Tagging crocodiles, cave-tubing, scuba diving, deep-sea fishing, bird-watching, and exploring Mayan ruins are only the beginning on a list of activities available in Belize, a small country that packs world-class adventure into a nation the size of Massachusetts.
Located on the Yucatan Peninsula, between Mexico and Guatemala, Belize offers a relatively easy Central American adventure. North Americans and Europeans find Belize easy to travel in because it has reasonably good roads and a convenient schedule of short-hop intra-country flights. It's also largely English speaking, and the American dollar is widely accepted. Food and water safety are also better than they are in many adjoining countries.
Belize is not a place for mass-market tourism, giant luxury hotels, or big all-inclusive hotels. Instead, the largest hotels in the country have perhaps 30 rooms. Many are owned by individuals, families, or small groups of partners, and many offer programs and activities that highlight the country's natural resources.
Belize City is the country's biggest city, and the site of Belize's Phliip Goldson International Airport, where most visitors arrive. From Belize City, most travelers immediately depart to their destinations, either by puddle-jumping planes, ferries, or private charter tour buses. Interestingly, while Belize City is the center of commerce, it is not the capital, which lies inland, in the much smaller but more central city of Belmopan.
Belize Ocean Sports Include Scuba, Snorkeling, Fishing
Ocean sports such as deep-sea fishing and reef fishing, scuba diving, and snorkeling are among Belize's biggest draws because of the meso-American Barrier Reef. Ambergris Caye, an island in the north of the country, is a short plane hop from Belize City, and is one of the most popular destinations, drawing some 50 percent of Belize's tourists.
Divers and fishermen can explore the waters around the barrier reef, which here lies only a few hundred yards off shore. The Blue Hole, made famous by Jacques Cousteau, is one of Belize's most famous diving sites, and is accessible via a day-trip from Ambergris Caye. Just off the Ambergris Caye itself are Bacalar Chico Marine Reserve and Hol Chan Marine Reserve, which contains famous Shark-Ray Alley.
Other towns along the coast that offer ocean sports include Placencia, Dangriga, and, in the far south, unspoiled, laid-back Punta Gorda, where the Port Honduras Marine Reserve offers yet more opportunities for fishing, snorkeling, and diving.
Belize Eco-Tourism Includes Cave Tubing, Birdwatching
Belize eco-resorts range from thatched-roof jungle lodges to eco-luxury retreats, complete with spas, fine restaurants, and sophisticated wine cellars. Activities include horseback riding, canoeing, cave-tubing, and birdwatching (a signature activity in Belize; in a single trip, a birder might well see more than 200 species, including the toucan, Belize's national bird). But even at an upscale retreat, there may be a surprise lurking around the corner. A few of the more interesting and unique offerings from Belize's eco-lodges include:
- At San Igancio Resort Hotel (where England's Queen Elizabeth once stayed), there is a spa, but there's also a medicinal nature trail where adventurous visitors can find out for themselves what a termite tastes like (it tastes like carrots) and a iguana protection project, where guests can see and handle the local green iguanas, ranging in size from six-inch babies to yard-long miniature monsters.
- Near San Igancio, DuPlooy's Jungle Lodge, whose grounds include a 45-acre botanical garden containing native and exotic plants.
- Also near San Ignacio, the Lodge at Chaa Creek, contains a Butterfly Breeeding center, a Natural History center, and a 340-acre nature reserve on which to hike and ride horses.
- Near Lamanai Mayan Ruins on the New River, Lamanai Outpost Lodge offer guests a choice of activities ranging from hiking to the nearby Mayan ruins, birdwatching at dawn, or taking a middle-of-the-night airboat cruise to assist in a scientific study involving tagging endangered crocodiles.
- Hotels in and near Punta Gorda offer tours of sustainable cacao plantations, where visitors learn how chocolate is made and visit with local Mayan families.
Mayan Ruins in Belize
Mayan ruins of pyramids and lost cities are dotted throughout the Yucatan Peninsula, including sites in Mexico, Guatemala, and Belize. The Belize government has identified more than 600 Mayan sites, excavated and unexcavated, and sites are found all over the country. Some include multiple pyramids, plazas, temples, royal ball courts, royal tombs, all in various stages of being reclaimed from the jungle, and being reclaimed by the jungle. One notable feature is that at some of the more remote sites, a single party of visitors may have the entire site for themselves, save for the occasional archaeologist.
Belize's combination of historic sites and outdoor adventure, coupled with guided trips that explain every aspect of the country's ecology and natural history, make this an excellent destination for adventure travelers, and an especially good choice for adventurous families and groups wanting different levels and types of experiences.
For more on Belize travel, please see Belize Travel Resources.
Karen Berger - Karen Berger is the author of 15 books. Please click on her name to read her full bio.
