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Adventure Tours from Steppingstones One of our skiffs out on the Cayes While here at Steppingstones, why not take the opportunity for a guided Jungle Voyage with one of our excellent local guides? This will be a guided tour just for Steppingstones guests. You will be collected from our dock, taken down Monkey River for around eight miles to the village - owned nature reserve, where you disembark. You will be guided along the beautiful and fascinating jungle trails run by the village community. See exciting birds and animals, including the famous Howler Monkeys, learn about the natural healing properties of the jungle plants, used on an everyday basis by the Creole and Maya communities, and admire the beauty of the jungle fringed river. We can supply you with an excellent bird book to take along with you. The tour takes around three and a half hours, usually starts in the morning, and you can have lunch afterwards in Monkey River Village at Miss Alice's restaurant, where you will be able to try tradition Creole food (chicken rice and beans). Long sleeved shirts and long trousers are suggested as well as reasonable walking shoes. Take a small bottle of water, bug spray, binoculars and of course, your camera. Cost - up to three people, US$90. One additional person, US$30.  Escorted kayak wildlife viewing trips can be specially arranged, or just enjoy our kayaks and pedallos under your own steam One of the most exciting tours we offer. You are collected at around 6.30pm by boat, and taken slowly up the Monkey River. We take flashlights, and your guide will pick out for you the many birds and animals which are more easily seen by night. These include owls, night feeding herons, crocodiles and even the occasional jaguar coming down to the water to drink. If you wish, when you arrive at the village reserve, you can take a night walk through the jungle - this is optional. The whole trip lasts around 3 to 4 hours, and will leave you with some truly unforgettable memories of the sights and sounds of the jungle and the river at night. Long sleeved shirts, long trousers and a light jacket are suggested, as well as bug spray. We try to choose a dark night for this trip, as more animals are seen at the dark of the moon. Cost - up to three people, US$120. One additional person, US$35  On the Snake Cayes Belize has one of the largest populations of this highly endangered species, and we offer a trip through the mangrove and the lagoons to known manatee areas, where the chances are high of spotting these lovable great weed browsing creatures. Our expert guides can find manatee on most trips, though of course, these are wild creatures and a sighting can't be guaranteed. Along the way you will also see many birds, and possibly dolphin, and be able to admire the beauties of the Belizean shoreline and learn something of the ecology of the area. A three to four hour trip. Cost - up to three people, US$120. One additional person, US$35 Fun day out in Port Honduras Marine Reserve Steppingstones is on the northernmost edge of the Port Honduras Marine Reserve, which is a special conservation area where fishing and other activities are strictly controlled.  Beautiful Port Honduras Marine Reserve We set out around 9am, steam down to the Snake Cayes area (don't worry, no snakes) where you will spend the day. We land on one of the Cayes for a shore lunch - we can organize a picnic for you (additional charge) or you can take your own. Your guide will even cook any fish you catch! If you wish, you can venture a little way down beautiful Deep River, or simply laze around on the Cayes. The guide and the day are yours to do as you wish. We generally leave around 9am, and return around 3pm ish. Cost up to 3 people, US$150, additional person US$50. (There is also a US$10 admission charge per person to the Marine Reserve, which goes toward the upkeep of this pristine area.)  Superb Mayan architecture and art 3,000 years ago Belize was at the heart of the Mayan civilisation. Magnificent cities and ceremonial centres were built in the jungles, and today many of those places can still be seen. In fact, the tallest building in Belize is a Mayan temple. Belize's great ceremonial centres - Caracol, Xunantunich, Altun Ha and Lamanai were built during the first millennium AD, although Lamanai is thought to have a history stretching back 3,000 years. One of the most sophisticated cultures ever evolved in Belize and the surrounding countries, with astronomers, scientists, kings and priests creating monuments which are still impressive today. Then around AD 900, the Mayan empire mysteriously collapsed. The Mayans are still here, but they are a simple farming people often, sadly, treated as the lowest social class in Belize. What does remain is an astonishing ability to create beautiful crafts, and you will certainly want to take some of these lovely things home with you. Tours and trips from Steppingstones We have worked with local companies to put together a series of fantastic trips and tours which offer you something very personalised and unique. With the agreement of your guide, you can vary the programme to suit your own particular interests. For example, if you would rather spend more time swimming at the waterfall and less time walking around the ruins, then that's exactly what you can do.  Maya temple at Tikal The ancient ruined Maya city of Tikal in Guatemala is one of the most beautiful and fascinating places in the world. Tikal means The Place of Voices, and if you have ears to hear, the voices of kings and queens, warriors and shamans, artists and scribes, architects and astronomers, will echo back to you across the centuries as you wander through this majestic and mysterious place. Set in fifty square miles of rain forest, Tikal has temples and pyramids, ball courts and palaces, monuments and a great plaza where the most important ceremonies were held as the kings of Tikal sacrificed their own blood to ensure the continuing prosperity of the people. Once home to 400,000 people, Tikal has some 5000 structures as yet un-excavated - a truly mighty city which in its day was larger than Rome. This tour begins early in the morning with a short boat ride to Monkey River, where you will be collected by your personal tour guide, Basilio Mes, in his comfortable air conditioned mini bus. An eight mile drive along the Monkey River Road takes you through jungle and orange plantations, with good chances of spotting a variety of birds and animals including howler monkeys, toucans and iguanas. Then on to the Southern Highway and north along the beautiful Hummingbird Highway, the most picturesque road in Belize.  Limpid jungle pools for swimming By mid afternoon you will arrive in Tikal National Park, and settle into your room at the Jaguar Inn, the only hotel in the park, having just ten rooms. The attractive accommodation building nestles in the jungle where the only sounds are birds and monkeys calling from the trees. The hotel has electricity but this is usually only available from 6pm to around 10pm, candles are provided.  Croc on Monkey River Next morning you can choose to rise early - very early - at around 4am and take the guided sunrise tour. (Additional cost US$10) A walk through the forest takes you to the highest temple in Tikal, which you climb (safe wooden stairs which are a relatively easy climb for someone of average fitness) and await the spectacular sunrise at the top of the temple, giving you an unsurpassed view over Tikal. Your guide is an expert in the history of Tikal and will explain what you are seeing and answer all your questions. On the way back you will almost certainly see some of the many spider monkey which live in the forest. Then breakfast at the hotel, followed by a four hour guided tour taking in all the important buildings, but not forgetting the plants, trees, animals and birds which you will see on the way. Prompt departure is at noon, and lunch is taken en route to the border. Basilio will help you with the return border crossing, and you will change over to the Belizean mini van for your comfortable journey back to Monkey River, where we will meet you with the boat at around 5.30pm. These two days are a holiday within a holiday, and an unforgettable experience. When we did this trip ourselves, we simply couldn't wait to go back. The beauty, majesty and mystery of Tikal gets into your blood - you have been warned!  Mayan Temple US$525 plus 9% tax per person - includes transport, guides in Belize and at Tikal, one night at Jaguar Inn, meals. Additional costs - Museum entry (optional) Exit tax from Belize BZ$37.50 (US$18.75) Admission to the park on second day (Q50 - approximately US$7) Sunset and or Sunrise Tour US$10 each (Optional - but we would suggest that you take both tours if your legs can stand it!) Items to bring: Comfortable walking shoes - hiking boots if you have them Socks Light loose clothing preferably cotton Flashlight (torch) and batteries Camera and batteries Small knapsack Water bottle Granola bars/sweets Insect repellent (though it's not all that buggy) Sun cream We would also suggest that you read up a little on Tikal and the Maya world before you come, our favourite book at the moment is "A Forest of Kings" by Linda Schele and David Freidel - scholarly but very readable.  See the red macaws This trip usually runs from December to March, when the scarlet macaws visit the Red Bank Village area. This tour begins in the morning with a short boat ride to Monkey River, where you will be collected by your personal tour guide, Basilio Mes, in his comfortable air conditioned mini bus. An eight mile drive along the Monkey River Road takes you through jungle and orange plantations, with good chances of spotting a variety of birds and animals including howler monkeys, toucans and iguanas. The first part of your trip is spent viewing the magnificent macaws (who come to Red Bank in the winter to enjoy the abundance of food) and other birds and wildlife in the company of Basilio, who is a bird enthusiast and an excellent guide. After this you will visit Basilio's home village, Red Bank, a modern day Maya community, and see how the Mopan Maya have preserved their traditional crafts and way of life in the face of the modern world. You will join a Maya family for lunch, taking part in preparing the meal and learning how the Maya use cooking methods which are thousands of years old. This is a real insight into a local community, not a show put on for the tourists. The Maya are very charming and hospitable people, and a visit to a Maya home is a delightful way to get a feel for their culture. Participating in this grass roots eco-tourism is an excellent way of contributing directly to the well being of the local community. After your visit, you will return to Monkey River, once again down the jungle road, and will be collected by boat for your short journey back to Steppingstones. Cost per person US$90 + 9% tax, minimum of two people. Items to bring: Comfortable walking shoes Light loose clothing Bug spray and sun screen Small bottle of water Camera and batteries Bag of boiled sweets (for the children) |