Upon arrival at the Belize International Airport, you will be welcomed by an Island Expeditions representative and whisked away to the Bird's Eye View Lodge in the Crooked Tree Wildlife Sanctuary. This area is renowned for its extensive wetlands, and four main lagoons which are home to hundreds of species of birds and other fauna.  Enroute, we make a stop to the Mayan ruins of Altun Ha.  After checking into your accommodations, meet your fellow travelers for dinner and discuss the days ahead.

You will have a full day of exploration as you travel north by road, then west by river to the Mayan ruins of Lamanai. We travel down the New River by riverboat, making stops for chances to glance at wildlife and birds. Iguanas, parrots, toucans, aracaris, and Morelet's crocodiles are frequently seen. Once we reach the shores of Lamanai, we explore the many temples, plazas and palaces within the park's boundaries. We have lunch at the site, and continue to the colonial sugar mill built at the Mayan site. In the afternoon, we depart Lamanai by riverboat, stopping for wildlife along the way, and return to toast a spectacular sunset over the lagoon at Bird’s Eye View Lodge.

After breakfast, we travel back to Belize City, make a quick stop at a local shop and head to our waiting motor boat charter. We travel by boat 56 miles out to sea, passing through mangrove ranges, white sand cayes, arriving at Belize's furthest island group, on Lighthouse Reef Atoll. Upon arriving at Half Moon Caye, your guide team will orient you to the island and camp to settle you into your accommodations. You will then enjoy a late lunch and then a session of sea kayak and snorkeling instruction before heading out on the water.

Over the next few days, you will have many options to explore, including a quickly disappearing shipwreck just north of the caye. The guides will present activities each day based on the weather conditions, and the group's desires. And, of course, we always give you the option of hanging out in a hammock with a good book and a cold beverage!

 The "Aquarium" is today's big adventure. We will pack a hearty lunch and snorkel gear and plan to be away for most of the day. We paddle our kayaks (with motor boat support) to the neighboring island, called Long Caye. After a good paddle, we snorkel a local patch reef and return to the island dock for lunch in the field. Next we jump into the water and drift snorkel the “Aquarium”, an undersea cliff known for the profusion of fish and towering coral formations. We raise the sails and sail our kayaks or paddle back to camp.

Today, we travel to the world-renowned Great Blue Hole. A huge collapsed sinkhole formation that was discovered and made famous by ocean explorer Jacques Cousteau. We motor boat or paddle the 6 mile journey, to this perfectly circular formation bejeweled with soft and hard corals of many different colors. After a full day of exploring, you'll return just in time for a wonderful seafood dinner prepared especially for you by our cooks. After dinner, we have a cultural presentation of drumming and dancing to celebrate the last night at Half Moon Caye.

The choice is yours for your last morning at Lighthouse Reef Atoll. Snorkel your favorite patch reefs, walk the island trails, and swing in a hammock or beach comb along the immaculate island beaches. After lunch, a motor charter arrives, and you'll begin to prepare for your trip back to the mainland. You will arrive at the Belize City Biltmore Hotel, usually by late afternoon.