Belize Mountain Biking Adventures

2010 Trip Departure Dates:
	January 16
	January 30
	February 6

Belize Mountain Bike Trip Itinerary:

Day 1
Fly to Belize International Airport. Our Ceiba guides will meet you at the Best Western Belize Biltmore Plaza just outside Belize City for a reception and orientation at 5:00pm. The Biltmore is a great introduction to Belize, with a garden courtyard, poolside bar and restaurant featuring local cuisine. We’ll do a quick bike fit and change saddles and pedals as needed. Our dinner that night will give us a chance to discuss our upcoming adventure.

Day 2
After an early breakfast we will shuttle over to the Mountain Pine Ridge Forest Reserve, an immense tract of land with a variety of tropical ecosystems and wildlife. Our ride today will allow you to loosen up your legs on the rolling forest reserve roads. After a picnic lunch we will ride to the Rio Frio Cave. The Maya considered a cave the underworld, and they believed the stalactites were the roots of the sacred Ceiba Tree. We’ll pedal on to the Five Sisters Lodge, an exotic, serene retreat deep in the Reserve, where we will have an opportunity to cool off in the cascading waterfalls and pools of Privassion Creek. We will be staying in a cluster of bungalows surrounded by the rain forest overhanging the canyon. There is a large dining room with a wrap around porch surrounded by perfectly manicured lawns and tropical gardens.
TOTAL MILEAGE: 18-25 miles

Day 3
Early morning risers will have the opportunity to bird watch with our Belizean guide. After breakfast, we will be riding from the Pine Ridge toward the Macal River Gorge. Our double track trail continues through the tropical forest into the granite and slate walls of the Macal River. On the banks we will exchange our bikes for canoes and head down river. This section of the river is flat and deep green, ideal for canoeing. Along the banks we will catch glimpses of iguanas, parrots and even toucans. Our river journey ends at the Macal River Camp and the Chaa Creek Lodge, our home for the next two nights. Here we will be staying in cabanas on stilts with private porches (and hammocks!) that are surrounded by large trees. The bathhouse is centrally located and hot showers are waiting. The relaxing thatch-roof palapa dining area is where we meet to bird watch before dinner,and savor the homemade meal prepared on site in an authentic Mayan oven.
TOTAL MILEAGE: 12 miles riding in the morning/ Canoeing in the afternoon

Day 4
Our ride for today is a beautiful loop of dirt roads and trails through the Cayo District, an area filled with citrus plantations, Mestizo villages and Mayan Ruins. Our route parallels the Mopan River, which we will follow down stream along many short rapids and water falls. During the morning we will visit the ancient Mayan City of Xunantunich. Here we will see El Castillo, the second tallest Mayan structure in Belize. This will be our opportunity to experience and explore the mysterious and complex civilization of the vanished Maya. Lunch today will be at the Clarissa Falls Lodge, a large thatched roof palapa surrounded by beautiful grounds right on the river. After riding back to Chaa Creek, we will visit their Natural History Centre and Butterfly Museum. Here we learn about the unique geologic features of Belize and experience the life cycle of the "Belizean Blue" morpho butterfly.
TOTAL MILEAGE: 12 miles

Day 5
The day’s ride is a custom cut singletrack loop deep in the pristine rainforest. This unique trail, which is specifically used by mountain bikers, lies under the fronds of the Cohune Palms and the higher reaching Ceiba trees. In the afternoon, we’ll shuttle to our evening’s accommodations, Pook’s Hill Lodge, where we will be greeted by the owners with a glass of cold homemade lemonade. Pook’s Hill is set within towering hardwood trees, perched on top of an ancient Mayan ruin, and the landscape is dotted with bromeliads. You may take an evening hike on their maintained jungle trails or chill on their open patio. We will be staying in beautifully furnished cabanas with private baths.
TOTAL MILEAGE: 9 miles

Day 6
Birding is an optional pre-breakfast activity in the lush surrounds of Pook’s Hill. We will rise early however for our hike into the Tapir Mountain Preserve, through raw pristine, triple canopied rain forest. Our destination is the Actun Tunichil Muknal, "The Cave of the Stone Sepulchre." To explore this dark and expansive cave we will don headlamps, walk through a small stream and wade through some chest deep water to reach a Mayan ceremonial chamber. This will be a unique opportunity to visit the Mayan underworld for a glimpse of their ceremonial past. It’s quite a sobering experience to see pottery and other sacrifices just as they left them 800 years ago. In the afternoon we’ll have time to visit the world famous Belize Zoo, which provides a comprehensive overview of the region’s wildlife in its natural habitat. We will return to the Best Western Biltmore for our final night of lodging and dinner together.
TOTAL MILEAGE: 3 hours of hiking

Trip’s End
The trip ends with dinner and lodging on the last day. Departing flights can be met by taking a taxi from the Best Western Belize Biltmore Plaza back to Belize International Airport.

Terrain
Riding Surface: Dirt roads, double track, some rugged singletrack. Some muddy trails are likely.
Technical Difficulty: Moderate.
Physical Difficulty: Moderate.
Altitude: 0-2,000 ft.
Please Note: Accommodations may be changed due to availability.
We will be without vehicle support during all of the singletrack sections of the ride. Itineraries are subject to change due to weather, road conditions, rider safety, and other factors which may affect the logistics of the adventure.

1-800-217-1060