Today is cave tubing! This is an all day adventure starting at 7 a.m. Hamanasi arranged for a local driver to pick us up and then we picked up two other couples in a nearby resort. This trip took us up to Dangringa, onto the Hummingbird Highway, through the Mayan Mts., past The Blue Hole National Park to Caves Branch. Another beautiful day and we are going to spend it in a cave! We joined a group of 6 and toted our innertubes down to the river to enter this hugh cave system. With only our headlamps for light we paddled and hiked through gigantic caverns studded with crystal, stalagmites, stalagtites, curtain and bacon formations. It was amazing! We ''beached'' our innertubes on an underground sandbar for lunch. Carlos, our guide, whipped out a white linen tablecloth, spread it on the ground and produced a full scale burrito meal. The ambience of ''eating by candlelight'' pales in comparison to eating by headlamp while sitting on your innertube! After lunch we continued hiking through giant chambers with stunning formations. We passed ancient Mayan fire rings with broken pottery strewn around the area. These caves were used by shaman and priests for religious and sacrificial rites. We climbed up walls following Mayan footholds to reach a small hidden ''half-moon'' cave that was used for fertility ceremonies. Several fire rings were locted around the cave and rock formations were carved in spots where the flames from the fires cast shadow images on the cave walls. The precursor of projection T.V.! This cave held several alters and a 5 foot carved image of a fertility god. Awesome!
It was mid afternoon when we finally began our downstream float out of the caves. What an exhilarating and humbling experience! Not to mention exhausting! Back to Hamanasi and another gourmet dinner with our new friends. What fun exchanging the day's adventures with everyone. Tonight we must pack and be on our way in the morning. We hate to leave this magical place. The customer service is incomparable. Jean had some special dietary requirements and the chef and his staff took these into consideration at every meal. Hamanasi is a rare jewel carved out of an unspoiled spot in the emerging Central American country of Belize. No T.V.,no advertising or commercial billboards, no souvenier stands to spoil the natural beauty of the ocean, rivers, reefs and jungles. This was a trip of a lifetime and Hamanasi was instrumental in making it all happen.
The trip was not only memorable for the amount of animals we saw but also for the people and accommodations at the two camps where we stayed. Our first guide, BK, was a wealth of information about the animals, landscape and down to the plants and what they were used for. Everyday out was a learning experience with him. All the people at the camps were gracious and the food was excellent.
Our second camp in the Okavanga was just as good as the first as far as the staff, accommodations, food and animals. After our experience at the first camp we amazed that the high quality remained the same. Our guide, G, made sure we were able to enjoy every experience including a rush through the bush to witness a cheetah and an ensuing hunt that he heard over his radio.
In both camps there were enough guides out that if they saw something the other guides were informed which helped in seeing as much as possible. It was also nice that the concessions were large enough that we did not have vehicles following each other throughout the day.
Normally there is always something in a trip of this length that we think could be improved upon but this is the rare case where we cannot think of anything. From the time we left the States to when we returned it was one of the most hassle free vacations we took.
Perhaps emphasizing the use of the laundry facilities at the camps would be useful because of the luggage restrictions would be the only thing I can think of as an improvement to future clients.
Kenneth Dropek
2 days ago
Mary was so pleasant and professional. She made sure all of our questions were answered.