Few people know that just a few hours south of the spring break party centers of Cancun and Playa del Carmen there is a hidden world with some of the best saltwater flyfishing on the planet. With the Great Mesoamerican Barrier Reef paralleling the Caribbean coast, excellent snorkeling, kayaking, and other activities abound. Join us on a family friendly trip to the magnificent Sian Ka'an Biosphere Reserve.

You will be met at the Cancun International Airport and have a 1.5 hour drive to our beachfront hotel - Los Lirios. Los Lirios is just north of the entrance to the 1.3 million acre Sian Ka'an Biosphere Reserve, which is a mosaic of coastal reef systems, inland water ways, and tropical forests dotted with Ancient Maya archeology sites. Sian Ka'an, which means "where the sky is born" in Mayan, has an abundance of wildlife including manatees, four species of marine turtles, the rare Jabiru Stork, and some of the most elusive large mammals in the region including jaguar and tapir.

Our first full day in the field we will visit an archeology site, explore a jungle trail, and float through crystal clear water in canals built by the Ancient Maya. We will transfer by boat to the lobster fishing village of Punta Allen which will be our base for the remainder of the trip. At the tip of a 30-mile peninsula, Punta Allen is perched on the northern edge of Ascension Bay, a world-class saltwater fishery. There are endless miles of bonefish flats, great opportunities for snook in the mangroves, and excellent habitat for permit and tarpon. With the barrier reef on one side, and protected inland coastal bays and lagoons, Punta Allen is an ideal location for a wide variety of activities, guaranteed to please a wide range of interests.

Day 1: Cancun to Los Lirios
Most US arrivals land in the early afternoon. You will be greeted at the airport for the 1.5 hour drive to Los Lirios. Located on the beach with a cenote nearby, you will be able to take a swim in the turquoise blue waters of the Caribbean and then rinse off in the fresh water cenote. A cenote is where the limestone surface has been dissolved by the fresh water aquifer below. Each cenote is unique, loaded with tropical freshwater fish, and one of the hidden secrets of the Yucatán Peninsula. We will have a fresh seafood meal at the beachfront restaurant. Night: Los Lirios.

Day 2: Muyil - Transfer to Punta Allen
If there are birders in the group we will start the day off with a pre-breakfast bird walk. After breakfast we will be dropped-off at the northeast corner of the reserve and begin our day trip exploring the Ancient Maya site of Muyil with our local Mayan guide. We then continue through the tropical forest for an interpretive hike to pier where we will meet our boats. We will then see the inland lagoons and canal system built by the Ancient Maya. At one point we will float through canals gently pushed by current through beautiful tropical landscapes. From the canals we will then tour the reserve by boat down to Punta Allen and our accommodation - Cuzan's guesthouse. The lobster fishing village of Punta Allen is delightful and the food superb. Night: Cuzan's.

Day 3: Flyfishing - Day Trips
For the anglers, the following four days will have a similar routine. Breakfast at 7:00 AM, in the boats by 8:00 AM, return around 4:00 PM. There are two anglers per boat with local expert bilingual guides. For beginners we can arrange one-on-one guiding with instructors.

For non-anglers, there is a birding option, a leisurely breakfast, and then a snorkeling trip to the Great Mesoamerican Barrier Reef. We usually visit three different locations, each having a unique attribute. The reef is extremely healthy with a wide variety of reef fish and marine life. Schools of passing tarpon and 3-foot parrot fish are not uncommon. We will also squeeze in a visit to one of the bird rookeries. We will depart around 10:00 AM and return around 3:00 PM. Night: Cuzan's.

Day 4: Flyfishing - Mayaking
Same schedule for the anglers. For non-anglers, today we will explore the inland waterways of the reserve. We call it Mayaking because you will be kayaking with Mayan guides. This is a great way to explore the reserve, no motors, lots of wildlife, extremely peaceful. Depending on how enthusiastic participants are, we normally go out for about three hours. We are flexible and can accommodate different levels. Night: Cuzan's.

Day 5: Flyfishing - Snuba
Same schedule for the anglers. Today will probably be a completely new experience for the non-anglers. Snuba is a combination of snorkeling and scuba. Airtanks are placed on a raft with 18-foot long hoses. Since the airtanks are on the surface, there are not the normal risks associated with scuba and we can essentially snorkel 18 feet below the surface - really different and an exciting way to experience the reef. We work with well-trained professionals and first do a test dive in shallow water to make sure everyone is comfortable. We also select a dive site that has variable depths so the more adventurous can go into deeper water (30 - 40 feet) and others can stay in the more shallow areas (6 - 15 feet). Night: Cuzan's.

Day 6: Flyfishing - Boat Trip
Same schedule for the anglers. Since this will be our last full day, we will explore some the nearby areas of the reserve by boat. We will have a picnic lunch on the beach, and have time to swim and enjoy the sun. We can also arrange for snorkeling or snuba if there is interest. Night: Cuzan's.

Day 7: Return to U.S.
We are a minimum of four hours from the Cancun airport and returning flights cannot be scheduled until 1:00 PM.

Accommodations Listing
Hotel Los Lirios, 3 Star, beautiful beachfront setting with spectacular views and restaurant.
Cuzan's, 2 Star, nice beachfront cabanas with verandas and hammocks. Excellent restaurant. Hot water, ceiling fans, no AC.

PRACTICAL INFORMATION
This trip will have a general interest interpretive component focusing on marine ecosystems, birds, butterflies, conservation efforts, mammals, and tropical plants and ecosystems. Culturally, we will be hosted by in-country partners.

While our accommodations are very good, all with air-conditioning and/or ceiling fans, hot water, and in spectacular locations; there will be limited access to international phone service, faxes and e-mails. Meal service is leisurely, arrival and departure times subject to change, and everything can be subject to an overall inefficiency we do not encounter in the US. It is, however, a wonderful, vibrant culture and people are extremely friendly and will go out of their way to make you feel welcome.

WEATHER:
The weather will vary from warm and sunny to cloudy and rainy. We can expect daytime temperature highs in the mid 80s to low 90s. Precipitation is one of the key factors in creating the rain forest ecosystem and we can expect heavy rain any day even in the dry season. The rainy season typically starts in June.

TOUR SIZE:
This tour will be limited to a maximum of 14 participants and a minimum of 6 participants.

TRAVEL DOCUMENTS:
A US passport valid beyond your anticipated date of return to the US and tourist cards are required. Currently no visas or immunization certificates are required. Those with foreign passports should contact the Embassy of Honduras and El Salvador for details.

FINANCIAL ARRANGEMENTS:
The fee for the tour is $1,898 per person based on double occupancy from Cancun. Single rates are an additional $350. This includes all food, three meals per day, from dinner on Day 1 to lunch on Day 7; all lodging for 6 nights during the tour; ground transportation; and guide services provided by the tour leaders and local conservation professionals. It does not include international airfare, departure tax, alcoholic beverages, special gratuities, phone calls, passport fees, 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. An additional pick-up/drop-off fee may be charged for arrivals and departures from regularly scheduled international flights.

HEALTH PRECAUTIONS:
For comprehensive information please contact the Center for Disease Control and Prevention on the Internet at www.cdc.gov or by phone at 404-332-4559. The CDC information is a comprehensive listing of any disease reported in a particular region or state. Please consult a health care professional with any questions.

STATE DEPARTMENT TRAVEL ADVISORIES:
Currently there are no travel advisories for traveling in Mexico. You will be updated on any significant developments that pertain to our trip. http://travel.state.gov

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.