Belize, Central America -
Gud Mawin

Highlights

Overview

36-42 Community Service Hours

Environmental service projects, native species protection 

A Certificate of Community Service indicating the total number of hours worked and a Presidential Volunteer Service Award will be issued upon successful completion of the program.

Activities

• PADI Scuba: Open Water Diver Certification or next level certifications (Advanced Open Water, Rescue Diver, Master Scuba Diver) in the Belize Barrier Reef Reserve System

• Marine Conservation Service and Research: 
  Lionfish population monitoring and control (spearing)
  Queen Conch surveys
  Lobster surveys
  Commercial fish surveys
  Reef health surveys – ReefCI check & Coral watch
  Whale shark monitoring
  Coral reef bio-diversity 
  Classroom sessions on ocean ecosystems

• Jungle: Float the Rio Grande

• Hike: Machaca Forest Reserve, Cockscomb Forest Reserve

• Snorkel: Tom Owens Caye, Sapodilla Cayes Marine Reserve

• Zip Line Canopy Tour: Machaca Forest Reserve

• Explore: Lubaantun Mayan Ruins, Jaguar Reserve 

• Classes: Mayan chocolate making, Garifuna drumming, Mayan art and cooking
  

Completing Grades

9-12

Duration

19 Days

Accommodations

While on the island off the coast of Placencia, we sleep in bunkbeds in a private dormitory. During our first weekend inland, we sleep in bunkbeds at a jungle lodge. In Punta Gorda, we stay in a private home. Bedrooms will be divided by gender and participants will sleep slumber party style – in sleeping bags, rotating available beds nightly. Full showers will be available every three to four days, and while near the ocean, participants will be swimming in the ocean and rinsing off daily.  

Tuition (Airfare and baggage fees not included)

$5,995

Arrive/Depart

A leader-escorted round-trip flight will be available (but not required) for those travelers who wish to fly with a leader in and out of Fort Lauderdale (FLL). Please contact our office for details.

There will also be a staff member on-hand in Belize City, Belize (BZE) if you wish to fly direct.

Additional in-country group flight is required and is not included in tuition.

Social Media

Join in on the fun! Check out #BelizeRLT for a behind-the-scenes look at photos from past participants and leaders. 

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Description

We travel to Placencia, load our belongings onto the ferry and head east to the Sapodilla Marine Reserve on the southernmost section of the Belize Barrier Reef Reserve System. Considered by many to be the most beautiful range of cayes (islands) in Belizean waters, this UNESCO World Heritage Site covers more than 48 square miles and includes 14 cayes.

Shallow fringing reefs wind their way around the outside of the sand and mangroves as they slope away toward the outer coral islets. Inside the shallowest area – a depth of just 15 feet – angelfish, snapper, parrotfish, butterfly fish, and a host of other reef-dwellers reside. Beyond the lagoons with their sandy bottoms and lush beds of seagrass, the depth increases; swirling colonies of lettuce coral and stands of staghorn coral create an underwater fantasyland that is colorful and teeming with larger fish such as schooling jacks and spadefish.

We settle in on the small private Coral Caye, our island home for the next two weeks, while we work toward our PADI SCUBA diving certifications. No diving knowledge is required. Depending on your level of experience, each individual will have the ability to work toward open water certification, advanced open water diver and/or rescue diver certification, and master diver.

While getting more dives under your belt, we learn and develop new capabilities in underwater navigation and deep water diving with a choice of adventure dives to complete the course.

Once we have completed our training, we dive into our service work: identifying, tracking, and cataloging the species of animals and coral to better understand reef growth and how to sustain a healthy underwater environment.

Advanced divers have the opportunity to assist in the eradication of the invasive lionfish, a species that poses one of the greatest threats to the sustainability of coral reefs throughout the Caribbean. Lionfish, an insatiable predator native to the Indian and Pacific oceans, was accidentally introduced in the 1980s. Little more than five years after its first sighting in Belizean waters, this fish has devoured its way through much of the region’s marine biodiversity. We will be able to dissect these creatures to better understand what they eat and how they have adapted to life in the Caribbean. Our work with Marine Biologists also includes participating in queen conch surveys, lobster surveys, commercial fish surveys, and reef health surveys. In addition we will help document coral reef bio-diversity and attend classroom sessions on ocean ecosystems.

Weekends are spent on the mainland taking Mayan cooking and art classes and discovering the rich culture of Belize in addition to exploring the Cockscomb Forest and Jaguar Nature Reserve. We learn about traditional Mayan chocolate, and how it is made from the cacao bean gathered from the Theobroma tree in the jungle. We hike and gather pods, roast them over the fire, grind them into powder, mix with warm milk and sugar, and then enjoy!

Another fascinating tradition that has lived for centuries throughout southern Belize is the Garifuna culture, which we experience through drumming. We explore the beautiful land of the mundo Maya and walk through the pyramids, marveling at the wonders of this advanced civilization. We have a chance to snorkel and swim with whale sharks – big floating teddy bears!

We ferry back out to our caye and continue our work, diving and snorkeling through endless colorful sea fans, tropical fish, sponges, and through the clearest aquamarine water on earth.

Once our work is complete we head back to the mainland for a relaxing rainforest tubing float trip. We'll race through the tops of the trees on a high adventure trip for adrenaline junkies, zip-lining like Tarzan and Jane for a bird's-eye view of the jungle and feeling the exhilaration of zipping from treetop to treetop.

We share our last day and night relaxing at our group homestay enjoying the sights and sounds of the Caribbean Sea. Early the next morning, we soak up one last look at our surroundings before transferring back to Belize City and onward to our final destinations. 

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Itinerary

Arrival (Day 1):

Arrive in Belize City. Board our group flight to Placencia. 

SCUBA Service (Days 2-5):

Take the morning ferry to Coral Caye. Spend the first half of week in SCUBA certification classes. Use new diving skills to assist local scientists who study the reef ecosystem. Identify and hunt invasive lionfish.

Cockscomb Forest & Jaguar Reserve (Days 6 & 7):

Regaining our mainland legs, we spend time inland in some of Belize's most gorgeous jungles, lending a hand with forest projects while night hiking to spot wildlife, tubing down the river, and exploring waterfalls. 

SCUBA Service (Days 8-12):

Return to Coral Caye to continue SCUBA service. Dive twice (or three times) a day, conducting lobster, conch surveys, commercial fish surveys and report Whale Shark sightings. Data will be vital to scientists protecting the reef ecosystem!

Jungle, Mayan Ruins, Farm, & Beach Adventure (Days 13-18):

Transfer to Punta Gorda, learning about traditional ways of farming cacao and the process of making chocolate. Spend two days on a Mayan farm to learn about sustainable agriculture. Step back in time at the ancient ruin sites of the Mayan empire, tube downriver, and zip through the rain forest. Learn Garifuna style of drumming and make the most of the unique group homestay opportunity.

Homeward Bound (Day 19):

Board the flight back to the U.S. to say final goodbyes after the trip of a lifetime!

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Need To Know!

International Traveler’s Health

The Road Less Traveled does not require any vaccinations or immunizations to travel with us, other than an up-to-date tetanus shot or booster (within the last nine years).

Please visit the CDC’s website to read more about recommended vaccinations for travel to Belize. The decision to get some, none, or all of the recommended vaccinations is a personal one, and should be discussed with your family doctor.

Packing List

Please click below to view your program’s equipment and packing list!

Belize: Gud Mawin Packing List

Day-To-Day Calendar

To receive an emailed copy of this program’s day-to-day calendar, please call our office between 9 a.m. and 5 p.m. CST at 773-342-5200, and we’ll happily send you one!

General Travel Info

It is imperative that no one make any travel arrangements until RLT provides instructions for specific arrival and departure time windows. Those details are typically released in mid-spring.

Families are individually responsible for booking their own airfare to get their student from home to the starting destination on the first day of the trip, and from the ending destination back home on the last day of the trip.

In-country flight, from Belize City to Placencia on the same day as arrival to and departure from the program, will be booked and invoiced by RLT, in addition to the tuition.

This program offers an optional leader-escorted flight in and out of Fort Lauderdale (FLL) for those families who are interested.

If you wish to have your participant fly directly into the starting location, please call the office for details.

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