Monkey River & Placencia Village, 2/29/2020, National Geographic Quest
Aboard the
National Geographic Quest
Belize & Guatemala
After an exhilarating trip from the ship along the mangroves to the mouth of the Monkey River in local pangas, we then cruised gently upstream looking for wildlife. Along the way local guides showed us the amazing birdlife and shared information about many of the traditional uses for plants. The afternoon was spent at leisure exploring the quaint little village of Placencia.
Martin grew up in Melbourne Australia playing cricket and Australian Rules football. While growing up, to his parents’ dismay, Martin brought home and kept a menagerie of wildlife including frogs, lizards, turtles and even poisonous snakes!
Sarah was raised on a multi-generational family dairy farm, established circa 1815 in Lucas, Ohio. Consequently, her first paying job was milking cows! Rewarding as it was to get paid for the first time, she found her passion behind the lens of a cam...
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Today we woke up to a beautiful sunrise o n National Geographic Sea Lion in Belize. We are getting ready to do an inland activity that will take us to a waterfall to enjoy part of the day and the possibility to do tubing down a river called South Stan Creek River. It was my first time and I was very impressed by the natural beauty of the waterfall and the rock formation. We enjoyed about an hour at the falls then took a drive to the tubing site. We passed by land once used for growing oranges and bananas. At the private waterfall and river access, we did some swimming and tubing. Some guests saw scarlet macaws while tubing. It was a great expedition to the foot of a Mayan mountain. This afternoon, after a spectacular lunch, we rode Zodiacs to a place called the Yacht Club. Here we got the chance to enjoy a performance by the Garifuna Collective, a group that plays a kind of music known as punta. It was a fond farewell to Belize.
Today begins with morning coffee and breakfast on National Geographic Sea Lion . This morning we are at the Half Moon Caye and it will be a day to remember. The Great Blue Hole is the second largest barrier reef. Coming here has always been one of the must-do activities of visitors to Belize. The weather and wind are always factors when visiting the Half Moon Caye because of we are in open waters. Today, conditions were calm and almost windless. The water was pristine, and the reef was beautiful. Half Moon Caye is known as one of the seven natural wonders, and we can see why. After a snorkeling experience over the blue abyss, we took the smooth boat ride back to the ship for lunch. The afternoon activities were also amazing. We visited Half Moon Caye where we enjoyed the natural state of the island. We saw red-footed boobies and magnificent frigatebirds, who were always trying to steal food meant for the booby chicks. The cycle of life goes on as we end the day and leave the island for the ship’s next destination.
Today, we spent a blissful day on the paradise island of Ranguana Caye. In the morning, guests circumnavigated the small two-acre island by snorkel. They witnessed aquarium like conditions: crystal-clear waters and an incredible diversity of fish, including a school of thousands of small silverside baitfish. In the afternoon, we relaxed and enjoyed the white sand beach as we sipped ice-cold cocktails and floated in kayaks. Ranguana Caye is truly a little slice of heaven sitting in the middle of the barrier reef of Belize.
