Belize: Top 5 Insider Travel Tips
TRUE BLUE: Diving the Blue Hole, Belize (Nathan Borchelt)
This guest post comes courtesy of Joshua Berman, author of the recently updated Moon Belize travel guidebook.
- 1. If you find yourself on a tight budget after the plane fare to Belize blew most of your wad, choose a budget accommodation from the Toucan Trail, an association of small, often family-run hotels in Belize that charge less than $60 per night. Despite Belize's reputation for being an expensive Central America destination, there are over 100 of these budget options, located throughout the country. Saving money on your hotel every night means you can devote more cash to tours, activities, and restaurants.
- 2. Go on a cave trip in Cayo. The jungle-draped pyramids of Xunantunich and Caracol archeological sites are the most obvious above-ground attractions in Belize's western highlands, also known as the Cayo District. But to get a peek at Xibalba—the Maya underworld—grab a headlamp and sign up for a trip to one of the area's numerous caves. Each is different—some caves, like Barton Creek, you float through in canoes; others, like Actun Tunichil Muknal, force you to hike, swim, crawl, and climb to reach its treasures. Most caving companies are based next door to each other on Burns Avenue in San Ignacio, the area's main town.
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October 06, 2009
World Monuments Fund Announces Its 2010 Watch List
Cordilleras rice terraces in the Philippines (Photodisc/Getty)
David Farley—author, New York Times blogger, and friend of the Away.com Travel Blog—writes today on the NYTimes.com "In Transit" blog about the World Monument Fund's biannual release of its list of the world’s most endangered cultural sites. Ninety-three sites in 47 countries are listed as being under threat from neglect, overdevelopment, or mass tourism, among them Peru's Machu Picchu, the rice terraces in the Cordilleras region of the Philippines, and Taos Pueblo in New Mexico.
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September 08, 2009
Win a Free Eco-Vacation to The Lodge at Chaa Creek in Belize
PARADISE, FOR FREE: The Lodge at Chaa Creek, Belize (courtesy, The Lodge at Chaa Creek)
We've just nominated The Lodge at Chaa Creek in Belize as one of our all-time favorite family resorts. Now here's your chance to discover for yourself why we put it on our must-visit list of the world's best resorts and lodges.
The Lodge at Chaa Creek is currently running a Nature Adventure Sweepstakes [PDF download] to award five lucky winners to the chance to win a free vacation to its award-winning eco-lodge, which is nestled deep in the rainforest of Belize's interior Cayo District. In 300 words or less, tell them why you want to visit Chaa Creek. The contest ends October 30, 2009. If you win, don't forget to send us a postcard!
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April 21, 2009
Manuel Antonio National Park, Costa Rica
The Manuel Antonio National Park sign (Liz Wright)
When I was planning my trip to Costa Rica, some naysayers warned me that the town of Manuel Antonio was overdeveloped and uber-touristy and that its namesake park could be very crowded. But luckily, I didn’t heed their warnings. The park wasn’t crowded at all—even though it was high season, tourism was way down because of the recession. The town was indeed touristy, but not in a way that bothered me. I have no idea what the town was like before the area was declared a park in 1972, but I have a feeling that not much was there. The one bit of living history seems to be the bar/restaurant that’s popular for watching the sunset, Barba Roja, which opened in 1975, back when there wasn’t even a road between Manuel Antonio and Quepos, a fishing port a few miles away.
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January 20, 2009
Adventures (and Misadventures) on the Highways and Byways of Costa Rica
GOLDEN ARCH: Roadside view of countryside in Costa Rica (Corbis)
Several years ago, before it became a tourist hot spot, some friends and I rented a car in Costa Rica to explore the country on our own. We’d planned a week of exciting activities such as rafting, hiking, and zip-lining. What we didn’t plan were the adventures we encountered on the roads along the way.
You see, Costa Rica isn’t exactly tourist-friendly when it comes to driving. Many roads are unpaved, unmarked, and once nightfall hits, unlit. We got lost often, and on several occasions, we found ourselves skimming the edges of cliffs. The bridges there are far from being engineering marvels; the scariest one we had to cross looked like a pair of wooden planks slapped down on opposing dirt embankments. Once we managed to traverse it without plunging, tires first, into the ravine below, we got out of the car to explore it on foot. Our suspicions were confirmed: we could’ve dismantled it by hand had we tried.
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December 09, 2008
La Libertad, El Salvador: For Better or Worse, Surfing Hotspot of Central America
SURF'S UP: Riding a wave in El Salvador (courtesy, AccessTrips.com)
La Libertad, on El Salvador's southern coast, is not exactly a postcard-perfect destination. The town is decaying, with worn-looking storefronts, huge potholes, and garbage in the gutters. There's inevitably someone lying on the sidewalk, passed out from drinking or doing some sort of drug. And you kind of get the feeling that you're being sized up—even if it's not true—by the sideways glances you get as you walk off the bus.
But then, you get to the beach. Or more importantly, a near perfect wave known as Punta Roca. Fast and strong, Punta Roca is considered one of the top ten point breaks in the world; most say it's the best in Central America. It's long enough to perform a dozen maneuvers or more, and crashes on a long, curving, almost-black sand beach. It gets crowded, but only by the way-off-the-beaten-path standards of El Salvador. You'll definitely get lots of chances to drop in.
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October 28, 2008
10 Reasons For Family Adventure in Costa Rica
LIKE MOTHER, LIKE SON: Guest blogger Marina Kuperman enjoys the beach in Costa Rica with her son (Marina Kuperman)
Traveling with kids is always an experience—for better or for worse. However, I've noticed that traveling to a country like Costa Rica is a lot more fun than visiting a place like New York City with a young child. Not that New York isn't a blast and full of stimulation—it certainly is. But overstimulation can tire a child out too quickly and make your trip miserable by forcing you to spend half the time indoors or at a playground. Costa Rica, on the other hand, is perfect for kids of any age. They don't get cranky and restless as quickly because the adventures are more nature oriented with lots of fun diversions like beaches, national parks, volcanoes, rivers, and animal centers. Costa Rica is the quintessential Mother Nature's Playground.
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