INLAND ADVENTURE TOURS
MAYFLOWER JUNGLE & WATERFALL HIKE 
Just a short drive from Hamanasi are two thrilling hikes through the rainforest leading to waterfalls. The Antelope Falls hike is a rigorous, steep trek to a 100-foot waterfall with an incredible top view all the way to the ocean. The Three Sisters Falls hike is less difficult. These falls hurtle down the dense jungle mountain face into cool pools perfect for dipping. You can almost hear Mayan ancestors whispering in the mist! Nearby are the remains of the ancient Mayan city of Mayflower. Archaeologists are still excavating and piecing together the history of this modest Mayan ruin, which is over grown by the jungle. Orchids, birds and lush vegetation abound!
Intensity: Very Rigorous
Departure Time: Mondays, 8:00 AM - Approx. Return Time: 3:00 PM
What to Bring: Sturdy shoes, long pants and shirt, bathing suit, towel, camera, sunscreen, insect repellent, hat, binoculars, field guide.
Price per pers.: $75, including water, light pack lunch, juice, tax and service charge
CAVE & JUNGLE ADVENTURE
Attention cave lovers, hikers and birders! You won't want to miss this adventure! Traveling past citrus orchards on the gorgeous Hummingbird Highway you will reach Blue Hole National Park. The Blue Hole Park is in one of Belize's oldest jungles dense with large, hardwood trees. The park's namesake is a large, sapphire blue, 30-foot wide sinkhole fed by crystal clear underground streams. Also featured is St. Herman's Cave, a mile long cave into which visitors may hike. A hike around a mountain lake while birding leads to a scenic overlook. The park hosts many plant, animal and bird species. You'll have fun seeing how many you can identify!
Intensity: Rigorous
Departure Time: Tuesdays 8:00 AM - Approx. Return Time: 4:00 PM
What to Bring: Sturdy shoes, long pants and shirt, bathing suit, towel, camera, sunscreen, insect repellent, hat, binoculars, flashlight, field guide.
Price per pers.: $95, including lunch, juice, water, tax and service charge
COCKSCOMB BASIN WILDLIFE SANCTUARY & JAGUAR PRESERVE
Near Hamanasi is the world's only jaguar preserve, the Cockscomb Basin Wildlife Sanctuary. Ringed on three sides by the Maya Mountains and towering Victoria's Peak, the Basin's 120,000 acres is also home to jaguarundi, margays, ocelots, pumas, deer, howler monkeys and tapirs. This trip begins with a stop at the traditional village of Maya Center where Mayan arts and crafts are for sale. The park offers a wide variety of hikes, including to Ben's Bluff, which has a spectacular view of the entire Basin, and to a waterfall where you can dip in the refreshing waters. Our knowledgeable guides identify the numerous plants, birds and fauna of the pristine rainforest. With over 290 recorded species of birds this park is ideal for birders. As jaguars and other cats are nocturnal, it is unlikely that you will see them, but you can spot fresh tracks. Bring your binoculars -- as you trek through this rainforest you'll see a plethora of birds and perhaps an elusive jaguar!
Intensity: Moderate
Departure Time: Wednesday 8:00 AM - Approx. Return Time: 3:00 PM
What to Bring: Sturdy shoes, long pants and shirt, bathing suit, towel, camera, sunscreen, insect repellent, hat, binoculars, field guide.
Price per pers.: $75, including light lunch, juice, water, tax and service charge
TROPICAL BIRDING
A 45-minute ride will take you to the outskirts of a traditional Mayan village at the foothills of the Maya Mountains. Here you will hike through the jungle viewing and hearing some of the 500 species of birds found in Belize. Many birds from parrots to toucans to white eagles inhabit these beautiful hills. You may decide to take a quick dip in the river or just quietly relax on the riverbank to observe the many bird species in the area. During December through February we have the unique opportunity to see the endangered Scarlet Macaws that migrate to the Red Bank hills. Seasonally, we may go to the Serpon Sugar Mill for this birding adventure.
Intensity: Moderate
Departure Time: Thursdays 7:00 AM (or earlier if you wish) - Approx. Return Time: 12:00 PM
What to Bring: Sturdy shoes, camera, sunscreen, insect repellent, hat, binoculars, field guide.
Price per pers.: $65, including snack, juice, water, tax and service charge
JUNGLE RIVER CANOEING & KAYAKING
From its origin deep within the Maya Mountains the Sittee River snakes its way to the sea with its mouth just south of Hopkins. Our trip starts near the Creole village of Sittee River and slowly heads towards the ocean. You will have fun spotting green and orange iguanas lounging in trees and maybe a crocodile resting at the water's edge. Parrots, toucans, motmots, herons and egrets often can be seen -- and heard! We have seen stingrays, manatee and crocodiles far upriver. If you are adventuresome you can navigate up Boom Creek, a dense, vine draped tributary to Sittee River. As we get closer to the sea the dense jungle gives way to large mangrove forests.
Intensity: Easy to Moderate
Departure Time: Tuesday & Thursdays 2:00 PM - Approx. Return Time: 5:00 PM (can be shortened)
What To Bring: Towel, camera, sunscreen, insect repellent, hat, binoculars
Price per pers.: $65, including cookies, juice, water, tax and service charge
MAGICAL MAYAN HISTORY TOUR
If you ever wanted to learn a lot about the Maya here is your chance! We first explore the Mayan ruin of Xunantunich (pronounced Shu-nan-tu-nitch), or Stone Maiden. Located near the Guatemalan border, a hand-cranked ferry will take you across the river to this major ceremonial center situated high on a limestone ridge with a panoramic view of the Cayo District. The main pyramid, El Castillo, has detailed stucco friezes. After a full lunch we make our way to Cahal Pech, or Place of the Ticks. Cahal Pech was the royal family's residence around the same time that Xunantunich was at its height of power. This medium-size Mayan center comprises 34 structures compacted in a small area covering slightly more than 2 acres. The site includes 7 plazas, 2 ball courts, 6 plain Stella and 1 alter, as well as temple pyramids. Moreover, it has the second oldest structure in the Mayan world. Cahal Pech was first developed during the Preclassic period (1000 BC to AD 200) and abandoned around 800 AD. This site offers a view over the city of San Ignacio on one side and over the Belize River valley on the other. By the end of the trip you'll be an expert on the Maya! (OK, almost!)
Intensity: Easy
Departure Time: Fridays & Sundays 7:30 AM - Approx. Return Time: 5:00 PM
What to Bring: Sturdy shoes, camera, sunscreen, insect repellent, hat, binoculars, field guide.
Price per pers.: $95, including lunch, juice, water, tax and service charge
DIVING
SOUTHERN BARRIER REEF TRIPS
These trips will explore areas from just north of Tobacco Caye to a cut five miles south of South Water Caye called Grand Channel. The trip out to the Barrier Reef is ten miles and it takes 30-40 minutes to get to the first dive site. The pristine southern section of the Barrier Reef sees few divers and is typically a wall dive that is interspersed with sand channels and spur and groove sections. With literally dozens of dive sites Hamanasi Divemasters will show you a wide variety of this area. You will rarely dive the same site twice. We often see turtles, moray eels, barracuda, king mackerel, eagle rays and southern stingrays, as well as the little things like Pedersen shrimp, colorful gobies cleaning stations, and Spotted Drums. Hamanasi divers have seen manta rays, hammerhead sharks, jew fish and dolphins up close. Some of our common dive sites include Jason's Wall, Elsie's Aquarium, Carrie Bow, South Water Wall, Trick Ridge, Hell Hole and The Abyss. On these trips we often stop by a "postcard" coral isle, such as South Water Caye, perched right on the Barrier Reef.
Departure Time: 8:00 AM - Approx. Return Time: 1:00 PM
Number of Dives: Two
What to Bring: Sunscreen, hat, sunglasses, wetsuit (available at dive shop), camera, candy bars/power bars, etc.
Price per pers.: $110, half day. (Tanks, weights, belts, entry fees, juice and cookies as well as tax and service charge are included.)
GLOVER'S REEF ATOLL
Due east of our dock this remote island group is a UNESCO world heritage site and probably best represents the incredible diversity and pure diving potential that Belize has to offer. We motor out sixteen miles past the barrier reef which takes us just over one hour to the first dive site. If visibility is good we like to dive a site called "The Pinnacles", which has big coral heads rising up 40 feet or more from the bottom. Our second and third dives are on the East side of the Atoll where the water depth quickly drops off to more than 2000 feet and visibility is usually over 100 feet. We dive several sites on this side of the Atoll and usually dive Long Caye Wall; a world class dive that is always memorable. We drop onto a big field of bright white sand at 40 feet, home to southern stingrays and garden eels. While descending you can spot garden eels slowly dropping into their holes. As you approach the wall running the length of the sandy area it looks like the coral is growing out of the sand bottom in big chunks. Just as you crest the wall the sand appears to be running like small rivers down through the coral into mini canyons. With the usual 100+ feet visibility, the view down the wall gives the impression of limitless space. In reality, the wall is a 2000+ foot drop-off into the deep blue. We follow the top of the wall and explore the sand channels exploding with fish and marine life.
Departure Time: 7:00 AM - Approx. Return Time: 4:30 PM
Number of Dives: Three
Minimum Number of Divers: 8
What to Bring: Sunscreen, hat, sunglasses, wetsuit (available at dive shop), camera & candy bars/power bars
Price per pers.: $180, full day. (Tanks, weights, belts, entry fees, juice, lunch and cookies as well as tax and service charge are included.)
TURNEFFE ISLANDS ATOLL
This 3 tank trip heads northeast cruising past remote fishing camps and idyllic cayes before punching out of the protective Barrier Reef for a short crossing to Turneffe Islands Atoll. Our first dive is one of Belize's most famous dive sites, "The Elbow." This has a convergence of several ocean currents passing by canyon-type formations. Here we may swim through enormous schools of horse-eye jacks, Atlantic Spadefish, snappers and permit, as well as see sharks, turtles and eagle rays! During surface intervals we go into the sheltered lagoon surrounded by mangrove islands. On the next two dives we experience sheer walls for which Turneffe is famous. It is common to see moray eels, turtles, rays, big barrel sponges and large coral formations while drifting along over the edge of the abyss. We usually end our trip with the shipwreck site Sayonara. It is a broken wreck sitting at less than 60 feet depth on top of a steep wall. This site has a proliferation of fish and big coral formations including swim-throughs. Departure Time: 7:00 AM - Approx. Return Time: 4:30 PM
Number of Dives: Three
Minimum Number of Divers: 8
What to Bring: Sunscreen, hat, sunglasses, wetsuit (available at dive shop), camera & candy bars/power bars.
Price per pers.: $180, full day. (Tanks, weights, belts, entry fees, juice, lunch and cookies as well as taxes and service charges are included.)
LIGHTHOUSE REEF ATOLL & BLUE HOLE
We start this trip bright and early and head 50 miles offshore to the Great Blue Hole, which takes approximately 2.5 hours. Once there you can go down 130 feet to view the largest underwater dripstones on the planet. We have two Blue Hole dive profiles. Only experienced, comfortable divers will be permitted to dive to 130 feet. Other divers will enjoy a comfortable, 60-foot Blue Hole dive.
After the Blue Hole, we head a short distance to Half Moon Caye Bird Sanctuary. Located at the southeast corner of Lighthouse Reef, Half Moon Caye has some of Belize's clearest waters and finest beaches. This 45-acre island managed by the Belize Audubon Society was declared a natural monument in 1981, largely because of its Hawk's Bill and Loggerhead turtle nesting sites, as well as its 4,000 red footed boobies. These rare birds are a glistening white color with bright red webbed feet. The birds nest in the heavily wooded west end of the island where there is a viewing platform allowing visitors an unbelievable view of both the reefs and the trees covered with booby and frigate birds.
Our second dive explores the Half Moon Caye wall, a unique topography of swim-through channels. Immense coral buttresses are decorated with black corals, gorgonia, sea whips and a variety of brightly colored sponges, as well as a profusion of reef fish and cruising pelagics. Divers then return to Half Moon Caye for a picnic lunch and a relaxing surface interval before heading out to Long Caye for our third and final dive site. Perched on the edge of the cobalt blue abyss The Aquarium starts in only 15-20 feet of water before plummeting downward. This site offers what is arguably some of Belize's most prolific and high energy diving. We then depart for our 2-hour journey home with the wind at our back and the sun setting over the Maya Mountains before us.
NOTE: The Blue Hole trip is highly dependent on weather and a minimum number of divers signing up. We average this trip approximately once every two weeks. Groups can pre-arrange this trip with our dive team if weather allows.
Departure Time: 6:00 AM - Approx. Return Time: 5:00 PM
Number of Dives: Three
Minimum Number of Divers: 8
What to Bring: Sunscreen, hat, sunglasses, wetsuit (available at dive shop), camera & candy bars/power bars.
Price per pers.: $250, full day. (Tanks, weights, belts, entry fees, juice, lunch and cookies as well as taxes and service charges are included.)
WHALE SHARK Dive
On the Southern Barrier reef just over one hour from Hamanasi is Gladden Spit, where the largest fish in the sea, whale sharks, come during the week of the full moon in April, May and June. This special place has a steep sandy bank pushing out into very deep sea. On an ordinary day one can see large schools of jacks or snappers and visibility is well over 100 feet. But during the full moon phases in April, May and June of each year Gladden Spit has no ordinary days. Each year during the full moon Mutton and Cuberra snapper spawn here. The giant whale sharks come from far away to feed on the spawn. It is common on this dive to see schools of snapper in the thousands with whale sharks passing through them. Divers will likely see these majestic creatures very close but they are not allowed to chase, ride, touch or otherwise disturb the Whale Sharks. These dives are very popular; only experienced divers can participate and all divers are required to do a dive on the barrier reef prior to venturing out to the whale share area. Book your vacation in advance to see Whale Sharks with Hamanasi! All participants are required to attend a short whale shark training meeting and complete and sign a whale shark release form which Tropical Discovery will be happy to provide you with.
Departure Time: 10:00 AM - Approx. Return Time: 5:00 PM
Number of Dives: Two
Minimum Number of Divers: 8 (max. 12 per boat)
What to Bring: Sunscreen, hat, sunglasses, wetsuit (available at dive shop), camera & candy/power bars.
Price per pers.: $190, full day. (Tanks, weights, belts, entry fees, juice, lunch and cookies as well as taxes and service charges are included.)
SNORKELING
Snorkeling from a Dedicated Snorkel Boat
Explore the reef from the comfort of a boat that can take you to a variety of snorkel sites on one trip. It takes approximately 35 minutes to the first snorkel site. Snorkel the channel at Tobacco Caye where tarpon and permit are often seen or the patch reef of Whale Shoal where you will encounter a variety of colorful reef fish, cleaner shrimp and stingrays. The weather influences our choice of snorkeling sites. When we snorkel the northern part of the Southern Barrier Reef, we usually make a stop at Man-of-War Caye where you can see a variety of nesting birds like frigates and brown boobies. On this trip entry and exit are directly from the boat, as opposed to the island based snorkeling where you can wade into the water from the beach. This trip is ideal for agile and experienced snorkelers.
Departure Time: 8:00 AM - Approximate Return Time: 1:00 PM
What to Bring: Sunscreen, hat, sunglasses, exposure protection like dive skin or T-shirt, light windbreaker for wind chill after the snorkel, camera, power bars.
Price per pers.: $75, half day. (Snacks, juice and water as well as taxes and service charge included.)
DIVING & SNORKELING EQUIPMENT RENTAL
Mask, Snorkel and Fins $10
BCD $10
Regulator $10
3 mm Wetsuite - shorty $10
Full Rental $25
Computer (special equipment) $10
Dive Lights (special equipment) $15
Nitrox Tank Fill - with prior Enriched Air Diver Certification $10
Nitrox Tank Fill - after completing EAD. Cert. through Hamanasi $5
DIVE INSTRUCTION CLASSES
Hamanasi offers a full range of diving instruction. As a PADI Gold Palm Resort all divers would receive a PADI certification upon course completion. All courses include equipment, required dives and certification cards. Below are the dive courses offered:
Discover Scuba Diving
Often referred to as a "Resort Course" this gives a non-diver the opportunity to try diving under the constant supervision of an Instructor. Involves an introduction to dive theory and basic skill work in the pool. Then, the diver does 2 dives with the Instructor on the Barrier Reef to a maximum depth of 40 feet.
Price per person: $200 (1 pers.); $185 (2 and more pers.)
Open Water Referral
This course is designed for students who have completed their dive theory and confined water training with their instructor at home and only need to complete the 4 certification dives with a Hamanasi Instructor. Students must bring their necessary documentation from their coursework instructor.
Price per person: $330 (1 pers.), $300 (2 and more pers.)
Rusty Diver Course
The Rusty Diver course is designed to refresh the skills of a certified diver who has been diving recently. This involves reviewing skills in the pool with a Divemaster or Instructor. Hamanasi highly recommends this short course for anyone who has not been diving within the past 12 months.
Price per person: $25 (1 and more pers.)
Open Water Course
Upon completion of this course the student will be a PADI certified Open Water Diver. This intense course requires a significant amount of reading, studying and skill work with an Instructor. The course involves 4 open water dives on the Barrier Reef. Students should plan on this course taking 3 to 4 days. Price per person: $530 (1 pers.), $490 (2 and more pers.)
Advance Open Water
This course allows the certified diver to perfect and expand the basic dive skills he learned in his Open Water Course. 5 dives are required for this course, including an introduction to several specialties.
Price per person: $440 (1 pers.), $400 (2 and more pers.)
Specialty Courses
A variety of dive specialty courses are available. Please inquire.
Rescue Diver
Experienced divers learn basic first aid and rescue skills in this rigorous course. This is a physically demanding course - students should be in good shape! This course includes 3 to 4 water training sessions and takes approximately 4 days to complete.
Price per person: $620 (1 pers.), $550 (2 and more pers.)
Divemaster
Are you ready to become a dive professional? This very intense course teaches the diver how to lead and guide dive trips and assume the responsibility for other divers. Students will work alongside Hamanasi's dive team learning most aspects of working in a Dive Facility from hauling tanks, helping other divers to washing gear. This course includes 5 dives, some pool work and theory and takes approximately 5 full days to complete. This program can be custom designed to enable students to do most of the theory prior to arrival.
Price per person: $850 (1 pers.), $800 (2 and more pers.)
Enriched Air Diver Certification-Nitrox
Diving with enriched air, Nitrox, lets you safely extend your no stop time beyond the no decompression limits for air. Diving with enriched air means more time underwater - but you need to be certified as an Enriched Air Diver to get enriched air fills. Whether you're into underwater photography or wreck diving, or on vacation in a tropical paradise PADI Enriched Air Diver course helps you get more out of diving by giving you more time underwater. Must be a PADI Open Water Diver (or qualifying certification from another organization).
Price per person: $200
FISHING
With its abundance of marine life the Belize's Southern Reef is an angler's paradise! From reef trolling to river fishing to trying your luck on the flats you'll have a fishing experience you'll never forget! A typical fishing trip will leave at 7:00 am and return back to the resort about 4:00 pm, but a half-day fishing can be arranged. Snacks, lunch and juice are provided on all day trips and snacks and juice on the half-day trips. Trolling, spinning rods and fly fishing gear are available. Fishing is either done from our 25-ft boat or with one of the experienced local guides from 23-ft skiffs. Let your guide know what you would like to catch for the day and he will do his best to help you accomplish your goals.
Hamanasi has a catch and release policy. All permit, bonefish and tarpon are always released. Some fish like snapper, grouper and barracuda may be kept for the table.
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