Mainland tours and trips on Ambergris Caye, the largest island in Belize, are an excellent way to learn more about the island and get a glimpse of the natural beauty of the land firsthand.
The beautiful, azure waters sparkle in the shadows of the Maya Mountains, with winding waterfalls, spectacular caves and many ruins that provide a glimpse back in time for those visiting the island. Belize offers the second-largest coral reef system in the world, making it a prime location for divers and snorkelers.
Wildlife Tours
The Community Baboon Sanctuary works to sustain the habitat of the Black Howler Monkey, called “baboon” by the local Creoles, while promoting the local economy. The sanctuary offers a unique experience for visitors to enjoy the rainforest and view Black Howler Monkeys in the wild. The sanctuary is made up of over 20 square miles of property owned by 200 private landowners who have agreed to conserve their land in order to protect the habitat.
This has allowed the population of the Black Howler to grow to 2,000 in the sanctuary. Another of the mainland tours and trips on Ambergris Caye is to the Belize Zoo, located in western Belize. The animal sanctuary began as a “backyard” zoo that attempted to provide a home for a collection of animals used in the making of a documentary about rainforests.
Ancient Ruins
For visitors who desire a look back at the history of Belize, there are mainland tours and trips on Ambergris Caye to the many ancient ruins on the island. Tours to the Lamanai Ruins often begin with a short boat ride across the waters of the Ambergris before traveling up the beautiful New River with views of manatees, crocodiles and other wildlife. Tours of the Altun Ha Ruins travel across the mangrove cut before taking a van to visit a 2,000-year-old Mayan site. The Tikal Ruins are more spectacular than the Mayan site, but the trip requires a flight to the airstrip at Flores for those who want to go and return on the same day.
For the Adventurous
Mainland tours and trips on Ambergris Caye for the adventurous include caving and cave tubing trips. Ambergris Caye is home to many stunning caves, and one of the best trips is a tubing excursion through majestic underground caves. Tubing adventures are available at the Caves Branch Archaeological Reserve, among others, and those that embark on the adventure learn about the Mayas who used the caves as far back as 300 A.D. For the extreme adventurer, a true bird’s eye view of the rainforest is available by taking an exhilarating zip-line along a set of cables with Howler Monkeys and exotic birds at eye level.
Although these are just a few of the mainland tours and trips on Ambergris Caye, they provide a glimpse into the many adventures that await visitors who travel to this tropical paradise.
