Hi, We are family of 10 arriving June 3rd.
Thanks to all who use this message board it has really been a great help planning our trip and has answered so many of our questions. We decided on Ambergris Caye because of all the wonderful reviews on this board. I do have a couple of questions and I wasn't able to find anything specific when I ran a search.

1. Are there any cave tubing trips from the island that offer more than 1 1-1/2 hrs of tubing? We would rather spend most of the day tubing than going to the zoo. I don't have anything against zoos but would rather spend the time tubing.
2. Ian Anderson's Caves Branch looks great for tubing, but it looks like you have to arrange your own transportation. Anyone have any suggestions?
3. We are thinking about renting a golf-cart because we are staying 3 1/2 miles south of town. Is a 17 yr old licensed driver allowed to drive the carts?

I would appreciate any feedback you can give. Thanks again for all your help. We can't wait to get there!!

Can't answer question #1 as I have only done the cave tubing at Caves Branch and was staying there. However they do day trips from the island , not sure if the cost includes the airfare, but they have a van pick you up & take you back to the airport. One thing you need to check on there is the level of the river. A friend who works there emailed me about 10 days ago that there really hasn't been a "dry season" this year & the river was too high that day to do the trip. You can email info@cavesbrach.com or ian@cavesbranch.com to find out the costs and possibilities. Sorry but I also cannot answer question #3 as I'm waaaay older than 17 & have not traveled with anyone that young. Enjoy & have a great time.

Think Caves Branch will charge about 95.00pp for cave float, lunch and return transfers with a min of 4 pax. info@cavesbranch.com
Add on another $52.00pp for return air to Municipal airport in Belize City.

dsm2blze,
I actually would suggest Jaguar Paw Jungle Lodge, they have one of the largest cave systems justs steps from the front door. National Geographic actually filmed the blind white shrimp in the 5th cave. Will have to find their e-mail address and get back to you.
Kat

Ok, am back with info.
You can call toll free from the states to 1-888-77-JUNGLE or you can go to jaguarpaw.com for info.
I know that they have an all day trip with lunch but I think they offer a 1/2 day trip as well. Check it out. The web-site is awesome all by its self.
Let me know what you think.
Kat

I can answer # 3 A 16 year old can drive a golf cart as long as they have a drivers licenses So your 17 year old will be ok

One thing to remember, when you are driving the golf cart you must have your license with you. It does not matter from witch country your license is from just as lond as it is a license to drive. A golf cart is a major means of transportaton on the island and is considered a vehicle just lie a car. A very good friend of mine and freguent visitor to the island in the past had a habit of not carying his license with him and got caught and given a ticket, he now carries it with him.
Kat

We did the Jaguars Paw tubing, even though we did the half day it pretty much took up all day, you might as well go to the zoo too, I hear it is REALLY interesting and I wish we would have done that it may have been a little more exciting. I have pictures posted of our tubing on: http://community.webshots.com/user/klfraser11
in the third album. It is rather a SLOW tubing trip, our 18 year old daughter was with us and I don't know what we were expecting but had hoped for a little more excitement than just a lazy little drift dive. The rapids were just little bumps and we didn't see anything really interesting in the caves. No offense to Seaduced (we really liked the guide and the rum punch on the way home) but we all wished that we hadn't wasted a day or our money on it.

Now Jaguar Paw offers a zip line canopy tour, which I think you can book in conjunction with cave tubing and maybe with the Belize Zoo. I suspect that Ian Anderson will come up with his own canopy tour soon.

--Lan Sluder

The Belize Zoo is wonderful. It is not like going to the zoo here in the US. It is a zoo in the jungle where some of the animals can come and go as they please.

I highly recommend going if you have the chance.

I would also recommend Jaguar Paw. While the hike to the cave tubing is hot and takes about 30 minutes, the tubing is very refreshing and easy. The hike is through the jungle and you will see really cool wildlife. Try to pick a day that the cruise ship passengers aren't in port since some of them go the Jaguar Paw. The fewer people the better since it can get noisy in the caves. This isn't a white water raft trip; it's a relaxing lazy day on a slow moving river. Very soulful and relaxing if you get the right guide. If you rent a car and drive, stop by the watering hole across from the zoo...cool bar! Also, if you drive, don't get dismayed if the drive seems weird after you turn off the main highway...you go for about 30 minutes on a rough road through orange groves...very neat drive...but seems like the road to nowhere the all of a sudden...Jaguar Paw

Thanks for all replys to my questions. We're flying out of Des Moines 6-3 and we're packed & ready to go. Can't wait to get there. We decided to do the cave tubing and zoo trip thru Seaduced because they take care of all transportation and it just seemed like less hassle that way. I'm a little concerned about the pica pica & mosquitos but have packed the Sea Safe, bug spray, dryer sheets, and anything else I thought might help if we come in contact with any of these little pests. We've also been taking vitamin B1 thanks to tip from the board. We plan on going to the BC Barbeque June 6th maybe we'll see some of you there. We'll take a lot of pictures and we'll do a trip report when we get back to share the experience. We'll be livin' the dream. Thanks again.