BELIZE: BENEATH THE SURFACE

CARIBBEAN SCUBA ADVENTURE AND SERVICE

Our Belize Caribbean scuba adventure program offers 14 days of scuba, Caribbean island life, and cultural exploration as we discover this incredible country. Belize is world renown for its jungles, rainforests and having the second largest barrier reef in the world. This makes it a perfect place to explore, on land and underwater!

Activities

• Scuba: Get certified or develop existing scuba skills with PADI accredited courses

• Live: On a remote Caribbean island surrounded by wildlife

• Experience: A Living Maya Culture with our local partners

• Explore: The history of the Nim Li Punit temple

• Taste: The final product after taking part in a traditional chocolate making class

• Swim and snorkel: Discover the diverse reef systems along the coastline

• Hike: Up into the mountains to see this incredible place from above

• Learn: About conservation at the Cockscomb Basin Wildlife Sanctuary

• Campout and Night Hike: Surrounded by protected rainforests

SWIMMING ABILITY

Due to the nature of this program, it is required that participants are comfortable being in the water and swimming in various depths.

Service

A Certificate of Community Service indicating the total number of hours worked and a group Presidential Volunteer Service Award will be issued upon successful completion of the program. Service work could include some of the following:

• With ReefCI we will be participating in species identification research, invasive species removal in the form of Lionfish hunting, and additional coral conservation projects.

• During our time at the traditional chocolate farm, we will be helping with various projects including planting, composting, and making chocolate!

WHAT IS INCLUDED AND EXCLUDED IN TRIP TUITION

The trip tuition listed above includes accommodations, activities, meals, and group gear. The tuition does not include personal gear and clothing, travel insurance, spending money, E-Learning for scuba diving, and travel expenses such as airfare to and from the start and end of the program, additional in-country flights, unaccompanied minor fees, and baggage fees.

SCUBA COURSES and E-LEARNING REQUIREMENTS

All RLT participants signed up for a scuba diving program are required to complete the classroom portion of the course prior to the start date of their program. This is a separate fee not included in your RLT tuition. Upon enrolling in a program, you will receive additional information regarding E-Learning. It is important that you do not begin E-Learning before receiving these details from our Admissions Team and/or your course instructors. For more details, please visit our scuba diving information page. If you are unsure which course would be best for you, please call us in the office at 773-342-5200.

• PADI Open Water Certification

• PADI Advanced Open Water Certification

• PADI Rescue Diver Certification

• PADI Specialty Courses: (for those already Open Water Certified)

  • Invasive Lionfish

  • Coral Reef Conservation

  • Fish Identification

  • Deep Diver

  • Emergency First Response (Required if completing the PADI Rescue Diver Certification)

  • Underwater Photographer

DIVE EQUIPMENT REQUIREMENTS

You must bring your own wetsuit, dive mask, fins, booties, and dive computers. It is very important that you bring these items or you will not be able to dive! There are no reliable places in Placencia, Belize to buy or rent these items; therefore, it’s important you have them prior to your trip departure.

We provide the rest of your dive gear – BCD’s, tanks, regulators, and weights. You are welcome to bring your own dive gear if you prefer! Anyone wishing to participate in our optional night dives MUST bring their own dive light/torch. Please note that in order to participate in night dives one must be a certified Advanced Open Water diver.

ACCOMMODATIONS AND SHOWERING

Throughout the majority of our time in Belize, we stay in rustic, dorm-style lodges in two different locations. Bedrooms will be divided by gender and participants will sleep slumber party-style – in sleeping bags, rotating available beds nightly, and sharing beds as needed. We will also have one group homestay that feels like a private hostel accommodation for our group.

Bathrooms and showers can be rustic so please be prepared. In an effort to save time and conserve water resources in the areas we are traveling, participants will have access to showers every 3-4 days but will be able to rinse off after being in the ocean. Bathrooms are flush toilets.

FOOD

All meals on this trip are planned and prepared by our in-country community partners. There may be opportunities to assist in food preparation depending on the preference of the partner.

Expect to eat meals that are consistent with the culture we are visiting. While other food options may be available, we will be sharing meals with our community partners, and eating what they eat as part of our cultural exchange. Meals are often filled with fresh fruits and vegetables. Rice and beans are a staple of Belizean cuisine and are featured as the base of many meals.

We are able to accommodate all dietary requirements and preferences.

TRAVEL

Families are individually responsible for booking their own airfare or making their own travel arrangements to get their participant from home to Philip Goldson International Airport (Belize City - BZE) on the first day of the trip, and from Philip Goldson International Airport (Belize City - BZE) to home on the last day of the trip. RLT will provide exact windows of time that we require all participants to arrive and depart within. It is imperative that no one make any travel arrangements until RLT directs them to do so.

A leader-escorted round-trip flight will be available from Miami (but is not required) for those travelers who wish to fly with a leader. Please contact our office for details.

Additional in-country flight

For this program, there are also internal group flights that will be booked by RLT which is additional to the trip tuition. Once the group has arrived in Belize City, they will travel together to Punta Gorda (PND) by plane to begin their adventure. At the end of the trip, they will fly from their final location of Placencia (PLJ) back to Belize City (BZE) before departing for home. These flights are purchased by RLT and invoiced to families; you do not need to take any action to book this portion of the travel.

PASSPORT REQUIREMENTS

For all international travel, we require participants to have a passport that is valid for a minimum of 6 MONTHS past the end date of your participant's RLT trip. If your participant's passport is due to expire within those 6 months, please work on updating your participant's passport as soon as possible upon enrollment. According to the State Department, routine passport renewal will take 10-13 weeks and expedited processing, which costs an additional $60, will take 7-9 weeks. It is your responsibility to ensure your participant's passport is up to date and meets these requirements. We encourage families to familiarize themselves with the U.S. Department of State website for all up-to-date and accurate passport recommendations.  

TRAVEL INSURANCE REQUIREMENTS

The Road Less Traveled does not provide its own insurance. However, we require participants to purchase travel insurance through a third party for all international programs. For additional details, please visit our FAQ page or you may contact a member of our team at info@theroadlesstraveled.com or 773-342-5200.

VACCINE & MEDICATION INFORMATION

We always encourage families to review the CDC website regarding recommended vaccinations and medications for international travel. More information will be provided to enrolled families from our Admissions Team in the Spring.

TECHNOLOGY

As part of the RLT experience, our trips are electronic-free. While it is encouraged to travel with cell phones, leaders will collect phones and any other personal devices after all participants arrive on the first day. It can feel tough initially to not have access to your phone, but it really helps everyone in the group to connect and have a really great trip experience. This includes phones, iPods, tablets, gaming devices, music devices, smartwatches, etc. All electronics will be held by RLT leaders, kept safe and dry for the duration of the trip, and returned at the end of the program. All cameras, go pros, etc. are acceptable and can be kept with you! If you do not have a camera, please note that leaders will also be taking photos throughout the program, and these photos will be shared through an online gallery.