we've made the trip to the rio several times from
florida and many times from
belize where we lived aboard for a yr. assuming you leave from florida, i'd recommend the following:
get fraya rousher's cruising guide as a 1st step..it's quite accurate and has alot of good info (caulder's guide is o.k. too)..reading this will really get your juices going and will prepare you for the trip. we
head to isla mujeres mex. from either
key west or the
dry tortugas. we travel at 7 kts. and the trip is about 40 hrs. or so. once in isla we tie up at marina pariaso and have them do the paperwork. isla is also a funky place to hang out and recharge after the trip down. leaving isla we go to hut point the 1st day and go in thru the reef to the anchorage. it's a comfy spot since the reef breaks any waves (try to stay away from the little resort there because they do like to run around in their speedboats).. from there go to puerto aventuras and tie up---it's not expensive like many
guidebooks say--. we like to travel close to the reef on the way down in about 50 ft of
water and a few hundred yds off the reef to pick up a slight countercurrent (otherwise , further out, you'll be going into a 2
knot north current)...after puert aventuras we go to the 1st big bay and
anchor (can't remember the names now) then to the 2nd bay. the next stop for us is banco chinchorro (a very pretty attol---nice anchorage) then finally checking out of xcalac near the
belize border.
if you want to go straight down to belize from isla it'll take awhile due to distance and
current...we always recommend the slow route---lots to see and do on the way down..you'll check into belize at san pedro on ambergris cay and explore the cays on the way south..you'll want to check out of the country either at placencia (big creek) or punta gorda
after arriving at livingston in the rio dulce you'll want to contact raul so he can handle all the paperwork. good idea to arrive there early and keep someone aboard for
security reasons and get up the rio into a safe anchorage by nightfall (texan bay would be a good spot)..the rio is one of the most magnificent rivers in the world and is a real treat.
i'd suggest looking at riodulcechisme.com for great info about the river,
security and just stuff...i'm jealous of you're going there and know you'll love the trip and especially th river..by the way, if you're going in the summer, best to have a reservation at one of the many
marinas since they fill up fast.. have fun/be safe