Land Rover Trip was the Bomb!!

[imsmilin]

This was the best tour! We loved the speed boat ride, the river, the vehicles, the jungle, the caves, the swinging bridge and most of all the tour people. Very organized, friendly, and got into the fact we wanted to have fun. Here's the kicker...we were there in a pouring rainstorm with winds blowing like hells-fury. It was still great! The speed boat was going across ocean swells like I had never seen before but the crew was cautious and knowledgeable of how to handle the boat. We drove the Land Rovers for a least an hour which was actually more than I thought we would. I would HIGHLY recommend this tour, but please no one with back problems...we had someone on our tour who evidently didn't read that part of the information provided. He did not enjoy himself at all. Anyway, try it! You'll like it!!

[catfcp]

Hi,

 

Can you tell me what the tour company is? We will be there with Oceania and I don't think this trip is offered through the cruise line.

 

Many thanks,

 

Cathy

[catfcp]

Also, which island did they take you to?

 

Thank again,

 

Cathy

[imsmilin]

I think this might be the one:

http://www.belize-paradise.com/

 

We weren't on an Island. They put us on a speed boat right at the ship and then drove us to the Sabin (sp) river. We went up the river about 45 minutes to a beautiful location where they kept the Land Rovers. From there we drove about 1 hour to the Mayan Caves, crossing the beautiful river on a cable bridge that was very stable. They then loaded us in the Party Bus for Rum Punch all the way back to Belize City, about 45 minutes.

[manlie]

We have this booked for February! Did you book independantly or thru the ship? We are on the Carnival Valor and my impression was that we had to book thru the ship, so it was quite expensive. Do you have any pictures?

[passaporta]

Thanks for the review & that you mentioned those with back problems. Belize me, my husband would not be happy doing that one.

[imsmilin]

We have this booked for February! Did you book independantly or thru the ship? We are on the Carnival Valor and my impression was that we had to book thru the ship, so it was quite expensive. Do you have any pictures?

 

We booked through our ship, but someone had asked me who the were because they did not have them as an option on their ship's list of excursions. I have not yet had time to organize my photos so I'm afraid I have nothing to offer you at this time.:(

[susyls]

So, were there bugs? Did you see any wildlife? I want more......I'm so excited for this trip!

[leslierx]

Me too! This sounds like an interesting tour! How many people can fit into each Land Rover?

[imsmilin]

So, were there bugs? Did you see any wildlife? I want more......I'm so excited for this trip!

 

No bugs, but it was raining. Saw HUGE iguana's, beautiful birds, and one rogue cow walking through the jungle! They do see alligators in the river but we didn't happen upon any.

[imsmilin]

Me too! This sounds like an interesting tour! How many people can fit into each Land Rover?

 

2 in the front seats and probably up to 5 or 6 in the back but would be crowded. We had 4 in the back of ours and it was just fine.

[imsmilin]

Thanks for the review & that you mentioned those with back problems. Belize me, my husband would not be happy doing that one.

 

I'm sorry to hear that you won't be able to go due to your husbands back problem, but as fun as it is, nothing is worse that a bad back being made worse!!

[leslierx]

Did you get to drive, or did a guide drive? My husband wants to go, only if he can drive the Land Rover. We have another couple with us, so we would have a group of 4. Would they let him drive with just the 4 of us in the Land Rover?:rolleyes:

[imsmilin]

Did you get to drive, or did a guide drive? My husband wants to go, only if he can drive the Land Rover. We have another couple with us, so we would have a group of 4. Would they let him drive with just the 4 of us in the Land Rover?:rolleyes:

 

Sorry for delay answering your post...Yes, my husband drove the Land Rover himself. We told them when we booked we wanted to be with someone in our group driving. They said no problem, when we got there, they simple said they were going to keep groups together and so it was! Just before we headed out, one of the guys who was in charge of the excursion jumped in the back of our jeep for a ride to the caves. He said nothing other than "faster, faster"! LOL. We were pounded through the holes pretty good and my husband was taking advantage of the mud to slide us around a bit. He never said a word. Just make sure they know you want to drive...they may need to put others in your jeep, but I don't think that happens much. We had several people on our tour show up and were shocked to find out that on this tour you drove yourself. They said no one in their group knew how to drive a LandRover :confused: and they needed to ride with someone else. I guess they figured it out somehow! Go and have fun!

[Cozumel-Ian]

According to their website it's available to passengers on: Carnival, Holland America, Princess and Royal Caribbean.

 

You can find info on how to book through your cruise line here: http://www.belize-paradise.com/booknow.htm

 

Hope that helps

 

Ian

[manlie]

We are booked for this next week! :D According to their website it says that there will be swimming in the 'cool' river and snacks available. Could you tell me how 'cool' the water was and if there were any fish to be seen (should we take our snorkelling masks)? Also, what did they have for snacks? Will we be starving by the time we get back to the ship? Will we need cash at any point during the day?

[imsmilin]

We are booked for this next week! :D According to their website it says that there will be swimming in the 'cool' river and snacks available. Could you tell me how 'cool' the water was and if there were any fish to be seen (should we take our snorkelling masks)? Also, what did they have for snacks? Will we be starving by the time we get back to the ship? Will we need cash at any point during the day?

 

Good for you I'm so jealous!! Because it was rainy on the day we went, we were wet enough that swimming in the "cool" river wasn't necessary. I couldn't really say what the temp might be but it was more of a murky silty type of river so I don't think your snorkeling masks would be used. I could be wrong if that were only the case due to the rain. They had a spread of fruit to eat along with A LOT of Rum Punch. There were some locals there with only a few containers of Rice, Beans & Chicken which we bought for $5.00. It was so good! I still can't believe I ate something that I had no idea of it's ingredients or origin, but damn was it good! We got the last ones and I'm sure that there were others whose appetite had grown during the adventure. If you have a backpack I'd probably suggest you take a few things to munch on just in case but if you eat a big breakfast that will help too. The only cash we needed was to tip the tour folks and for the rice & beans.

 

I hope you have a great time and think of us during your ride back to the city in the Party Bus listening to party music and people singing all the way back!!

[CruisySusie]

How much of the boat ride is in the ocean and exactly how big were those ocean swells? The excursion sounds great but they didn't mention any rough water. We'll be in Belize April 13 and are considering this one but it sounds a little rough. Anyone get seasick?

[imsmilin]

We were in the boat for probably 20 minutes on the ocean and then another 15 minutes or so on the river. The swells were HUGE on the day we went and they actually discontinued other tours and tenders that day because the sea was so rough. Even with that said, the speed boat raced across the top of the waves so you felt more of a straight up and down "thumping" than the rolling movement that can make people sick. On our boat of about 20 people, no one got sick, but if you have back problems, I would not go on this tour.The boat can be jarring under those conditions. We had a great time and I would encourage anyone to go, I don't think you'll have a problem with sick seasickness.

[CruisySusie]

imsmilin, thanks for the info. Forgot to mention we'll have our 7 year old daughter with us. She's pretty daring, but...do you think she'll have a problem? Also, is the boat enclosed? I guess we could always cancel if it looks too rough...

[imsmilin]

I think your daughter will be fine if she likes adventure. As long as you are able to put your arm around her to help her feel secure in this open boat she should be fine. There is no cover on the boat, no "seat-belts" or ways to secure you in, but I would think on any given day it would be safe for a 7 year old or they would post something on the site about it not being good for children. We loved the roughness of the sea and might have found it less enjoyable if we weren't bouncing all over from the bumps and waves! On a nice normal sea day she should enjoy herself.

[starketcher]

SInce the picked you up from the ship, did you get off just as soon as you were anchored or have to wait? DId they return you to the ship or were you given a chance to go to the port to shop a bit? How much time did you have after returning? (I'd at least like to look around in port as last year we went cave tubing and didnt get a chance to look around.)

[CruisySusie]

imsmilin, thanks so much for the great description of this trip. I feel like I have the total picture now!

[imsmilin]

SInce the picked you up from the ship, did you get off just as soon as you were anchored or have to wait? DId they return you to the ship or were you given a chance to go to the port to shop a bit? How much time did you have after returning? (I'd at least like to look around in port as last year we went cave tubing and didnt get a chance to look around.)

 

Sorry for the delay...have been out of state. As with all of the excursions you are taken off of the ship in a certain order. We were tendered so the speed boat docked right on the ship and the ride started from there. We were returned by bus from the caves and yes, we could shop in town. We had until the last tender which I believe was 4 or 5 more hours. We shopped some, but headed back to the ship for some R & R. Others with us went to one of the bars and had some drinks when they finished shopping and having their hair braided.

[cruzn buckeye]

Was the land rover part as bumpy and rough as the boat ride? What about the party bus back? Was it a school bus or large bus or van? Was it also a rough ride?

 

thanks!