Flightseeing: Blue Hole and Western Belize

The diverse natural beauty of Belize and the country’s Maya heritage are yours to experience on a flightseeing tour that soars over the offshore barrier reef before going deep into the Maya Mountains. Your chartered aircraft takes off from Belize City, traveling due east over the shifting blue hues of the coastal waters. The flight path offers incredible views of the many offshore cays and tiny islets, including those of Turneffe Atoll. At Long Caye, the plane banks northward toward the Lighthouse Reef and the Great Blue Hole at its center. Some 400 feet deep and nearly 1,000 feet across, the hole is a perfectly round sinkhole formed thousands of years ago, and appears like a darkened circle in the turquoise sea.

After circling the Blue Hole, your pilot turns west, taking you over the rolling landscapes, waterfalls and granite hillsides of the Mountain Pine Ridge Forest Reserve. You’ll also take in the river towns of San Ignacio and Santa Elena and the temple and ruins of both Xunantunich and Cahal Pech. Touching down deep in the tropical jungle, a short drive brings you to your destination at the Ka’ana Resort, whose Maya name “Heavenly Place” — was inspired by that of an ancient city. Here you’ll experience a wine and food pairing four-course lunch. It’s then a short drive back to the aircraft and the return flight to the yacht.