Table Rock Jungle Lodge was a great place to stay and it was as close to the jungle experience as you can get. There are many key features to the lodge that both Courtney and I thoroughly enjoyed.

Table Rock Jungle Lodge has a fruit farm and has a few animals on the property. Jen, one of the keepers, was kind enough to take us on a tour of the property. The farm produced everything: limes, starfruit, oranges, mangoes, bananas and more. Everything was fresh as fresh could be. We were encouraged to pick the fruit but only under one condition: that we ate the fruit entirely and did not let it go to waste. While we did not visit in the fruitful season, we were able to experience fresh limes and fresh starfruit right off the trees. The limes we added to some cocktail drinks and they were so fresh and yummy. The star fruit turned out to be a delightful taste as well.

The minute we arrived at Table Rock, we dropped off our bags in our rooms and headed toward the Mayan River for a canoe trip. Chris, Jen’s husband and lodge keeper assisted us with getting the canoe in the water. The lodge dogs also joined us and took a quick dip. We had an enjoyable canoe trip, but we both agreed we prefer kayaks over a canoe. Our canoe adventure was cut short when I proclaimed my exhaustion from the long day and little amount of sleep I received the night before. The long day of traveling from San Pedro to Jaguar Paw and then to San Ignacio took it’s toll on me. At this point we returned to our room.

Table Rock Jungle Lodge also has a bar on site that Jen will happily serve you drinks at and keep you company. Courtney and I took full advantage of this while we used the wireless signal and updated our posts. The bar is in the dining cabana and has a really great set-up. Just a few steps away you can sit on the deck in the middle of the jungle and enjoy the jungle sounds and watch the stars.

Our room had the bare bone essentials, but everything in unique wood. It also had little lighting and we were reminded to always turn off lights when we weren’t needed as to conserve energy. This was not a problem for us and we were happy to do it. The bathroom was agree at walk in stone shower. The only complaint I would have about the rooms is the lighting. In the sense that they use maybe 2 watt bulbs in the room and have no lights in the shower. The bathroom itself is dimly lit, thankfully. In Belize, it gets dark early- at about 6 o’clock. The daylight gets cut short and Courtney and I used every drop of sunlight we could. That means indoor activities were designated for after dark. When we showered, it was pitch black except for the faint bathroom light. I have bad night vision, so the lighting was particularly a problem for me. Regardless, you can come properly prepared with flashlights and headlights. All of which we used there at Table Rock Jungle Lodge.

The first day Courtney and I were in Belize we scheduled a snorkel trip with Ecologic Divers to Hol Chan and Shark Ray Alley thanks to the help of Beaulah from Cocotal Inn and Cabanas. Originally, Courtney and I were hoping to get on a snorkeling trip to see the Manatees. That trip would allowed for a stop on Caye Caulker, which we never got to check out except for a brief stop on the water taxi from Ambergris Caye to Belize City. The manatee trip is a full day trip, while the snorkeling trip we partook in was a half day trip.

We were greeted by Ted on the dock at Cocotal Inn and cabanas around early afternoon. Yes, they come and pick you up at the location you are staying if there is a dock there. Otherwise they might arrange for the nearest public dock. One great thing about Cocotal Inn and Cabanas is the dock. They are actually one of the only properties on Ambergris Caye that extends from the beach side to the lagoon side. You can view the sunset over the lagoon and watch the sunrise over the Atlantic ocean, all within steps of each side!

Getting back to Snorkeling, we hopped on the boat and arrived at Ecologic Tours where we were fitted with the proper equipment needed for our snorkeling trip. Courtney did not need anything and I only needed a set of flippers. Cocotal Inn and Cabanas does not allow you to take flipper out on adventure snorkel trips, you can only borrow their equipment for activities off their dock or using their ocean kayaks. Makes sense, they don’t want to lose their equipment.

After about 30 minutes of getting ourselves together, we hop on the boat with Ted and Charlie (the tour guides) and head towards Hol Chan. It’s about a 10-20 minute boat ride to get to Hol Chan. We arrive and see a boat sitting on the water with some really bored looking park rangers on it. To go to Hol Chan, you must pay a park fee (which Ecologic Divers notifies you about in price of the trip up front). We gear up and jump into the water. I get in the water a few minutes before Courtney as he is getting the underwater HD camera together. I immediately see a large turtle swimming off in the distance. I swim over and follow him for a minute before worrying if I might get in trouble leaving the group. I head back to the boat and Courtney had just jumped in the water with the HD Cam. I start taking shots with Courtney’s underwater camera that he received as a gift. It’s a great underwater camera. Ted leads the group and shows us lots of cool fishies. We see an eel, grouper, jack, etc. Courtney would be better at naming the exact species of fish we saw. There were so many, I was overwhelmed. They also just point out the species of fish and it’s hard to identify the name of the species as everyone is busy snorkeling/underwater and communication via words is hard to follow. Regardless, we saw some really cool things, including sting rays and brightly colored coral.

Commercial Break for Part two: Shark Ray Alley and chumming…Please visit our friend Marie at Belize Hot Card and learn how you can save lots of $ on your trip to Belize!

Here is our itinerary. We likely won’t be able to post on any of these exciting activities while we’re gone, but you can follow along with what we are doing each day anyway. Hopefully we can post here and there, but for now, this is what we have.

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P.S. Wish us luck!

Offering the one barrier reef in the western hemisphere and the Blue Hole, Belize is obviously a fabulous diver’s destination. But many would agree that neither of those would compare to the awesome, once in a lifetime experience of diving with a whale shark. These massive creatures, the largest fish in the world, are among the most gentle of the shark family. They can grow to 40 feet and weigh up to 15 tons. But they are filter feeders, sometimes consuming the frye of different fish species.

Most information sources I have reviewed suggest that the Whale sharks appear in Belizean waters in April and depart around July. I was so disappointed to discover that these creatures are found off the coast of Belize, but would be gone by the time Liz and I arrived. But, as I was researching this post, I discovered the following piece of information from ambergriscaye.com. Notice the last sentence!

They roam up and down the coast, the Gladden Spit area about 26 miles off the coast of Placencia is known to host large concentrations of whale sharks during April and May when Mutton and Dog Snappers are spawning (the whales ingest the spawn as food).

Based on observations, we believe the biggest sharks are in the area in September.

Is it possible? Could Liz and I snorkel or dive with whale sharks? This would undoubtedly be the single coolest underwater experience I’ve ever had. It would simply blow away the appeal of diving the Blue Hole, and yield amazing video! Whale shark encounters are mercifully shallow, allowing snorkelers and divers alike to view them. Snorkeling is often the recommended method as less impacting or stressful to the shark. This suits me just fine and would permit Liz to participate in the adventure.

Seahorse Dive Shop offers diving and snorkel trips to see whale sharks for $165.00 and $90.00 respectively. I sent an inquiry to ask about the likelihood of a September encounter. We’ll see if we get something back. I’m not holding my breath. Seahorse Dive Shop is in Placencia, a long ways away from San Pedro on Ambergris. We’d have to make some changes to our trip plans to get there and go on one of the trips. But if we could pull it off….

Thanks to a number of helpful advisory comments from one of our followers, Liz and I were tipped off to a really valuable money-saving opportunity. Marie from Hot Card Belize told us about their outstanding discount card that is virtually universally accepted at businesses and restaurants on Ambergris Caye and Caye Caulker.

You can pick up one of these cards for US$50. The upfront fee is quickly covered the moment you start planning your trip! Book a room with one of several different Hotel or vacation rentals and save 10 – 25%. The Hot Card can get you a 10% discount on Tropic Air, making your arrival on Ambergris or Caye Caulker that much cheaper and more pleasant! Once there, you can save on rental cars, golf cart rentals (the only way to get around the islands), and bikes. The card also gets you great restaurant benefits such as free drinks, two-for-one specials and 10% discounts on meals. Several different adventure vendors offer outstanding discounts to cardholders. The one I am most excited about is Ecologic Divers who are offering an astounding 15% for trips paid in cash!

Probably one of the best benefits of the Hot Card is its shopping value. Take this card to the Lagniappe Provisioning grocers or the Galleon Duty Free for all of your food and beverage needs. This is perfect for Liz and I as Cocotal Inn and Cabana’s has kitchenettes to serve our meal or between meal needs. Finally, a number of different retail stores offer sales discounts to Hot Card carriers.

Liz and I haven’t quite figured out all the ways we’re going to save with this card, but by initial estimates, it’ll be much more than the US$50 price tag! We will carefully document where we are saving and how much we estimate and report in a later post. Once we get back from the trip, we’ll report how much we actually saved. We’re confident it’ll be well worth it.

Hot Card Belize