Belize and Guatemala
Posted by Karen on August 3rd 2007
Written on the 2007 Alaska to Brazil expedition
So Far…
After spending a little longer in Mexico than planned (we couldn’t help it – there was so much to do there) we finally prized ourselves away, to enter the tropical paradise of Belize! As soon as we crossed the border the terrain changed.
Palm trees and lush green jungle surrounded us right from the start. Our first stop off was the Lamanai Ruins where access by boat through a maze of river tributaries fringed by dense tropical jungle made for a dramatic entrance to Belize’s most treasured historical monument.
From here we headed to Belize City where everyone had the option of crossing to Belize’s famous Islands, where crystal clear tropical waters and white sandy beaches awaited us. Diving, snorkeling, swimming and lazing around were foremost on the agenda for the next few days.
We also had the opportunity to take in Belize’s Jaguar sanctuary, where an up close look at some jaguars made for spectacular viewing! (This was a ‘sanctuary’ for jaguars that cannot be released into the wild). After this it was off to Guatemala!
Our first day here was spent exploring the ancient Mayan ruins of Tikal which poked their heads through the jungle canopy. We are currently winding our way though some of the tiny villages in the heartland of the country. Hot, steamy weather is upon us, with the odd down pour of ‘tropical’ rain (meaning it’s like some one turned on a tap for half an hour)! Guatemala is certainly the least westernized country we have been to so far during the expedition, but we’re not complaining, it makes for a nice change and we’re loving it!
We are planning to spend around a week in each of these small Central American countries until we hit Panama.
Until next time…
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