This adventure takes us on a journey through the unique ecosystems of southern Belize. You will have the opportunity to see an amazing variety of birds including the Brown-headed Parrot, Blue-crowned Mot-mot, Rufous Piha and the national bird of Belize: the Keel-billed Toucan.

We will travel via tropical waterways and pristine nature trails, swim in jungle rivers, visit remote archeological sites and dine on caldo, fresh tortillas and other local delicacies.

Day 1: Belize City to Punta Gorda
Spend your first day kayaking down the Rio Grande from El Pescador to TIDE landing. Catch a glimpse of various bird species including Montezuma's Oripendula, King Vulture, White-necked Jacobin, Red-footed Honeycreeper, Red-lored Parrot, Brown-headed Parrot and the Crimson-collared Tanager.

Day 2: Lubaantun and Blue Creek
On our second day we'll head to Lubaantun where you will see Ancient Maya ruins along with Masked Tanagers, Eastern Kingbirds, Woodcreepers and different species of orioles. Have lunch in the Mayan village of San Miguel: feast on caldo, tortillas and a sweet cocoa drink. Spend the afternoon in Blue Creek, where your hike will lead you to clear blue waters descending from a cool cave. You may spot a Rufous Piha, a Royal Flycatcher, a Long-tailed Hermit or a Blue-crowned Mot-mot along the way. Take a dip in the waters with machaca, tubas and other fresh water fish.

Day 3: Paynes Creek National Park
Paynes Creek National Park will be our third adventure. Fork-tailed and Vermilion Flycatchers make their home in this 30,000-acre national park. Along your hike through the pine savannah and broad leaf forests you may catch site of Wood Storks, White Ibis, Yellow-headed Parrots and cuckoos. As you follow the brackish waters surrounded by mangrove swamps, you may spot the endangered West Indian Manatee, Tri-colored Herons and an occasional falcon.

Day 4: Temash River
We'll spend our last day on the Temash River, the most pristine river in Toledo. You may spot the Ornate Hawk-Eagle, Northern Potoo, King Vulture, and Hooded Tanagers. Howler monkeys can often be heard up and down the river. We will have lunch at the village of Crique Sarco.

Day 5: Return to Belize City
On our final day we will have early birding opportunities and arrive at Belize International Airport for early afternoon departures.

Accommodations Listing
Seafront Inn, 2.5 Star, on the water just outside of Punta Gorda, modern facilities, excellent open air restaurant.

PRACTICAL INFORMATION:
This trip covers a wide variety of activities. We will be on foot and in boats, and there is always the possibility of rain. All accommodations will have showers, air conditioning and/or ceiling fans. We will be driving in twelve-passenger air-conditioned mini-vans.

WEATHER:
We can expect generally warm conditions with daytime highs in the mid 80s to mid 90s. Even in the dry season (January - May) you can expect rain in this region.

TOUR SIZE:
This tour will be strictly limited to a maximum of 16 participants and a minimum of 4 participants. Register early in order to ensure space is available.

TRAVEL DOCUMENTS:
A US passport valid beyond your anticipated date of return to the US and tourist card (available upon arrival) is required. Currently no visas or immunization certificates are required. Those with foreign passports should contact the Embassy of Belize for details.

FINANCIAL ARRANGEMENTS:
The fee for the tour is $1,074 per person based on double occupancy. Single rates are an additional $327. This includes: a detailed pre-trip packet including a reading list, country bird list, packing suggestions, and some background reading and conservation project information; all food, three meals per day, from dinner on Day 1 to breakfast on Day 5; all lodging for 4 nights during the tour; ground transportation; in country airfares, and guide services provided by the tour leader and local expert guides. The tour fee does not include alcoholic beverage, special gratuities, phone calls, passport fees, airport departure taxes or items of a personal nature. Rates are based upon group tariffs; if the group does not have sufficient registration a small party supplement may have to be charged.

HEALTH PRECAUTIONS:
For comprehensive health information please contact the Center for Disease Control and Prevention on the Internet at http://www.cdc.gov/travel/camerica.htm or by phone at 1-877-394-8747 (traveler's health hotline). The CDC information is a comprehensive listing of any disease reported in a particular region or state. Belize is included with Central America. We have not had any problems with diseases. If you have any questions please consult a health care professional.

STATE DEPARTMENT TRAVEL ADVISORIES:
For general information about Belize please refer to the Consular Information sheet: http://travel.state.gov/belize.html. You will updated on any travel advisories.

CANCELLATION POLICY:
Refunds are made according to the following schedule: If cancellation is made eighty days or more before departure date, the deposit less $150 is refundable. If cancellation is made between seventy-nine and sixty days before departure date, the deposit is not refundable, but any payments covering the balance of the fee will be refunded. If cancellation is made fifty-nine days or less before departure date, no refund is available except for amounts recoverable through our agents. We recommend that you purchase trip cancellation insurance which you will receive upon registration.

If the Mesoamerican Ecotourism Alliance (MEA) cancels the tour or the tour must be postponed during a time period starting seven days before tour departure and /or through the duration of the tour, MEA will refund all money recoverable through our agents, not yet spent and/or all refundable deposits. MEA reserves the right to cancel, postpone or suspend any tour based on the judgment of MEA, its staff and representatives, in order to insure the safety of our guests.

RESPONSIBILITY:
MEA, and/or their Agents act only as agents for the passenger in regard to travel, whether by railroad, motorcar, motorcoach, boat, or airplane and assume no liability for injury, damage, loss, accident, delay, or irregularity which may be occasioned either by reason of defect in any vehicle or for any reason whatsoever, or through the acts or default of any company or person engaged in conveying the passenger or in carrying out the arrangements of the tour. They can accept no responsibility for losses or additional expenses due to delay or changes in air or other services, sickness, weather, strike, war, quarantine, or other causes. All such losses or expenses will have to be borne by the passenger as tour rates provide for arrangements only for the time stated. The right is reserved to substitute hotels of similar category for those indicated and to make any changes in the itinerary where deemed necessary or caused by changes in air schedules. No refund will be made for any unused portion of the tour. The right is reserved to decline, to accept, or to retain any person as a member of the tour. Baggage is at owner's risk.