Is it advisable to book tours in advance for off-season travel?

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dancing_sweetpea
dancing_sweetpea

My partner and I will be in Belize for 12 days the last week of Oct/first week of Nov. We'll be arriving in San Ignacio on a Saturday night and plan to do a few tours from there—cave tubing, an overnight to Tikal, and maybe ATM cave.

I'm assuming it's fine to wait to book tours once we arrive in San Ignacio. I'm hoping we can make arrangements on Sunday for going on a tour Monday morning.

But given it will be late October, will tour guides/companies will be open on a Sunday for us to make arrangements for a Monday tour? Or will we likely have to wait until Monday to schedule a tour for Tuesday? If so, is it advisable to pre-book a tour before we leave the US?

Thanks in advance for any info or advice you can offer.

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misterbee
misterbee

Yes, it should be OK to book tours after you arrive in San Ignacio. I don't know if any tour companies will be open on Sunday, but some have websites where you might find office hours or contact details so you can contact them directly. Pacz is one tour company with a good reputation.

The Cayo Welcome Centre (for tourist information) might be open on Sunday.

You might also want to check the schedules of cruise ships -- some tourist destinations are very busy on days when cruise ships arrive.

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dancing_sweetpea
dancing_sweetpea
In response to #1

Thanks Mr. B. None of the tour guides websites have hours listed. I asked here because I wanted to get non-biased info & opinions (the tour guides will of course tell you to book now). I guess I'll just email a few tour guides individually and ask about their hours.

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hopefulist
hopefulist

Just a note about the ATM cave. We booked well in advance for our visit 5 years ago and were able to be the 1st group to enter the cave - very special. Here's a cruise ship link (but I don't think it applies to the ATM).
http://ports.cruisett.com/schedule/Belize/62-Belize_City/October_2014/

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dancing_sweetpea
dancing_sweetpea
In response to #3

Thanks so much for the cruise ship link Hopefulist! I was wondering where to find that info.

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misterbee
misterbee

You can find three links to cruise ship schedules on the BelizeBus site -- scroll down to the bottom of Section 4.

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mrmoto
mrmoto

Usually in Central America, your lodging can arrange your activities, excursions and tours with a days notice. But, I have not been to Belize, but it held true in everywhere else, even in HIGH season, other than planes, seats can be scarce...

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mrmoto
mrmoto

Usually in Central America, your lodging can arrange your activities, excursions and tours with a days notice. But, I have not been to Belize, but it held true in everywhere else, even in HIGH season, other than small planes, seats can be scarce...

Adventure Travel to Colombia, Costa Rica, Nicaragua, Honduras, Guatemala, Mexico, Thailand, Burma, Laos, Cambodia, Vietnam, China, South Africa, Morocco, Turkey, EU, USA National Parks, enjoying culture, cuisine, motorcycling, scuba diving, surfing, sailing, rafting, hiking, fishing, camping, nature, wildlife. Get a Guidebook, and get lost!
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greggo
greggo

Well, They all want your business. Generally it is best to book in person a day or two before. Even the operators don't know what is up until then.

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dancing_sweetpea
dancing_sweetpea

FYI, I contacted a handful of tour guides asking the price of 2 specific tours and whether they'll be available the Sunday I arrive to make arrangements. All replied with detailed info about their tours which they suggested I book now and did NOT answer my Sunday question (doh!), except one—River Rat Expeditions. River Rat suggested waiting until I'm there to finalize plans since rain in can sometimes prevent tours in October. I really appreciated their honesty.

Thanks again to everyone who responded to this thread!

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