Owner Catarina Schmidt enjoying lunch by The Sea on a recent trip to Hopkins Beach

Owner Operated, with Love - Our Story

Originally born in Guatemala to American parents, Catarina (also a Belizean National) divided her youth between her father’s farm in the Cayo district of Belize and her mother’s home in Antigua, Guatemala. Her family decided to move to the United States when Catarina was thirteen. After the move north, she visited Belize almost yearly. Belize always felt like home and she dreamed of returning to live there full time.

Catarina met David (who is originally from Door County, Wisconsin) on a study abroad program in Costa Rica while they were in university. David also fell in love with the Central American tropics and he and Catarina began to explore the region over the years. They spent several months traveling in Belize, exploring the country thoroughly and enjoying all of the fantastic experiences available to travelers here. They fell completely in love with Belize and vowed to return as often as possible. 

Owner David Berg Photographs our partner resorts when we pay them our yearly visits

One cold January, many years later, they escaped the Door County winter (where they had been living) and went south to marry in Guatemala and honeymoon in Belize. Their time there re-ignited their love of the region and they decided that it was time to take the plunge and move down to Belize full time - So they loaded up the truck and headed south! 

A few months later they were settled in as the managers of Pook’s Hill, an off-the-grid jungle lodge in Belize’s Cayo district owned by long-time family friends. During their 5 year tenure as the managers of Pook's Hill, they made it their mission to get to know everything about traveling and living in Belize. Working as resort managers facilitated this mission as their duties included planning, booking, and operating extensive travel itineraries throughout the country for the guests and days off were spent exploring Belize. They visited all the resorts and hotels that might appeal to their guests and personally test-drove all of the tours that they offered as well. 

Rita loves coming along to visit our partner resorts

After many years of exploring Belize and working in the tourism field, they decided to expand their love of Belize travel and created Sabrewing Travel, their boutique travel agency dedicated to sharing all that Belize has to offer with travelers from the rest of the world. 

A rainbow stretches above the Jungle covered hills at the headquarters of SabreWing Travel on the Hummingbird Highway in Belize

Their business is fully based here in Belize and operated from their home and offices nestled among the jungle clad hills of the lovely Hummingbird Highway in the heart of Belize. Catarina and David continue to explore Belize, now with the company of their daughter, Rita (who especially enjoys hiking in the jungle and swimming under waterfalls), and look forward to doing so in the years to come as the country evolves and has more to offer visitors every year. They continue to search out the most authentic adventures and unique overnight destinations and personally field-test all the best adventures and visit their partner resorts, to ensure that they know Belize to her fullest and can share that insider knowledge with you. It is a tough job – but someone has to do it! 

 

Belize is our home. We love her and know her intimately and look forward to helping you create a journey that will allow you to experience our beautiful country at its best!

 

Contact us to start planning your journey today >