Belize Beyond the Beach: A Conservation Journey

Experience outdoor excursions and adventures in Central America!

Girl Scouts are invited to travel with a group from the Girl Scouts of Eastern Iowa and Western Illinois council to Belize. Explore Mayan ruins, take a canopy zipline, and go on a cave tubing excursion! Discover a beautiful country through outdoor adventures and experience a new culture.

Girl Scout attendees must be entering grades 9-12 in the fall of 2027 or graduating from high school in the spring of 2027. Check out this informational presentation to learn more about this trip!

Travel Itinerary

Summer 2027

Day 1: Start the Tour! toggle arrow

Meet your tour director and check into the hotel!

Day 2: Belize City Landmarks toggle arrow

Visit the Lamanai Maya ruins for a full-day excursion. Take a boat ride along the New River Lagoon and experience the Lamanai ruins through a guided tour.

Day 3: Travel to San Ignacio toggle arrow

Travel to San Ignacio. Visit Mayan ruins, take a canopy zipline, go on a cave tubing excursion, and hike through the jungle at night.

Day 4: Cayo District Landmarks toggle arrow

Experience a guided visit through the Xunantunich Ruins and take an excursion through the Mountain Pine Ridge Forest Reserve.

Day 5: Travel to Ambergris Caye toggle arrow

Visit the Belize Zoo and travel by water taxi to Ambergris Caye.

Day 6: Ambergris Caye toggle arrow

Visit the Hol Chan Marine Reserve and take the Shark Alley snorkeling tour.

Optional: Mexico Rocks snorkeling tour for $95.

Day 7: Ambergris Caye toggle arrow

Visit a secret beach and enjoy free time in Ambergris Caye.

Day 8: Travel Home toggle arrow

Travel by water taxi to Belize City and fly home.

Learn more about this trip, including cost, details, and how to sign up!

Enter Tour ID Williams-7780

Safety Information toggle arrow

Girl Scouts' number one priority with travel is safety. Before choosing Belize as a destination, research was completed to assess the safety of the country. All countries have a travel advisory between 1 and 4 determined by the US State Department. Travel advisories are reviewed every 12 months to be updated. Belize has a level 2 rating. Other countries with a level 2 rating include the Bahamas, United Kingdom, France, Spain, and Germany.

GSUSA has the policy to only allow travel to countries with the level 1 or 2 rating.

Belize is generally safe for American tourists, but it requires exercising increased caution, especially regarding crime. The main concerns are violent and petty crime, particularly in Belize City.

We work with Explorica travel which has over 50 years experience in student travel. Explorica operates out of 45 operation centers on six continents, meaning they are there to support us. Explorica has a 24/7 emergency contact line. Additionally, we have a professional tour director with extensive knowledge language, custom and locations for us to explore.

If the Travel Advisory moves into a Level 3 or 4 , then Explorica works with us to determine alternate destinations.

Trips are registered with the STEP program and our team gets alerts on civil unrest or a natural Disaster.

On any trip, we plan to not have a crisis, but we prepare just in case. An Emergency Action Plan is created which plans out a response plan and nearest emergency services in the areas we will be.

Pre-trip travel meetings are planned so members can learn safety skills and precautions related to our trip.

The chaperone/Girl Scout ration is 1 chaperone for every 6 youth.

All chaperones are travel experienced, CPR First Aid Certified, background checked, and educated on Child Abuse Prevention.

All participants are required to carry travel itinerary with emergency contacts for Explorica with them at all times.

Why Belize? toggle arrow

Belize has an unique ecosystem in that it has jungles and the second largest coral reef in the world. Conservation of these habitats is a priority to Latin Americans especially as tourists arrive to explore the area. Because of this, our group will be focusing on sustainable travel and conservation practices throughout the experience. As the trip experience ends, consideration will be given regarding how Girl Scouts can take action to limit their footprint through future travel. Also, Belize is a lower cost option for international travel than many European cities making it more accessible to our members.