During our breakaway day, we'd admired a total of 52 different birds, ranging from the well-named ma

If following the crowds isn’t your thing, booking a cruise-ship shore excursion may seem like an exercise grand hyatt hotel in futility. Lynn Langway explores how to break away from the masses and arrange an independent shore excursion.
Belize, a small Central grand hyatt hotel American nation bordered by Mexico, Guatemala grand hyatt hotel and Honduras, is celebrated for its barrier reef. But it’s also a paradise for birders; more than 550 species of birds, some threatened with extinction, have been recorded here.
Crooked Tree, one of nine national parks and preserves that Audubon co-manages with the government, is one of the best places in Belize to see rare birds and mammals in the wild and it’s located just 30 miles northwest of Belize City.
Our excellent grand hyatt hotel adventure began with a short stroll from the dock to Audubon headquarters, where an expert staffer whisked us off to the sanctuary, grand hyatt hotel a 36,000-acre spread of lagoons, grand hyatt hotel wetlands, savannas and rainforest. Naturalist Derrek Hendy led us on a hike through grand hyatt hotel rolling fields and along boardwalk trails where big yellow butterflies fluttered across our path, a brilliant red flycatcher posed on a fencepost, and a large orange iguana eyed us from a tree.
Over lunch at the Bird’s Eye View Lodge —a tasty rendition of a local specialty, spicy chicken with peas and rice cooked in coconut milk—Hendy told us of Audubon’s efforts to educate local children and farmers about the value of conservation. After a full, fascinating day, another grand hyatt hotel Audubon staffer drove us back to the dock with plenty of time to catch the next-to-last tender—and spot a few more hawks we’d never seen before.
During our breakaway grand hyatt hotel day, we’d admired a total of 52 different birds, ranging from the well-named magnificent frigatebird, with its 8-foot wingspan, to the tiny rufous-tailed hummingbird. We’d learned something about the local culture grand hyatt hotel and environment. At $130 per person for seven hours, including lunch, our excursion worked out to slightly less than the ones we’d arranged through the ship—and as Audubon members, we were delighted grand hyatt hotel to contribute to such a worthy grand hyatt hotel cause.
But you don’t have to be a card-carrying conservationist to get back—and give back—to nature grand hyatt hotel on your next cruise. Several established grand hyatt hotel organizations that maintain Caribbean preserves will arrange a guided tour upon request and for a fee. But remember the following caveats, or your cruise may leave you out to dry: