You Better Belize It: Two Weeks We’ll Never Forget
July 21, 2025
As leaders, we wanted to say thank you for sending the best kids to go on an incredible adventure with us for the last two weeks. Words cannot describe how amazing this group is, and every single individual contributed to the unique and inspiring group dynamic. We are so sad to be nearing the end, but so insanely grateful for this experience with such awesome kids.
The next few days, we had so much fun jamming out in our van rides on the way to activities. To pass the time, the girls used their water bottles to make friendship bracelets. Lissie impressively made a chevron pattern, teaching the rest of the group the intricate knot technique. Even with a bit of a car ride and an early wake-up, the kids had a ton of excitement to get into the caves finally! As we floated down the crystal clear waters of the caves, Sutton had a great time making shadow puppets on the cave walls. The rest of our journey through the caves included sinkholes that gave the slightest glimpses of daylight, swims in the chilly waters flowing through the cave, and stalagmites that towered into the darkness. Along the way, the kids had a great time jumping off a ledge in the middle of the cave. Every one of the kids made the leap, and some, Lulie and Peter in particular, especially loved the thrill. As we came back into the light, we were able to truly appreciate how far under the jungle we had been for the day. The rest of the float was sunny and relaxing as we headed home from the day’s activities. Charlie kept telling us how much he loved the cave, declaring that this was by far the best activity. Another wonderful dinner of coconut chicken tenders, the group swam in the huge pool before retiring for the night.
Our last day was one of the coolest! We got to go to Xunatunich, the ancient Mayan ruins deep in the jungle. Margaret and Gracie got tons of cool photos in front of the massive monuments, hoping to get on the Moondance Instagram. Hundreds of feet above the ground, Parker defeated his fear of heights by joining us at the top of the ruins! Asking all of the archeologists a ton of interesting questions, William learned all about the history of the ancient buildings. After one last traditional Belizean lunch, the group moved to the wonderful town of San Ignacio to look around at a few of the shops. The girls all got matching Belize beaded bracelets, and the entire group got matching bright yellow shirts. You better Belize that you will see those stylish shirts when the kids arrive home at the airport! For our final dinner together, we went to a fun restaurant and ate outside at a massive picnic table. From chicken fingers to coconut shrimp, birria tacos to enchiladas, the food at our banquet was incredible. In addition to fun smoothies at the restaurant, we took the group to our final ice cream stop at a soft serve place around the corner. Cameron found the cutest baby kitten at the ice cream place and had the whole group gushing. Reluctantly going back to the hostel, knowing that the end of the night meant going to sleep and leaving the next morning, our group of ten close friends had a final Moonup together.
Once again, we seriously want to thank all of you for sending us such amazing kids. We had an awesome time, and every single one of these people has left such an impact on both of us. We have loved getting to know them and can’t believe how fast these two weeks have gone by!!!!
– Claire and Chase
From Reefs to Rainforests: Belize Adventures Continue!
July 19, 2025
Hello Belize friends and family!
The last few days have been busy as we wrap up our time staying at the Royal Rat in Placencia. As we make our way deep into the jungle to round out our trip, we are excited to dive into our next activities!
Since our last update, we had one final scuba day filled with fun dives and sea creatures to really make the most of that certification. Cameron and William got lots of content on their GoPros of cool fish and reef sharks. We spent the whole day focusing on the wildlife and fun parts of diving. It was a great way to wrap up the multiple days of skills we learned. The girls got lots of pictures on the beach after swimming in the beautiful turquoise waters. After both a morning and afternoon dive, the group was so excited to make a delicious dinner of burgers courtesy of Parker and Charlie. As usual, our day ended with a dip in the pool and a meaningful Moonup under the stars.
With our final day of scuba complete, we finished up our shoreside activities with a trip to Monkey River. With insanely blue waters and picturesque mangroves, we boated through the jungle in search of crocodiles and howler monkeys. Sutton and Gracie kept us laughing the whole boat ride over to the village. After a quick hike with lots of monkeys followed by our imitation of monkey sounds, the group then headed to the monkey river town to buy some handmade souvenirs and eat yet another tasty Belizean meal. On the boat ride home, we got to look for manatees! Margaret managed to spot a family of three, and the group gushed over how cute the sea creatures were.
After wrapping up our ocean activities, we set our sights toward shore as we began our inland adventures with ziplining. We soared through the jungle on zip lines as long as half a mile with smiles on our faces. Peter especially enjoyed the thrill of the day paired with the picturesque views. In addition to ziplining, we also rappelled down a 60 foot waterfall! William and Lissie soared down the course, moving faster than anyone, and they didn’t fall once! Once we got to the bottom of the cascading falls, the group climbed some rocks and looked for crocodiles as we waited for the rest of the kids.
Out of all of these amazing activities, horseback riding might have been the best yet! Everyone was so incredible with the horses, and the guides even let us trot through the jungle! Our equestrian stars Lulie and Sutton set examples for the rest of the group, trotting through the forest gracefully. After our incredible adventure, we got to go down a cascading river in tubes! Navigating rapids and rocks, Cameron and Parker had a blast trying to stay afloat and then stacking their tubes together. Our car rides have been filled with incredible song choices by Peter, as well as in-depth and invigorating vlogs made by Gracie and the rest of the girls! Our last night in Placencia was spent celebrating with pizza and a trip to the mini golf course. Many members of the group managed to get a hole in one, including Margaret, Lulie, and Cameron.
The next morning we packed up our bags and said goodbye to the Royal Rat! Before reaching our destination, we stopped at the Maya Center and the Che’il Chocolate Center for a cooking class. Lissie showed off her culinary skills while chopping the vegetables, as William absolutely crushed the homemade corn tortillas. Parker brought it all together by manning the fire and stirring the soup. We ended up making a delicious soup with chicken, potatoes, carrots, and other vegetables, along with the tortillas that tasted incredible when dipped in the soup. The kids also made a traditional chocolate drink that Lulie especially loved. After a wonderful meal together, we got to go upstairs to learn about how chocolate is made straight from Belizean cacao beans. Charlie adored the chocolate tasting, even the bitter cacao nibs, talking about how good they would be on an açaí bowl. We ended our day by arriving at our new hostel and jumping into the new pool. The kids were so excited to have air conditioning again, and they loved the new cabin set up, eagerly running between each house to meet up with each other.
Lastly, we wanted to thank all of you for allowing your kids to come with us for the experience of a lifetime. We have loved our time with all of them, and we cannot wait to see what the last few days of our trip have in store. Looking forward to sharing more memories soon!
– Claire and Chase
Shoutouts!
July 14, 2025
LISSIE- Hii mom and dad I’m having the best time and miss yall so much!
MARGARET- HEYYY mom and dad!! I’m having so much fun! We scuba dived and the water was so gorgeous and we went horseback riding and water tubing and played soccer with these little kids and I’m having so much fun!! I’ll see yall in a week love you!
GRACIE- heyy mom and dad!!! I am having so much fun, we scuba dived a lot and saw sharks and turtles and it was really fun. We played soccer and volleyball with kids from Belize and it was rlly fun. Can’t wait to see yall love you!!
LULIE- hii mom and dad! I’m having so much fun! Miss yall but see yall soon!
CAMERON- Hey I’m having so much fun. Scuba diving is awesome and I want to get my advanced certification. My group is great and I can’t wait to show yall all of the pictures. Bye see yall soon.
WILLIAM-Hi mom and dad I am having so much fun in Belize we have done so much. I can’t believe it is already been a week. I’ll see you soon.
PARKER- Hi mom and dad, I’m doing great and having fun. Have a good time on your cruise, and thank you so much for getting me in Sutton and Charlie’s group. You guys are great Love you so much!
SUTTON- I’m having fun and am do not want to come home
CHARLIE- hey mom and AA I’m having so much fun here and I don’t want to go home hope everything is good back home love yall
PETER- hi I’m having a great time the group is awesome and the scuba is super fun
Un-Belize-Able Adventures: Scuba, Friendships & Endless Smiles!
July 13, 2025
WHATS UP BELIZE FRIENDS AND FAMILY!!!!! We are here to update you on our adventures this past week with our hilarious, curious, and outgoing group! Our first day started with sweaty hugs and friendly smiles in the airport before we made our way to Placencia for the first section of our trip. The kids chatted away in the back of our car ride, sharing their favorite songs they wanted to add to our playlist and playing endless get-to-know-you games. After a delicious lunch on the way, we arrived at the wonderful Royal Rat hostel and immediately threw down our bags so that we could jump in the pool. Graciously hosted by Sheila and Mark, the Austrailian and English couple that run the hostel, the group devoured pizza and quickly went to sleep, exhausted by the long travel day and excited for the first day of scuba.
Our first real day began with LODs (leaders of the day) Lissie and Peter infecting the group with their positive energy. The kids were naturals with all of the scuba skills, absolutely killing it in the beautiful turquoise waters. With delicious Belizean jerk chicken with rice, veggies, and fresh juice for lunch, all of the kids quickly ate before heading back to the hostel to swim and play fun music on the Alexa. Cameron has found a new favorite song that he can’t wait to play back home! By the end of the first day, with a wonderful moonup and full bellies from our home cooked fajitas, it’s safe to say everyone fell asleep quickly.
The next two days of scuba diving had our jaws on the floor! With friendly sharks and eels, as well as huge lobsters and colorful angelfish, this coral reef is un-belize-able! Stopping at picture perfect islands with crystal clear water, all of the kids absolutely crushed the scuba skills. Even the most difficult and scary tasks, like completely taking off the mask and putting it back on 30 feet below water, were done beautifully by Gracie. Parker, our scuba pro, has set a great example for the rest of the group with his fearless demeanor. We saw some of the coolest coral and tons of sea life, with some awesome scuba pictures on the gopro. We even got to go to Glovers reef, a famous scuba site that only a few other groups have been lucky enough to go to! We ended these long, salty days with dips in the pool and home cooked meals together. William has shown off his dart skills, getting super close to beating the reigning champion Chase. With endless laughs and so many inside jokes, it’s hard to believe that all of these kids only met a few days ago.
After long days of diving, we got to meet a ton of kids in the local community Siene Bight. Margaret absolutely crushed playing volleyball with some of the kids, while Peter made a ton of new friends and beat everyone in a track race. Charlie was a fabulous goalkeeper in soccer, shutting down many of the score attempts from both teams. After playing tons of games and bonding over favorite songs and sharing bracelets with our new friends, the group went to the coolest restaurant to eat lunch. Lissie was obsessed with the chicken and rice meal, enthusiastically telling us how she must have more once she gets home. After our lunch on the beach, we went to a local center to learn more about Garifuna culture. We got to wear traditional clothing while our guide told us about the art pieces in the center, before we got to learn Garifuna songs and dances. Parker loved his traditional tunic, requesting many “flics” to be taken. While learning the dances, we also got to learn how to play the songs on the drums. Lulie and Cameron were the best dancers of the group, showing off their skills together in the middle of the dance circle performing the “shake and shake”. That night we went out in town to enjoy a local restaurant and eat at our new favorite ice cream shop, Tutti Frutti. All of you must come to Placencia to try this ice cream!!!
The day after our cultural immersion experience, we had a full day sailing adventure and it was quite possibly the best day of our lives. After telling our kids that we had a long 8 hour day of kayaking down a murky river, we surprised them with a day straight out of paradise. We arrived at the dock to see a huge catamaran awaiting the group, with guides who kept us supplied with waters and sodas the whole day. We sailed all the way to Moho Caye, which had the most stunning waters I’ve ever seen in my life. The whole group dove off into the crystal clear ocean, where we played in the water and took pictures together before eating the most insane lunch. With barbecued shrimp kabobs, pork chop, chicken, shrimp ceviche, and watermelon, all served beachside with an unreal view, this was easily the most incredible lunch we have had. Sutton, with no hesitation, tried some termites for dessert!
From yummy Belizean ice cream at the hostel to fun dinners at restaurants on the beach, our bellies and hearts are full as we head into the half way point of our trip. Thank you all for sharing your amazing kids with us, we truly are having the best time and can not wait to tell you all about it!!!!
– Claire and Chase
Safe Arrival in Belize!
July 7, 2025
Hello Belize Families!
We heard from our leaders this morning that the group has landed safely in Belize City! The trip is off to a great start, and we cannot wait to hear more stories from their adventure!
Please remember our leaders and students will be unplugged during their trips, but we will be posting trip updates throughout the next week! This will allow you to follow along with the trip. You can also follow us on Instagram, @moondanceadventures, to see more of what we are up to!
-Moondance HQ
