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.

Jack. Jack is the howler monkey that brought huge smiles to our faces at Caracol, one of the Mayan Ruins. As a side note, we skipped out on Xunantunich and decided to do Caracol due to some influences by locals, or should I say, Chris and Jen from Table Rock Jungle Lodge. Chris and Jen recommended this ruin over the others and that is a separate post in itself. We will get to it, I promise! But I will tell you, it was AMAZING!!!

I told Courtney before we went, I want to see a monkey in the wild. I knew there was a good chance of that going to Belize. I have dreamed about monkeys since I was a little girl. So much in fact, that I painted one on my childhood bedroom wall. And tigers too! They are still on my list to see in real life (not just in a zoo, I want wild!!!)

Anyhow, we happened upon Thursday to Caracol to run into some baboons with no plans to see wild monkeys. We headed to Caracol, and as we approached the Mayan ruins after parking our car, we heard rambunctious noises coming from the jungle. Noises that sounded like a predator in battle with it’s prey. I didn’t know what to think of it untill the soldiers who assited us (again, another post in itself) told us that the sounds were coming from baboons (or howler monkeys) nearby. “Monkeys!?” I was so excited. “Will I get a chance to see these monkeys?!” “Yes, we can take you there after the next ruin.” After exploring a few ruins and patiently waiting for Courtney to climb one of the ruins in the second common ground, we finally started to approach the sounds we heard coming from the jungle. My heart was racing. I looked up into the trees from where the sounds were echoing and saw branches moving ever so slightly. On those branches, I saw itty bitty monkeys. THOSE LITTLE ANIMALS WERE MAKING ALL THAT RACKET? Are you serious? I couldn’t believe my ears!! They were little black monkeys hanging around the trees and trying to climb closer to us in curiosity of their new found friends. The sounds died down as they swung the branches above and worked closer to us to explore us. We admired and ooed and awed and tried to coax them closer to us, but they would only go so far. Courtney took several photos, trying to zoom in as much as possible.

The gallery below features our photos:

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.

[Click to Enlarge]

---

P.S. Wish us luck!

We’re going to play tour guide for our Xunantunich experience. Part of the planning for this adventure involves being highly informed about Xunantunich and surrounding areas. Thanks to the internet and today’s technological advances, I don’t even have to leave my desk to find out this information. Sites like Virtual Tourist make it easy for me!

Honestly, who needs to pay an adventure trip/package $110 USD for two people for this tour? No one! Be a little bit adventurous and do it yourself!

We are renting a car that is strictly allowed on paved roads only. We’re not exactly sure how close we can get to Xunantunich with the car before needing to park it and start the hike towards the ruins, but we can use TripAdvisor Forums to help us figure that out. There are locals and other Belize experts like BelizeQueen who are very helpful and dedicate their time solely for the love and joy of Belize to help out others amateurs like Courtney and me.

If we can’t get close enough to Xunantunich with the car (which I would assume we can if there is a bus that goes near there) then we will follow these easy directions:

Local bus from San Ignacio, ask to be let off at Xunantunich. From there take the free, hand-cranked ferry across the Mopan River then walk 2kms uphill to the ruins.

Yes, you read right. A HAND-CRANKED ferry across the Mopan River. I’m sure this will prove to break a sweat for us in the Belize heat. But it will be an experience! Fellow travelers say to keep an eye out for some cool iguana’s in the trees.

Hours Xunantunich is open are from 7:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. but it is recommended to go in the earlier hours of the day to beat the heat. Xunantunich lies in an open field with no shade. I’ve read in some places that you don’t need to pay anything but I’ve also read that the admission is $5 USD. For a safe bet, I will count on the $5 USD.

By going on a self-guided tour of Xunantunich we will save ourselves $100 USD. Wow! Budget, people, Budget! Look for ways to save. Just be very informed about the area so you don’t miss out on anything. Even know all the history so you can imagine the area as it was back in 200 AD- 900 AD.

We didn’t get to kayak this last weekend. It was a scuba diving trip that took us to Rockport and led to another visit to North Shore Kayak. But we did get to stop in, say hello and discuss a little bit about kayaking, our trip to Belize and the possibility of purchasing some rides for next year.

While I was there, I picked up a new dry bag. I got a 10 liter Seal Line Baja Bag. I got this primarily to protect my new DSLR camera. I think that most of our gear is pretty waterproof with the exception of this and Liz’s Sony Webbie. The V.I.O. POV 1 and my Sealife are both waterproof (to a certain extend) but these other items might be vital to one or more of our planned adventures; particularly, the ATM trip.

We’ve already established that the ATM trip will involve some immersion (and possible submersion) in the walk to the cave and even within. Since it’s the rainy season, we can count on other wet days. And finally, we’re kayaking, snorkeling and diving. So yes, water is a constant. And I think that if we are to properly document this trip, we need to ensure that we have the resources we need.

The dry bag was a small investment, about US$17.00 towards preserving our gear and equipping us for the elements. Match this with the killer Marmot jackets and a few other waterproof items (like the dry box) and we should be all set!