Bird Island

Important Added Information. (Updated October, 2018)

#1- Getting to Placencia from Belize City:

By Shuttle: All-in-One Travel Services, $90 per person (each way); pick up at Belize International airport. 3-hour ride. (011-501-620-2267 / 515-7225). Private SUV and individual help. Great folks.

By Rental Car: between $90 - $100 USD a day; roughly 3 hour drive. We have our own private place to leave your rental car while in Placencia.)

By Air: (Maya or Tropic Air) $135 USD each way per person / 40 minute flight. Fastest way.

By Taxi : $300 USD each way by SUV (4 people); $350 USD by van (6 people).

(Note: If going to Bird Island the same day as arriving, the shuttle/rental car/taxi way works as long as one is arriving in Belize International by 1pm (it is a 3hr drive to Placencia + 1 hr for food shopping + 30 minutes to get to the island by 6pm; it gets dark in Belize by 6:30. If arriving to Belize International after 1pm it is best to fly to Placencia.

#2- Length of stay: We have a minimum stay of 4 days, maximum 5 days . From experience we have learned that 4-5 days is about perfect, easy to plan for and eliminates the need to have to come back into town at all during your stay; though that option is available. Longer stays are available upon special request.

#3- In order to help with your logistics, we can pick you up at your hotel or Placencia airport at 11am (or later) on the day of departure to Bird Island, as long as you let us know where you are staying or when arriving. We can then take you food shopping and drop off everything by the boat all at once. Please note this option is available if staying near the town of Placencia; if staying well away from the village, such places usually do have a free shuttle to town.

Pick-up from the island should be about 2 hours before departing Placencia.

#4- The trip from Placencia Village to Bird Island is included in the price. We meet at 12 Noon (or later), at the M&M Hardware Gas Station / Boat Dock (end of its big parking lot). M&M is a huge orange building in the very middle of town, close to everything. Please note that this this dock is different than the new town dock which is at the very end the peninsula.

#5- Sleeping accommodations: The island's has three buildings; the main house which has a master bedroom with a queen-size bed with all amenities (including A/C; powered by generator). The 2nd building has a new over-the-water, totally self-contained cabana, also with queen-sized bed and also with all amenities. The 3rd building is a small cabana with a double-size bed, desk, etc, but no bathroom. The island is geared towards 4 people.

#7 - Extra Guests: Upon booking, if you are not sure how many extra guests there will be, perhaps it is best to book only 2, but change your reservation as you get closer to actual arrival.

#8 - Side tours while staying in Placencia or Bird Island: We have our own tour company (see Privasea Adventures) which caters to private groups and its emphasis is comfort and fun. There are three side tours we highly recommend while staying in town: our Manatee Watch, Monkey River and the third to the Main Barrier Reef. While staying at Bird Island, our 'Smorgasbord' trip for fishing, snorkeling and lobstering in some great waters and the trips to the Belize Barrier Reef are the best.

#9 - Exclusivity. Yes, when you book Bird Island, you will have the whole Island all to yourself in ~total~ privacy with a 'no-tan-line' personal option. There is no staff on the island.

#10 - Security: Though Bird Island is 6 miles away from town and inside its own atoll, it is on a main thoroughfare of tourist boats traveling from the Placencia mainland to the main Belize Reef; everyone knows Bird Island locally and keeps a close eye on it. Nearby islands (1/2 mile) are Frigate Caye and Morris Caye, new resorts being developed and we share a neighborhood security cooperation with them.

#11- Food: Bird Island is a self-catering scenario so plan to bring enough meats, vegetable and drinks (and liquor) for your stay. The island however, does have a very well-stocked kitchen with a myriad of condiments such as cake mixes, flour, rice, spices, oils, paper towels, garbage bags, etc., so you are not required to think of every little thing. Close by where we take off for the island, while in Placencia, there is an excellent food store (Ming's) and an excellent vegetable stand. Food shopping is a very simple step and can be left for the very last moment.

#12 - Drinking Water: The island has a well-filtered rain-water system for all general uses. However, we still provide purified bottled drinking water for drinking. Meaning no need to worry about bringing water.

#13 - Wading slipper-type shoes. The island is surrounded by hard sand flats and within 100 feet by live coral; bringing soft shoes that cover your toes and ankle are a good thing to have when walking about. There are many pairs in the island that may fit you, but no guarantee to do so.

#14 - Snorkeling equipment: Bring your own or you can rent them locally on the way to the island. However, the island does have many sets that may fit you. Our new Privasea Adventures does have fishing rods, snorkeling equipment, and many others types of rentals to enhance your trip.

#15- Fishing equipment: The island is usually surrounded by constant marauding schools of fish (jacks, snappers, etc) feeding around it. If want to do bottom fishing, you should get shrimp bait when food shopping. The island now has a new fishing dock.

#16 - Refrigeration: The island has a propane refrigerator with a fair-size freezer. It has ice trays. Bringing at least two bag of ice however, is always a good idea.

#17 - Communication. A local phone is at the island so you can call local numbers. The island has very good and reliable WiFi.

#18 - Power. The island runs on solar-power and has a wind generator; so no noisy generator. There is a new propane generator available to run the A/C, microwave or toaster in the main house for people that do not mind running it.

#19 - Getting around the atoll. There are 2 single-person plus 2 new double-person kayaks to cruise the atoll that surrounds the island.

#20 - Music - The island has a Bose Bluetooth speaker to play your own music from your phone. Please no streaming music, it is a bandwidth killer. :)

#21 - Sun Tan Lotion and Bug Spray. Remember, it is the tropics; the best type of suntan lotion is one of a high Block Factor, either lotion or spray type. As to bugs (i.e. sand flies), Bird Island just doesn't tend to have them, unlike the mainland or most other Cayes, but on rare dead calm, still days they ~may~ come momentarily over from other nearby islands.

#22 - Place to stay in mainland: there are many places to stay while in Placencia, most are close by where we take off from, which is in the middle of town. Today there are many choices of places stay in that are right on the Placencia beach.

#23 - General weather pattern:

January-June 15th: is considered the 'dry season'.

June 15th-July 15th: the first seasonal rains tend to occur.

July 15th-September 15th: usually is very nice weather, interrupted by the occasional 30-minute passing shower.

September 15th-October 30th: the second seasonal rains tend to occur, again passing showers.

November 1st-December 30th daily scattered thunderstorms here and there but great weather in long stretches between them.

(Please note that weather in Belize tends to be pleasant, specially at Bird Island which is in a rain shadow and inside an atoll, so its surrounding waters stay clear even if windy. Weather. needless to say, we could never guarantee, so the above is only a rough guide.

Last Note: Bird Island is always undergoing improvements each year. Two seasons ago we added new decks, a fishing dock and the new observatory overlooking the atoll, which guests have welcomed. Last year we did the new walkways and added an over-the-water, totally self-contained cabana and a new fishing dock and an enclosed swimming area with a gazebo over it. Next on the agenda is a beach in August 2019.