spending
Your next step
Dates and price
No commitment, we reply within one working day
Before you book
Frequently Asked Questions
We price every Belize holiday to your dates, the lodges you like and the flights on the day, so there is no set price on this page. Tell us when you would like to travel and we will send a full quote, with flights, hotels and every trip included. Nothing is booked until you are happy with it.
Fit and confident in water, but you do not need any experience. The guides train you for the Black Hole Drop and the waterfall rappel on the day, and the ATM cave needs a few hours of wading and scrambling. If one activity is not for you, we swap it for something else that day.
Yes, if you are a certified diver with some experience. It is a long boat day out to Lighthouse Reef with a deep dive at the Blue Hole and shallower dives on the reef. Ask us and we will build it in instead of the flight or as well as it.
There is no direct flight. Most routes change planes in the US, often with a night on the way, and on winter Sundays one route via Montréal lands the same evening. The days on this page start when you land in Belize. We book the flights with the holiday, so the whole trip is ATOL protected, and you will need an ESTA or a Canadian eTA for the connection.
The dry season, February to May, is the best time for the reef, the caves and the ruins. June to December is the rainy season, with heavy showers that tend to come in the afternoon, and the hurricane season runs from June to November, with most of the risk from August to October. It is warm all year, around 29 degrees.
Plan your Belize adventure holiday
Tell us your dates and which of the thrills you are after, and we will send a full quote for your Belize adventure holiday, with flights, lodges and every activity included.
Photo/Video courtesy of the Belize Tourism Board
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What our customers say
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