Belize: Jungle Edition

Visiting my Great-Aunt in Austin was my official kick off to summer travel. The day I left Austin I drove up to Dallas to catch a flight out of DFW bound for Belize! I was lucky enough to tag along with my boyfriend's family on their vacation-there was a total of six of us. Seeing as I had never traveled further south than the Bahamas, I was pumped to be traveling to Central America! We split the trip into two sections; We spent the first half of the trip in an inland Jungle and then closed out the trip on an island. Since the two experiences were different I have decided to split them into two blog posts. This post will focus on my time in the jungle.

While we were in the jungle we stayed at Macaw Bank Jungle Lodge. It was the most wonderful and welcoming location I have ever stayed at. The owners, Ron and Al, are incredibly sweet and a real treat to talk to. They will fill your ears with crazy stories about the lodge and make you delicious rum punches or margaritas. The lodge was located right outside of San Ignacio and was surrounded by jungle, the Macal River and Mayan ruins within driving distance. We visited a few Mayan ruins including Xunantunich, Barton Creek Cave, and Caracol. 

Xunantunich

View from top of El Castillo at Xunantunich

After spending our days exploring, zip lining or birding we would relax by tubing down the Macal River or walking around the lodge's amazing property. The six of us would then gather in the dining room at the lodge for dinner. Ron and Al fed us like royalty while we where there. A few of my favorites dishes that they made were coconut curry shrimp, chocolate cake with peanut butter frosting, and a fresh salad with homemade bleu cheese dressing. After a few drinks and fun conversation we'd follow the lantern-lit path back to our cabanas.

Jungle Path

Dining Room

We had so many GREAT adventures in the jungle that we found it hard to leave! Yet, those adventures took a toll on our typical sleep schedules and we were all ready for a little R&R on the island of South Water Caye. But for now, I'll leave you with a few more pictures from our time in the jungle!

Rio Frio Cave

Big Rock Falls