Passports with Purpose: Win a holiday to Tranquility Bay in Belize

Win a holiday to Tranquility Bay to one of Belize’s Caribbean islands and help build a school in Cambodia.

I’m delighted to bring you news of another fantastic raffle prize for the Passports with Purpose fundraiser. This time it’s an accommodation package for beautiful Tranquility Bay in Belize and involves a personal favourite of mine – sea kayaking.

We are fundraising to build a school in rural Cambodia with American Assistance for Cambodia / Japan Relief for Cambodia. You can participate by buying raffle tickets for $US10 each and you get to choose your prize draws! New prizes are being added all the time, so please check it out on the Passports with Purpose site.

Now let me tell you about the prize…

Where: Tranquility Bay Resort, Ambergris Caye, Belize

What: Three nights in a beachfront cabana (one bedroom, one bathroom). Includes unlimited use of kayak equipment.

When: Prize valid from June 1, 2010 to December 1, 2010 (with black out dates). and includes unlimited use of kayak equipment.

Value: $US555.

I have been hearing so much about Belize lately – it seems to be a real rising star in the travel world. I am keen to visit myself!

While the Coconut Bay giveaway is ideal for families, this prize sounds perfect for active, independent travellers (like me!). It’s not large, which is just the way I like it, but it sounds like it has all the ingredients for a magical and relaxing holiday for one or two.

Tranquility Bay lies just inside the Belize Barrier Reef, apparently the longest unbroken living reef on earth. The resort is set on 12 acres within Bacalar National Park and Marine Reserve, a UNESCO World Heritage site. The accommodations consist of 11 beachfront cabanas and there is also a full-service restaurant and bar, quality water sports equipment and an expert staff to assist with diving, fishing and other adventure activities.

Some of the available activities* include:

• Ocean kayaks, Sunfish and Hobie Cat sailboats, windsurfing and traditional Belizean fishing and diving boats.
• Snorkelling on the reef with gorgeous tropical fish. Dolphins and manatees also frequent Tranquility Bay.
• Diving. The dive-master is PADI certified and open water certification and Discover Scuba courses are available.  Outside the reef the SCUBA diving offers colourful underwater canyons, giant sponges, sea turtles and ocean fish. There are day trips available to dive at Hol Chan National Marine Preserve, Shark-Ray Alley and the famous Blue Hole.
• Fishing. In the immediate vicinity and on extensive saltwater flats you can catch bonefish, permit, tarpon, barracuda, grouper, snapper and other species.  Off shore, sailfish, marlin, kingfish and wahoo are prized catches.
• Day-trips to the Belize mainland to see Mayan sites and nature reserves or go river rafting, zip lining, cave exploring and bird watching.
• * Not all activities are included in your free stay.

Now I don’t know much about fishing (though I like to eat fish), but I do know about kayaking and I think it’s wonderful that the kayaks are included in the prize package. If you have never tried sea-kayaking before, it is something that I highly recommend. Sea kayaks are more stable than river kayaks and easier to keep pointed in a straight line. They are often built for two. And it is just the most lovely way to explore. You have a different perspective from the water and because there is no engine, you can lift oars and glide silently, allowing for much closer wildlife encounters than you would in a motor boat. I learnt to kayak in the icy waters of the Arctic and I’m sure it would be wonderful in the tropical waters of the Caribbean.

Please head over to Passports with Purpose and buy a ticket (or five) to win this fabulous prize. It will be listed under ‘destinations’. Remember you have to specify your prize draw so any raffle tickets you have already purchased will not enter you to win the Belize holiday. You need to be in it to win it!

So far we have raised $US11,530 of the $US13,000 needed to build a school in rural Cambodia with American Assistance for Cambodia / Japan Relief for Cambodia. But don’t worry – if we raise more than $13,000, we can pay for extras like bookcases (and books), internet access and vegetable gardens. It’s all good!

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A huge thank you to Tranquility Bay Resort for this fantastic prize. Become a fan on Facebook.

Thank you also to Caitlin Murphy of travel PR firm Cheryl Andrews Marketing Communications in Miami for her assistance in procuring this prize. Follow Caitlin Murphy on Twitter at @travelprgirl.