Belize kayaking vacations

Belize is home to the second-largest barrier reef in the world – one that is ideal for kayaking.

“It acts like a giant breakwater,” says Laurenne Mansbridge, from our partner Pioneer Expeditions. “When you’re above it and going around the offshore atolls you’re paddling in protected waters. It’s the perfect environment for kayaking, as well as diving and snorkelling.”

And, when the sea is this clear, warm and teeming with marine life, the temptation to lay down paddles and leap overboard is ever-present.

“Sea kayaking is different in the tropics,” says Laurenne. “It’s a vessel that can be used to get into really shallow waters and conveniently used as a platform to get into the water.”

River kayaking in Belize is an entirely different, although no less enjoyable, experience. You’re enveloped at all times in thick rainforest that buzzes with the activity of monkeys and birdlife. Maya communities live and work by the river too, and you’ll often pass scenes of village life playing out on the banks. Paddling between jungle cabanas until you reach a coral atoll in the open sea, there are straits of white water and pour-overs to negotiate on an adventurous journey along a constantly dynamic river.

Our guide to Belize kayaking vacations outlines the different experiences you can expect either on the river or the sea, as well as the practicalities involved. Never tried kayaking before? It’s a breeze in Belize.

Calm stretches are followed by mild and easily navigable patches of white water, the river shrouded in dense, atmospheric jungle that hides tumbling waterfalls and provides fertile territory for Maya folklore to take root. That cultural dimension, as well as the ecology of the rainforest and its colourful inhabitants, will be explained by your Maya and Mestizo guides as they help you improve your paddling techniques and keep you heading towards your next overnight stay in a comfortable riverside camp.

Before reaching the coast, you’ll pause to share a traditional lunch with a local family in a remote village, tour ancient sites and a spice farm as you join the Rio Grande, and discover the ‘bean to bar’ secrets of delicious Maya chocolate. Such visits give you a deeper insight into river life and Maya culture, but also provide valuable economic benefits to areas that see far fewer tourism dollars than more well-known parts of Belize.

As opposed to river kayaking inland where your guides tend to be of Maya or Mestizo descent, on the Southern Barrier Reef they are likely to be drawn from Creole or Garifuna communities on the coast. Their way of life is influenced by generations of earning a livelihood from the sea. After you’ve pulled your kayaks up onto a powdery beach in the afternoon, they’ll often share their culture with you through dancing, drumming and storytelling while coconut palms sway in the distance.

Your days are spent paddling above submerged coral reefs, and through sheltered lagoons, turtle grass beds and mangrove channels. The water around the South Water Caye Marine Reserve is invitingly shallow and glassy, so that every time you lay your paddle down and look over the side you’ll see everything from stingrays to nurse sharks to turtles swimming about. You’ll be able to join them after your guides have shown you how to snorkel safely and without causing any damage to the coral.