The Trip

Overview
What to Bring
What Not to Bring
Packing List in PDF Format

Overview

The focus of this trip is to provide young people with an expedition that allows them to visit another culture and have an opportunity to enter it, not as tourists, but as students learning about the richness of another part of our world.

The Belize trip has been an evolving expedition of Hammond School for the past fifteen years. The trip is now divided into four stations.

Banana Bank Lodge is the first station which is a beautiful jungle location run by Carolyn and John Carr. Carolyn is the national artist of Belize and John is a former world champion rodeo rider. They have a beautiful ranch on the edge of the jungle. Out of Banana Bank, we visit Xunantunich, the tallest Mayan Ruin in the country. We will spend time with Margaret Juan at the Good Shepherd Clinic. We have been supporting Margaret and her work on the Guatemalan border for years. The students eat lunch at Clarissa Falls and then float through the five cave tunnels at Jaguar Paw. Also, the time there includes a horseback ride through the jungle.

The second station is Caves Branch. This is a new station for us. It will include a dormitory in the jungle and two days of activities. The first day will be caving and climbing up to waterfalls within the caves. The second day will be repelling in the black hole. In the evenings, after the activities there will be an opportunity to kayak on the Sibun River and play soccer with a nearby school. This year we are undertaking a service project to help the children at the K-8 school in the village of Armenia.

The third station is South Water Caye. Located directly on the Belize barrier reef, South Water Caye is a private 12-acre Caribbean island paradise surrounded by diverse mangrove islands, tidal seagrass flats, and pristine coral reefs teeming with marine life. Students will be able to snorkel, kayak, and visit the Smithsonian Research Station.

The fourth station is in Belize City at the Mopan Hotel. This will include an airboat tour through a waterway onto the Almond Hill Lagoon. The students travel by boat up the coast to a Manatee preserve, Shark Ray Alley, and then eat lunch at San Pedro and return to Belize City.

What to bring

 

On the plane in a day pack:

1. Journal and pens
2. Reading material
3. Medications
4. Hat and sunglasses
5. Optional Camera (digital or underwater disposable)
6. Wear long pants, shirt, light weight fleece jacket, tennis shoes
7. 1 pair of shorts and t-shirt (in case of lost luggage)

Pack in backpack provided by the school:

1. Shoes: 1 pr River or Boat Sandals and 1 pr tennis/hiking shoes (that can get wet and muddy)
2. Pants: 1 pr long pants (non-cotton preferred) / 2 pair of shorts
3. Swim suit (2)
4. Socks: 2 pr light weight wool hiking socks / 2 pr athletic socks
5. Underwear: 4 pr (non-cotton preferred)
6. Shirts: 3 t-shirts / 1-2 quick dry (sports shirts) / 1 long-sleeved shirt
7. Rain jacket
8. One bed sheet (any size will do)
9. Extra hat
10. Extra sunglasses
11. Snorkeling gear
12. Suntan lotion – SPF 36 or higher sweat and water proof (2 bottles)
13. Chapstick with 36 or higher SPF (2 sticks)
14. Aloe gel for sunburn
15. Toiletries – no hair dryers!
16. Children’s book for a local school

What not to bring

Do not bring any electrical appliances such as hair dryers, CD players, iPods, etc.

Pack light!

Packing List in PDF Format

Packing List