Hi, there. Northwest Passage guide, CP here.
Over the course of my 17+ years of guiding for The Northwest Passage I've had the great fortune of getting to routinely escape Chicago winters and guide fabulous adventures in the Caribbean.
I love leaving the slushy Chicago streets behind and peering out of an airplane window as our palm fringed destination comes into view.
As I step off the plane that first rush of warm air and the smell of the Caribbean Sea immediately stokes my excitement for a week of adventure in one of the world's most beautiful places. I also get pretty stoked for some spicy ceviche---hard to find it fresh during a Midwestern January!
While our Caribbean adventure destinations (Belize, Bahamas, and Roatan) are amazing places to visit year round, I think the winter is the absolute best time.
Not only are you avoiding scorching summer temps and the resultant tropical storm potential, you're maximizing your travel value by embarking on a revitalizing adventure when you need it most.
If you're like me, dreary winter weather can shrink your world. Even adventurous souls find themselves spending more time indoors, and only venturing out for essential errands. Recreating and exploring take the backseat for a few months, and that takes a toll on our minds and bodies.
A day or two into a wintertime adventure I realize that I'm scratching an itch I didn't even know I had. Not only is it nice to walk outside in shorts and a t-shirt, but actively engaging with a beautiful location and culture can be a much needed restorative force. With every passing day I feel like I have more energy and that any stresses I have back home now seem entirely manageable. It's like looking at the world through a different lens. And that revitalized feeling lasts for weeks and weeks after I return home.
So What Kind of Adventure Are We Talking About?
At The Northwest Passage, our specialty is guiding off the beaten path, self powered, active adventures in a small group setting. In the Caribbean that means kayaking beautiful waterways, snorkeling reefs, and hiking coastal trails. Scroll on for some of my personal favorite highlights of each adventure.
Snorkeling traffic jam: On the first full day of the tiny, tropical islet hopping adventure, we motor out to a protected marine park where sea turtles, rays, and docile nurse sharks congregate in the shallows. The wildlife observation is out of this world! You don't even have to swim if you don't want to because incredible creatures are gliding all around you. It can almost feel like an aquatic traffic jam! Such an amazing experience to be literally face to face with a sea turtle in bright, shallow water.
Sunrises and sets just outside your tent doorstep: This camping adventure (book ended by hotel stays in Placencia) immerses you in sublimely beautiful Caribbean colors. I drink a lot of coffee to get me going in the mornings at home, but I'm 100% alert at the first sign of light in Belize. Because I know a few steps from my tent into the sandy shallows will afford me the most amazing sunrise view. It's the perfect appetizer to a hot breakfast and day of kayaking.
Gliding from caye to caye: The tiny islands off the coast of Belize are called cayes ("keys"). They're where we camp and take our rest breaks throughout the day. It's mesmerizing to hop from one to the next while slicing through crystal clear waters.
Keep your eyes out for dolphins and sea turtles! It doesn't get much better than gliding up to a manicured, tropical island with a hearty appetite from kayaking. Capping off the day with a sunset cocktail, delicious dinner, and a bonfire under the stars is just icing on the cake.
Circumnavigating Roatan--Honduras' Largest Bay Island
Paddling in the East End region of Roatan is a total treat: Here you find minimal development, and densely forested bluffs swooping down to the sandy shoreline. It's a contrast to the more developed but still stunningly beautiful West End. Out east you glide through mangrove tunnels and emerge into untouched bays. It's about as idyllic as it gets, and really helps you appreciate the entirety of this magnificent island, not just well trod areas.
Paddling through the island on a hidden passageway: My favorite kayaking section of the adventure is the day we paddle from one side of the island to the other on a teeny tiny mangrove cut that's barely wider than our kayaks. It's such a fun experience to go from a beautiful, remote bay, then tuck underneath a dense forest canopy, navigate an aquatic maze, and then reemerge in another stunningly beautiful, pristine bay. It ticks all the trademark Northwest Passage boxes. Exciting. Engaging. Off the beaten path.
Snorkeling the Mesoamerican Reef:
Like the Belizean Cayes, Roatan lies along the second largest barrier reef in the world. My favorite snorkeling site has two main attractions. Close to the surface there's a sandy platform atop an underwater ledge where you find huge starfish. Bright red, Frisbee-sized and larger whoppers are strewn all over. After getting a good look at these vibrantly colored creatures I head to the edge of ledge where the sea floor drops off into the deeps. This coral ledge is home to a huge amount of sea life from big angelfish to groupers to spiny lobsters and eels. It's like snorkeling in an aquarium!
Prettiest water I've ever seen: Before visiting Exuma for the first time I read that well traveled sailors routinely rank the Caribbean Sea surrounding Great Exuma and its hundreds of cays as the most beautiful waterway they've encountered. Now, having led many kayaking adventures there, I wholeheartedly concur. The near shore waters tend to be very shallow, and the sea floor is composed mostly of pale, silky sand. This combination saturates the shallows with eye popping tones of bright teal and turquoise. As the depth increases, the colors deepen into shades of sapphire and cobalt. Everyday is an immersion in a color spectrum dream world.
Exploring Stocking Island: I always look forward to visiting Stocking Island on our hotel-based Bahamas Kayak Adventure. Stocking is a long, skinny island just offshore of Great Exuma. Most people visit Stocking Island to grab lunch or dinner at the unforgettable Chat n' Chill grill, but never venture any further. Stocking has incredible, totally empty beaches, and some great trails offering panoramic views of the shallow Elizabeth Harbor to the southwest and the deep blue sea to the north. Stocking Island serves as a reminder that when you expend a couple more ounces of effort than the typical traveler, you're repaid in pounds of rewards.
Claim your own paradise island: The Exumas are an enormous archipelago. There's over 350
islands in the chain, and most of them are perfectly inviting and totally uninhabited. On our Bahamas Kayak Camping Adventure we hop from one paradise to the next, and camp under the stars each night. It's a veritable wilderness. You might go days and days without even seeing a passing boat. I can't put into words how refreshed and restored I feel after five days of kayaking and snorkeling in paradise. It feels part adventure, part wilderness retreat to me. I'm always so grateful for the opportunity to soak up this special place.
Cultural Connections
For me, adventure travel is not just about participating in outdoor sports while visiting a beautiful destination. It's also an avenue to gaining a better impression of and appreciation for the local people and history. On our adventures you get off the beaten path and explore well beyond the typical traveler.
More times than not, the most memorable highlights occur in locations that are not marketed as destinations to the average vacationer. These places are long on character but have little to no tourist infrastructure (e.g. large ferry / cruise ship docks, tour buses, gaudy resorts and restaurants, etc.).
Over the course of many years of traveling by foot and kayak, I've found that our local hosts are more inspired to share cultural experiences with people who are traveling as adventurers. Regardless of who you're talking to, it's a conversation starter to be traveling by kayak. And for locals, it shows that you're interested in getting to know their home on a deeper level than just checking into a resort that's entirely insulated from the culture.
In Roatan, I love kayaking into the less developed East End region on the north coast and Oak Ridge on the south coast. As I'm paddling my kayak along, I always meet some local guys out fishing or repairing traps from their dugout canoes.
In Punta Gorda, the oldest community on the island and an ancestral home to the Garifuna people, I love to sample their local dishes and try not embarrass myself too much during a traditional dance lesson.
It's a trip to paddle through Oak Ridge and chat with lifelong inhabitants in the "Venice of Roatan," where a car isn't worth much, but a tiny boat is your key to the city. The locals are quick with a joke and a smile, and have a innate understanding of navigating the sea in the rough conditions. They can seemingly zip their little skiffs in and out of reef channels with their eyes closed.
On our island hopping adventure in the Belizean Cayes, it's such a treat to have local guides drive our support motorboat and lead our snorkeling sessions. They've traveled the local waterways their whole lives and have so much to share on local history, the flora and fauna, and personal stories about growing up and raising families where we adventure.
They're also amazing fishermen and cooks! Getting to share meals with them three times a day is such an enrichment to an already unforgettable journey.
In Exuma, Bahamas, my icebreaker question to every local is either about their favorite place to fish, or about their experience of the failed Fyre Fest---the colossally mismanaged and aborted music festival that was meant to take place on Exuma.
Either way you're going to get a rich answer. Exuma has a long and proud seafaring history. A fishing question has sparked childhood stories, can't miss kayaking destinations, and even secret recipes. It's a great way to start a meaningful conversation with a lifelong resident of Exuma.
On the Fyre Fest side of things, everyone has a story. And their retelling illustrates their resilience and community spirit. After the fest was hastily aborted, hundreds upon hundreds of local workers were left in the lurch---unpaid wages / invoices, and island infrastructure was stretched beyond the limit. I always find it fascinating to get the local perspective, because I'm shocked at how little bitterness is expressed, when A LOT would be warranted. The answers typically focus on the collective efforts of the affected communities to get back to baseline.
My favorite place to chat is at the Fish Fry where locals and travelers mingle amongst a village of tiny eateries and the occasional musical performance. It's the absolute place to be for great food and making new friends.
Next Steps
If you made it this far, a wintertime Caribbean adventure must resonating with you. You can find more information about each adventure on our Caribbean Collection.
All of our Caribbean adventures are suitable people with no prior kayaking or snorkeling experience. The same goes for the camping adventures. You don't need to have camped before. Our great guides will make sure you thrive.
It's often most helpful to correspond directly with a guide. You can leave us a message or schedule a call on our Contact page, email info@nwpassage.com, or call our office at +1-847-256-4409.
I hope to join you on an adventure of a lifetime!