Belize Family Vacation Gets Educational

A Belize Family Vacation – Adventure and Education 

There’s more to Belize than fun and sun.  

Just ask the Heyer family from Chicago, Ill.  Certainly they were looking for warm weather, even a beach, but what they discovered was an amazing array of adventure and learning opportunities. “Our kids, Zack and Abby are 9 and 12, and we decided that rather than another beach trip where we just relaxed around a pool and on the sand, we’d find something more adventurous,” says mom JoAnne and dad Chris. They wanted to experience another culture and a different geographic area.  They opted for Central America.  

“We looked at Costa Rica, but ultimately decided on Belize.  We wanted jungle and beach and the two resorts that looked best to us on the internet were Chabil Mar on the Caribbean and The Lodge at Chaa Creek in the rainforest,” she said. 

The Heyers not only had luxurious quarters at Chabil Mar, the resort situated amidst abundant gardens on the Caribbean, but is conveniently located near Placencia Village and the offshore islands for fantastic snorkeling, as well. 

”We saw so much in the water,” she said. “We were up close and personal with octopus, eel, stingrays, sea turtles and all sorts of colorful fish in this little gem of a country that’s renowned for diving and snorkeling.” In addition to discovering a whole new world under water, they learned about the land and its people on this narrow peninsula framed by the mint green waters of the Caribbean. They enjoyed meeting and learning about the Garifuna culture in the Placencia area of Belize. “In addition to being such great fun, we all had educational experiences here, over and above just another beach trip,” she said.  

And that was just the beginning of their family adventure.

From the charming little Village of Placencia, perched at water’s edge and filled with fishermen, colorful shops and eateries, they headed inland, via Chaa Creek transport, to Belize’s Cayo District.  The journey by road took them through scenic lush mountainous terrain.  On the western side of the country, Cayo is the largest district and nudges up against the Guatemala border. 

Embedded in towering trees filled with birds and howler monkeys, the Lodge at Chaa Creek sprawls alongside a gentle flowing river.  Thatch roof cottages dot the landscape. Their son had just completed a project in school on the rainforest, so this was study come to life.  In addition to experiencing the rainforest firsthand, they explored incredible mystical Mayan ruins and thanks to experienced guides, learned about the centuries old Mayan civilization.

“Originally, this trip was about fun and adventure but the educational aspects were a fantastic bonus,” she said. The Heyers said the family loved both resorts as well as the luxury of having experienced and knowledgeable drivers provide transportation to each of the two resorts, Chabil Mar and The Lodge at Chaa Creek, which even made the transportation portions of the trip very educational. 

They say they had the best of both worlds—-jungle and sea— all in one magical Belize family vacation. Contact Us to create your Belize Adventure Family Vacation.