Board celebrated its 7th annual Tourism Awareness Week which began on January 21 and will end on January 26. The BTB, under this year’s theme “Make the choice, play a role, Enhance the Tourism Experience” invited the local media on a tour to experience a little of what Belize has to offer.
On Tuesday, January 23 Ambergris Today’s Sofia Muñoz and the local media traveled to the jungles of Belize for an adventure out of this world. They got to experience a bit of Mother Nature’s best kept secret. The tour started off as soon as we left the Tourism village on board an air conditioned bus. Our tour guides from Bak-A-Bush Adventures made sure we got to know everything Belize has to offer.
While on the bus, our tour guide Sabrina pointed out several important points of interest throughout the city, after which we were on our way for our airboat adventure tour. At the Airboat Outpost we were greeted by the friendly and orderly tour guides from Bak-A-Bush Adventures, saluting us and offering us refreshments as we disembarked the bus.
We were given instructions and boarded an awesome 450 horse-power airboat. Leaving the dock the tour took us around the beautiful Almond Hill Lagoon speeding across the lagoon feeling the breeze tugging at our skin. During the boat ride we got to see some of the different types of birds which inhabit the area such as the Blue Heron and the Great White Egret.
As we sped across the lagoon to Indian Creek we got to view the unspoiled beauty of an area with beautiful water lilies growing wild and the wading birds in their natural habitat. Gliding through hundreds of acres of open marshland bordered by mangroves we got a chance to see birds fly by, iguanas perched up on trees and even caught a glimpse of a 14ft crocodile.
Upon the completion of the airboat ride we once again embarked on our bus and head to the Big Hill Station. Arriving at the station we were given the good news that they had a surprise for us, the entire group was off to take The Lost World Adventure which was not included on our schedule of events.
The Lost World Adventure began as we were geared up by the staff in order for us to begin our climbing adventure through a steep and slippery hill. We climbed up a narrow and winding staircase made up of lime stone and graphite stones, grabbing on to the rails for safety.
At the top of the hill our tour guides gave us brief demonstration on canopying (zipline), which happened to be our only way back down. The tour guides made the canopying down very easy since they were very helpful and professional in what they were doing. We had to glide across the trees which were roughly 35ft below us. It was a thrilling adventure after having to glide four times and repel your self down the hill twice to get back down on the ground.
After our thrilling adventure we headed back to the station to have lunch and get ready for our next tour. After a 15 minute bus drive once more we arrived at another station where the Jungle Buggy awaited us. We boarded the monster truck which lifted us roughly ten feet above ground.
The Jungle Buggy toured us around the pine tree savannah where you mostly find pine trees and palmetto trees since the area consists of mostly clay in which not a lot of trees can grow in it. We also got to tour the broad leaf forest for about ten minutes, there we found more palmetto trees, wild pineapples, and calabash trees to mention a few.
We then headed to our last part of the trip which was a Belizean Cave walk. We once more geared up with helmets and head lamps and were then guided inside the cave which, apart from being dark, offered beautiful limestone and crystalline formations. The tour guides also explained to us that the Mayas once used caves to perform sacrifices to their gods and also as burial grounds, but most of all they believed that caves were like hell.
And with that the media tour concluded, we were then on the Western Highway heading back to the city whilst enjoying a nice ceviche and soda after having a wonderful tour which allowed us to enjoy the scenic beauty, amazing wildlife and incredible land which our beautiful Belize has to offer.
Caption:
1. Sofia Muñoz and pals get ready to rappel down into a cave.
2. The Jungle Buggy which took Sofia through the rough terrains in the savannah area.
3. Fun on board the airboat at Bak-A-Bush Adventures
4. Deep in the Belizean Jungle the staff of Bak-A-Bush Adventures prepare their crew to challenge the caves and the zip line.
