Flying Through The Jungle!
July 19, 2026
Hello again! Checking in from day 10, we can’t BELIZE how fast this trip is flying by! This morning we woke up to the smell of warm cinnamon rolls and bacon which could not have been a more perfect start to our day. Then it was time to head to San Ignacio where we visited a chocolate farm! Everyone got to learn about the history of chocolate in Belize, and the role of the Mayans in producing and spreading this sweet treat. Then we got to actually see how it’s made from harvesting the fruit all the way to the actual chocolate bar. We even got the chance to taste the cacao bean, cacao nibs, a traditional hot chocolate drink, and a chocolate bar. It was so delicious we had to stock up in the gift shop on our way out! Our next stop of the day was lunch, where we had some fantastic barbeque chicken, beans and rice, and slaw. Then it was time for ziplining!!!! Everyone got geared up and headed towards the course. We enjoyed some small hikes between platforms and then got to soar through the jungle, way above the trees and river. It was so much fun and gave us the chance to see some beautiful views! Robert definitely had the smoothest landings but Reed finished each course the fastest. Since it was such a perfect day already, it only felt right to finish it off with another ice cream stop. Then it was back to jaguar creek to start getting ready for dinner. With the little extra time we had, we had an impromptu dance party where Cici impressed everyone with her rapping skills. Then we sat down for wings and fries, another fan favorite! Finally it was time for moonup and what has become our nightly tradition – some games of mafia.
How is it already day 11??? Today we enjoyed pancakes for breakfast and grabbed our swimsuits and towels for cave tubing!!! We drove just right down the road to the national park where Abel gave us our tubes, headlamps, and we began the trek to the cave. Once there, we climbed down into the cave a learned all about the Mayan history and rock formations inside. Then it was time for SPLUNKING!! The group got to climb all throughout the cave, and even got to slide down some areas. It was tough, but Marianne led the pack fearlessly on our way back. Once we were done exploring by foot, we hoped in the tubes and began the actual tubing. We got to float down this lazy river and admire the columns and crystals all around the cave. Harrison, Teddy, and Reed were even brave enough to convince everyone to turn off their headlamps and just sit in the pitch black. Once we reached the end of our river path, we climbed back out of the cave and headed back for lunch. We had a pizza picnic and then got ready for a beautiful hike throughout the jungle. We listened to some tunes while we hiked, and eventually ended up at St Herman Blue Hole, also known as the inland blue hole. Everyone was eager to jump in and swim in the refreshing water. Poppy, Rose, and Marianne even tried to see if they could touch the bottom of the blue hole. We spent the rest of the afternoon swimming here and playing games, until it was time to head back to Jaguar Creek. We played more cards and bananagrams until dinner, which was spaghetti and meatballs! Then you guessed it – moonup and mafia!! After some riveting rounds, we headed to bed to rest up for another big day tomorrow.
Another wonderful day in the jungle of Belize started off with some banana muffins and yogurt before Abel picked us up and we headed to a local home for our cooking class! After a quick drive, we immediately got to work prepping to make our tamales and empanadas. First, we walked to the mill and Marianne took the lead and carried our bowl of masa, a flour base used for tortillas! While Teddy was busy chopping some firewood for the stove, Poppy and Rose got to work prepping the meat for our tamales while Harrison and Wallace cleaned the leaves we used to wrap them in. Everyone was able to make a tamale for themselves before we began prepping our empanadas. Our group quickly became a well oiled machine and were pumping empanadas out like we’ve never seen before, with Malone being the driver and ensuring every single one was in tip top shape before cooking them. While those cooked, most of the boys played soccer while Robert made himself a new friend with a parrot who lived on a tree nearby, along with our hosts dogs! We then enjoyed our empanadas before hopping into the van for ICE CREAM! It was a much needed treat on such a hot day before we headed back to the cooking class for our tamales, which everyone loved! We soon made our way back to Jaguar Creek for some downtime before dinner where had some amazing fajitas before Moonup and heading to bed before a massive day tomorrow!
We can’t believe it’s already our last full day of the trip! This morning we had an early start enjoyed some yogurt and muffins before hopping in the van. We made the trek down to Bocawina and hiked through the lush jungle to Bocawina Falls, where we would be rappelling!! After a quick briefing, everyone started belaying themselves down the waterfall. James flew down and impressed everyone with his speed. Once everyone made it down, we spent some time swimming in the river and started a splash war. After hiking back down to the base, we met up with the other Belize Moondance group for some jungle Olympics! Cici and Wallace carried our team in the soccer game and led us to victory!!!! After a fun and busy morning, we left Bocawina and said goodbye to BLZ D and headed to lunch. We had chicken tenders and fries which the group was pumped about. Then it was time to head back to Jaguar Creek! We showered, packed up our bags, and then everyone got ready for our banquet dinner. A couple days before, we spun a wheel to determine who got to pick out an outfit for who and everyone did some shopping to prepare. So now, it was time for the big outfit reveals!!! Everyone looked hilarious with various Hawaiian shirts, floppy hats, and even a princess costume. Malone even had a cowboy hat with the Belizean flag! Once everyone was dressed, we sat down for one last dinner together. We had chicken Alfredo and celebrated with cake! After dinner, we had our most special moonup yet and finished it off with some paper plate awards! We had to soak up all of our remaining time together, so everyone stayed up late enjoying snacks and playing games.
How is it the last day????? This morning we had omelets for breakfast before grabbing our bags and heading to the airport. The van ride there was bittersweet and we played the groups favorites songs from the trip, one last time. We truly cannot believe how quickly the past 14 days have flown by. We are so so grateful that y’all shared your amazing kids with us. We had the most incredible time watching them grow and become like a family.
Love,
Caroline and Holtie
Update from BLZ 3C!
July 15, 2026
Checking back in from the most unbelizable place on earth!! We have been having the BEST time so far and can’t belive how fast the trip is flying by. Day 6 started off with a slower morning, so we were able to sleep in some and wake up to the peaceful sound of the rain blowing in. After a delicious breakfast, we walked over to the dive shop where everyone learned how to log a dive. This was the last step in the process of becoming officially scuba certified!!! We are so proud of how everyone embraced this challenge with open arms and had an amazing time while doing so. We spent the rest of the morning waiting out the rain with some heated games of bananagrams, uno, and cards tournaments. Robert impressed us with his bananagrams skills while Wallace dominated the card games. Then we sat down for lunch and enjoyed some delicious empanadas. After lunch, the rain cleared up and it was time for some fishing! The boys headed out on the boat first and began reeling them in, with James and Harrison catching the most fish. Meanwhile, the girls learned a new card game called kaboom and had a dance party back on the island. Then it was time to switch! The girls then headed out to see and shoutout to Rose for being the first one to bait her own hook, and to Poppy for catching the first fish! Back on the island the boys played soccer, football, and explored some. After an exciting afternoon, the group reunited for one last dinner on Long Caye complete with some delicious strawberry and chocolate cake. We then had moonup and ended the night with some more games including mafia and more bananagrams. We have had the best time on our island oasis and can’t belive it is almost time to leave, but can’t wait to see what the jungle has in store for us!!
We had an early morning to start the next portion of our trip and head to the jungle!! After enjoying some cereal, we loaded our bags onto the boat and said our goodbyes to Long Caye. Everyone is going to miss our friends on the island and especially Ms. Marta’s cooking. We sat back and relaxed on this long boat road and a few even napped until we reached Belize City. Here, we met our awesome guide Abel who will be showing us around the jungle this week! We packed up the van and headed further inland, but not before stopping for a photo opp at the huge BELIZE sign. Before long, it was time for lunch which was a hit. We stopped at Taco Taco and everyone got to pick out some delicious tacos, quesadillas, and burritos. After lunch, we headed towards Jaguar Creek which is our new home for the rest of the trip! The group was very excited to see their cabanas and explore the surrounding area and river. We spent the rest of the afternoon playing more games, which Cici and Rose were winning by a landslide. The boys also got into a competitive cards tournament that lasted until it was time for dinner. Everyone was very excited that we got to enjoy some hot dogs and french fries as our welcome dinner to Jaguar Creek! After another successful moonup, we played many rounds of mafia run by Malone and Teddy. The competition got so intense we were exhausted and ready to hit the hay after a few rounds. Then we had another great moonup and headed to bed.
Day 8 started off with an early morning and some fantastic waffles that got everyone excited for the day. After wolfing them down, we met Abel at the van and started our journey towards San Ignacio. Here, we got to explore some ancient Mayan ruins and learn all about their history. We even got to climb to the top of what used to be a palace, and could see Guatemala across the beautiful Mountain View! After exploring this area and its rich history and stopping for some handmade souvenirs, we drove to a local spot for lunch where we enjoyed some delicious quesadillas. We even got treated to ice cream for dessert! Next it was time to change and gear up for our next activity – river tubing!!! We grabbed the inter tubes and began floating down the river through a beautiful valley. We even stopped for some cliff jumping before continuing through some baby rapids that had everyone excited. So excited, that a war broke out over who could flip the most tubes! Harrison and Teddy definitely won this one and had everyone laughing. After reaching the bank, we ditched the tubes and continued swimming in the cool water. Before we knew it, it was time to head back to Jaguar Creek. We spent the rest of the afternoon playing cards, and Marianne enjoyed a swift victory while playing BS. Then we sat down for dinner, which was fried chicken and Mac and cheese. It was the perfect reward after a long but exciting day. We finished off the night with moonup, more mafia, and even some ghost stories before bed.
Everyone got to sleep in this morning, so the group woke up rested, excited, and ready to go!! We enjoyed some French toast for breakfast before going to meet Abel at the van and heading out for the day. We drove past Belmopan to Banana Bank, a beautiful ranch where we were going horseback riding!! We pulled into the ranch and got to see tons of goats, turkeys, and of course horses grazing around. After some brief instructions, we saddled up and began our trail ride! Reed, Teddy, Robert, and James led the pack and were competing for the spot of line leader as we explored the jungle trail by horse. Meanwhile, Cici and Malone kept things under control in the back and even got their horses to trot. After exploring the trail, taking our horses through a river, and lots of laughs, we had worked up and appetite. So we sat down for lunch at the lodge and enjoyed some traditional Belizean chicken, rice and beans, and slaw. Then everyone changed into their bathing suits because it was time for a swim! We hoped into the pool and began playing games like alligator, star, and some football. It was the perfect way to cool off and enjoy the rest of our afternoon. After we got back in the van, we had to make one more surprise stop for ICE CREAM!!! Everyone ran out of the van they were so excited to finish off our perfect day with a treat. Marianne and Poppy even got some fresh mangos from a fruit stand nearby and were generous enough to share their delicious finds. Then we headed back to Jaguar Creek and cleaned up just in time for dinner. After some pizza, we had moonup followed by – you guessed it – more mafia. This time Reed and Wallace were victorious and had everyone laughing for their commitment to the game.
We have had the absolute best time with this group and truly cannot believe how fast it has flown by. They have embraced every challenge with excitement and positivity, and have become like a family over these past 10 days. We can’t wait to see what the rest of the week has in store, and to soak in the rest of our time together!
See you soon!
Caroline and Holtie
From the kids!
Cici- Thanks for sending me here. Love it!
Malone- Thank you so much for sending me to Belize this year! I love it so much!
Rose- Thank you so much for sending me to Moondance this year! Im having so much fun!!
Poppy- Whattup rents!! Im having the best time of my life. Thank you so much for sending me to BLZ3C!
Marianne-Thank you for sending me to Moondance im having the best time! Love you!!
Wallace- Yo what’s up Pops and Mom this has been a blast tell Ty and Dillon happy late birthday love yall can’t wait to see y’all.
Harrison- Thank you for sending me here. Love y’all
James- sup guys i miss everyone at home and Im having a great time, thank you for sending me on a great trip
Reed- Hi guys i miss you at home and I am having a great time, thank you for sending me on a great trip. I having a great time.
Teddy-sup folks i miss yall at home and I am having a great time, thank you for sending me on a great trip. I having a great time. Tell Ty and Dillon happy late birthday. Sweet.
Robert- Thank you so much for sending me here, Im having fun. Love you guys bye.
Divine Diving!
July 11, 2026
WHAT IS UP FROM BELIZEEEEEE!!!!!
After picking up all 9 of today’s arrivals in Belize City, we headed to the best pizza spot in Central America, Moe’s, for a delicious and much-needed lunch of some cheese and pepperoni pizza. After a great meal, we met up with our dive guides, hopped on their boat, and hit the water for a not-so-quick ride out to our beautiful island home for the next week! During our bumpy and rainy ride, Teddy seemed to thrive the most with a smile on his face the whole time! We soon arrived at the island and made it to our lodge, and settled in. Cici quickly became friends with Junior, the young son of our lovely host, leading to them trading some friendship bracelets! We then enjoyed a wonderful dinner from the amazing Ms. Marta, had a successful first Moonup with Malone and Wallace, gaining the honor of being our first LODs (leaders of the day) tomorrow, before heading to bed after the long travel day!
We woke up to an amazing breakfast of fry jacks and powdered sugar, eggs, and beans before finishing up some paperwork with our dive guides and heading to the dock to learn some skills! Harrison and Teddy were all stars and gained some high praise from Sam, one of our instructors, as they caught on incredibly quickly. We finished up learning how to put together our gear, then headed back to our lodge for some card games, where Harrison once again stole the show and showed us his own way to win many different games! We enjoyed some empanadas for lunch, then headed back to the dock for a few more skills, and our swim and treading water test, which everyone passed with flying colors. As we were wrapping up our learning for the day, we saw the dive boat off in the distance that brought in our two new arrivals – Robert and Poppy!! Everyone was so excited to meet them, and that the entire group was finally together! We spent the afternoon hanging out on the island and getting to know each other. The boys started up some intense games of poker, while the girls sat in the enos and made some awesome vlogs on Poppy’s camera. Before long, it was time to sit down for a delicious dinner of chicken, pasta salad, and veggies. The conversation was lively as everyone shared their rose, bud, and thorn of the day, as well as some of our favorite jokes. After dinner, we had our first moonup as a full group on the dock. We got to admire the stars and start to get to know each other even better! Then we finished off the night with the group singing along to the guitar before bed!
Our 3rd day in paradise began with an amazing breakfast of some burritos, before we quickly headed to the dock to hop on the boat! Poppy and Robert had a quick start to the morning and were able to catch up on all the skills they missed in a heartbeat! We’ve never seen anyone complete everything they had to learn in such an efficient way. We then headed to some shallow water to begin practicing these skills underwater, where Reed showed some major enthusiasm and kept the group energized during a tiring morning. We headed back to the island and enjoyed a 10/10 lunch from Ms Marta, chicken quesadillas! All the boys, and especially Wallace, crushed these, and everyone is continuing to love the delicious meals we’ve been having. We soon headed back to the boat and towards the shallow water again to practice some more skills in the afternoon, where Cici showed off what she had learned and pulled off some expert tired diver tows to show the group how it’s done! After a long afternoon, we had some time to shower and rest before our dinner of meatballs, rice, and salad, and an incredible Moonup! Our dive instructors then came by and took us on a surprise night safari to see some saltwater crocodiles on the island, ending in us seeing multiple 8+ ft crocs before we headed to bed. We’re so proud of this group already and the way they’ve handled the beginning of our diving, late arrivals, and we can’t wait to see what else they conquer!
We hit the ground running on day 4 and woke up bright and early for a full day of diving!! After some breakfast fuel, we grabbed our sunscreen and headed out to the dock to assemble the gear. We had a short boat ride out to the dive spot and were so excited for everyone’s very first open water dive!!! After practicing some more skills underwater and swimming around the coral, the group resurfaced with huge smiles on their faces. Everyone shared stories about what they saw, and was so excited that all of their hard work was beginning to pay off! We took a quick water and snack break back on land and then went back out on the water for dive number two. After about an hour exploring the underwater world, it was time for lunch. Once again, we went back on land to have some delicious pizza. Then that afternoon, we completed our third dive of the day! This one was the most exciting yet, because both dive groups were able to see some huge sharks on the reef wall! James and Reed were especially excited about this find and got to see a lion fish, too. After an amazing but exhausting day underwater, the group was very excited to find that Ms. Marta had some homemade donuts for us. We spent the little afternoon we had left hanging out, and Malone, Rose, and Marianne had the great idea of hanging hammocks on the palm trees right by the water. Before we knew it, it was time for dinner, which was a fan favorite – hamburgers and fries! The group finished off the night with another great moonup and some heated rounds of mafia before it was time to hit the hay!
Day 5 was another beautiful day in Belize, starting off with a wonderful breakfast of pancakes before loading up the boat and heading to Half Moon Caye for the day! We stopped at the island, dropped off some lunch materials, and learned how to navigate underwater first, with James thriving here and showing everyone how it’s done! We hopped back on the boat for a dive off of Half Moon Caye’s Wall at a site called The Playground! We headed down and saw so much amazing sea life, including eagle rays, reef sharks, turtles, and so much more! As we finished up the dive, Marianne was able to conserve her oxygen the best and stay underwater for a record 63 minutes! We all hopped back on the boat and headed back towards Half Moon Caye, where lovely Ms Marta had our lunch waiting for us! We enjoyed a much-needed lunch and some chill time before the boys played some soccer with our dive instructors, and the girls hit the water and took many pictures with Rose’s underwater camera. After this leisurely time, we went for a quick stroll to see and learn about the rare red-footed boobies, which live on the island, followed by some more swim time, which had everyone laughing and having a good time, before we headed back to Long Caye! We arrived back, played some soccer, then headed to the other side of the island to catch the sunset before dinner! We enjoyed some conversations and Mafia while watching the sunset, then had a delicious dinner of chicken tenders, Mac and cheese, and mashed potatoes before a lovely Moonup, some card games, and then headed to bed! This group has been incredible so far, and it’s been such an honor to be their leaders! We can’t wait for more adventures to come! Now time for some shout-outs from the kids!
Talk soon,
Holtie and Caroline
Now for some shoutouts from the group!
James- Hey mom and dad I miss you guys a lot, the trip has been amazing so far, scuba diving was great and everyone had lots of fun, I love you guys and tell Laney Owen Ally and the cats I miss them, bye I love you guys
Marianne- Hi Mom and Dad Im having a great time and have got to do a lot of cool things I miss you guys and scuba diving has been really cool. Love you!
Teddy- Hey mom and dad I miss you goys a lot, the trip has been amazing so far, scuba diving was great and everyone had lots of fun. I got certified that was cool. Saw a bunch a fish like sharks and stuff. Pretty cool. We’ll see y’all love y’all.
Reed- Hi mom and dad I miss you guys, it has been fun I got my scuba diving certification. Lots of bugs have been biting me. I also saw a sea crocodile and reef sharks and eagle rays. See you soon.
Malone- Hi mom and dad! Im having so much fun! We just finished our scuba diving course! I saw lots of sharks, turtles,grouper, and eagle rays! I miss yall and milling and Clarence so much! I love you guys!
Harrison- I need a gurtle for football it’s the knee pads The trip has been fun scuba diving is so fun For Labor Day I think dad and I should go to the keys and dive and fish. We go fishing today so I should having a lot of fun. Food is pretty good. Love y’all see on the 19th
Cici- hey mom and dad i miss yall! I went scuba diving and saw a sea turtle and sharks. Im having a lot of fun thanks for sending me here. And if any of my friends are seeing this i miss yall soo much and I can’t wait to see you guys!
Robert- Hi mom and dad. I miss you guys, Im having a lot of fun here, can you look at the GoPro app? I saw a reef shark and some alligators. Cant wait to see you guys back home, bye.
Poppy- Hi guys!! I miss you all so much but I’m having so much fun. This past week we have been staying on this island scuba diving! We saw sharks and turtles and so much more! Today is our last day on the island before we go into the jungle! Anyway I’ll see you guys in a week! Love ya
Wallace- Hey Mom and Dad miss y’all so much just got my scuba certification and have been seeing a lot of sharks we are staying 50 miles away from shore right now. Cant wait to see y’all again love y’all.
Rose- Hi Mom and Dad!! I’m having so much fun in Belize! Scuba diving is such a cool experience and Im looking forward to getting my certification. I’ve seen so many cool fish, turtles, and sharks. I also saw an eel!! I can’t wait for next week’s activities. I love you so much and I’m excited to tell you more about my fun adventures when I see you !!!
Safe Arrival: Part 1
July 6, 2026
Hello Belize Families and Friends!
We have received word that all students travelling today have safely arrived in Belize. We are still waiting on a few late arrivals who experienced some travel snags and will be landing tomorrow. The group is very excited to greet them!
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
