Hol Chan Marine Reserve and Shark Ray Alley Snorkeling Tour

I chose this trip after a lot of research based on price. While I reserved the trip for 5 people months before the actual day , I went ahead and paid 5 weeks before to be sure confirmed and I could communicate with tour company. I called 4 days before and I emailed 2 days before and was told Marjorie would pick us up at 8:30. On the day of the trip, Marjorie the owner did not show up but the tour guide and 20 minutes late. We were told that they did not have the minimum and would cancel unless we paid an extra $163 for a private tour. This was my birthday and it was too late to change our plans but we noted they had plenty of time and opportunity to communicate - they said it was Viator’s fault as they asked them to communicate about minimums and don’t and they said they don’t get paid much by viator and gas was more expensive. All of this could have been told before the pickup. The poor guide being sent to do the dirty work. We paid so we could enjoy the day. We then probably had one of the best snorkel trips ever with Stacey as our guide; she was amazing.

We reserved our snorkeling tour online. Our credit card was charged. We received confirming email. We held tickets in both printed and hard copy form. What could go wrong? We were never picked up at the agreed upon departure point. A Radisson-affiliated taxi driver made phone calls on our behalf. The first calls went to a perpetually busy number listed on our ticket information. This driver knew the owner of this tour company and successfully reached him at a different number The owner stated there was no reservation in his company’s system reflecting our paid tickets. So. If you’d like a review of the marine reserve I cannot offer you one. This trip to Belize was not my first. Anyone with travel experience here would generally agree that in Belize “things work.” In this case things didn’t work. My lesson learned is to contact the tour operator prior to the trip even while in possession of multiple layers of confirming artifacts that prove one holds paid-for tickets. Finally, the only reason I chose to offer this not-so-rosy review is that upon returning from an excellent Belizean cave kayak tour today I was greeted by a text message inviting me to offer a review of my experience yesterday at Hol Chan Marine Reserve with this operator. So that’s what I have done.

The crew was excellent. The captain had a keen eye and spotted turtles, manatees and a crocodile for us. It felt like we got the VIP treatment. I couldn't have been happier!

Father daughter trip 02/20. We both really enjoyed this tour. Best money we spent on entire trip, including our scuba and snorkeling excursions. Staff are very friendly, and incredibly knowledgeable. They deliver what they advertise and more. Be aware the shuttle pick up is near the caves, and not in the city. Renting a car was cheaper than another shuttle to the meeting point.

Trip was cancelled the morning that we were supposed to go. I was told that an email was sent but that was not the case. Very disappointing. Do not book on a Sunday, the whole town is shut down.

Our boat driver Emerson took his job as our boat driver very seriously. The 45 minute ride out to the reef on his super 35mph fast with 200hp motor boat was a little choppy on the way out. On the way back after our Wow snorkeling with sharks and stingrays he drove the boat to the back side of the island and showed us how the tarpon fish jump high for fish. We want to go back to Cay Caulker island - the lunch was great and the town is super tropical (no cars - only bicycles and golf carts). Caesar a snorkeling guide was great with our 3 year old grandson which was his 2nd time snorkeling. On the way back to Belize City we spotted a group on dolphins.

The whole experience was amazing! Our snorkel tour guide, Stacy, was patient and incredibly knowledgeable. She pointed out fish and coral and was able to name them. One of the best parts was when Stacy dove down and an Eel followed her out of his cave. Then she took us in the water to watch the Nurse Shark feeding. She was right in the middle petting the sharks and helping us touch them. James was the boat driver and Jose was along to help us. They were both friendly and helped make it a great day!

We had a wonderful day exploring the Belize Barrier Reef with Stacy. She was an awesome tour guide - she shared so much with us about her country. It is obvious that she is passionate about Belize and loves to share that passion with people visiting. My husband was excited to snorkel, but I am not a strong swimmer and was very nervous. They made sure I was comfortable, helped me get my bearings in the water and I had the most amazing time watching the wildlife and seeing the reef. Just stunning! Unfortunately, there was a large group of people that booked our tour as well and insisted that it was a private tour and were rude and disrespectful to the staff. They refused to board the boat until Stacy had already tried everything, so we left and then they yelled and forced us to come back. It was really frustrating for us as fellow tourists because these rude people basically took almost an hour of our day. But we were just in awe with how Stacy, Patrick, and the rest of the crew continued to smile and be as kind to them as possible and kept the tour on a positive note. We chose this tour last minute because Royal Caribbean canceled a previously schedule excursion on us at the last minute. I'm so grateful that happened because this day couldn't have been better! Thank you, Stacy! We will look you up when we move to Belize! ;)

Unique to the area, you really will experience the sharks and rays. Guides are friendly and informative. I loved that food was not included and I got to choose my lunch. Super tasty. The organizer is sensitive to ship arrivals and departures, so do not hesitate just because this isn’t offered as a cruise line excursion. The locals live by tourism dollars. They will not leave you or allow you to miss your ship. Fantastic snorkeling.

Nelson and crew took us on an amazing snorkeling trip. We were first timers and they took great care of us. We got to pet nurse sharks and see beautiful fish. We are ready to snorkel again! Thank you so much.