{"id":16110,"date":"2016-04-18T12:24:41","date_gmt":"2016-04-18T02:24:41","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.intrepidtravel.com\/adventures?p=16110&preview_id=16110"},"modified":"2025-03-01T04:36:09","modified_gmt":"2025-02-28T17:36:09","slug":"central-american-belize-guide","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.intrepidtravel.com\/adventures\/central-american-belize-guide\/","title":{"rendered":"Central American gem: 6 reasons you’ve got to get to Belize"},"content":{"rendered":"

Belize<\/a> isn\u2019t big, but in terms of travel, it packs a punch. While the tourist hoards head to Mexico\u2019s Yucatan Peninsula each year and battle Playa del Carmen for the last deck chair, savvy travelers are starting to realize: Belize is better. With a foot in Central America<\/a> and at least a few toes in the Caribbean, tiny Belize combines the best of both worlds: Maya ruins shrouded by jungle, world-class diving and a spicy fusion of Belizean, Creole and Mestizo culture.<\/p>\n

And the best bit? The rest of the world still hasn\u2019t caught on. Central America\u2019s little-country-that-could is due for a tourism boom, but if you hurry, you can still beat the crowds. You better Belize it.<\/p>\n

1. The world\u2019s second largest barrier reef<\/h3>\n
\"belize-4--serge<\/a>

Image c\/o Serge Melki, Flickr<\/p><\/div>\n

Who knew, right? Belize<\/a> comes in right behind Queensland for the world\u2019s biggest and best barrier reef. With over 100 types of coral, 500 species of fish, sea turtles, underwater caves and sinkholes, it\u2019s quickly getting a rep as one of the world\u2019s premier dive sights (Jacques Cousteau was already giving Belize a big rap in 1971 \u2013 it just took the international community a little longer to catch on). Avid divers and snorkelers should head to Glover\u2019s Reef, the southernmost of Belize\u2019s three atolls \u2013 a picturesque mix of patch reefs, sand flats and drop offs.<\/p>\n

2. Wildlife spotting galore<\/h3>\n
\"belize---a-cromwell\"<\/a>

Image c\/o A Cromwell, Flickr<\/p><\/div>\n

Belize is probably best known for its coastline, but its no jungle pushover either. Head inland, away from the unspoiled strips of white sand, and you\u2019ll find a massive (by Belizean standards) stretch of national parks and wildlife sanctuaries, home to a variety of animals that rivals the cloud forests of Costa Rica or the Ecuadorian Amazon. This is something the rest of the Caribbean can\u2019t really offer \u2013 world-class wildlife spotting within an hour or two of the coast. Cutter ants, Baird\u2019s tapir (Belize\u2019s national animal), 570 species of birdlife, spider monkeys, howler monkeys, peccaries, iguanas and jaguars \u2013 Belize has them all. Don\u2019t forget those binoculars.<\/p>\n

3. Action & adventure<\/h3>\n
\"belize---vinh-tran\"<\/a>

Image c\/o Vinh Tran, Flickr<\/p><\/div>\n

Central America<\/a> doesn\u2019t usually leap to mind when people think of action-packed adventure sports. Belize probably doesn\u2019t register at all. That\u2019s probably because the smart adventure junkies have been keeping quiet for the last few years. Well, we\u2019re here to spill the beans: Belize could be Central America\u2019s adventure capital. Obviously there\u2019s top-notch diving on the various atolls off the coast, but there\u2019s also river rafting in the Cayo District, zip-lining in Cayo and the southern jungles, horseback riding in the Mayflower National Park and the Cockscomb Basin Wildlife Sanctuary (our personal favourite), or, for the really adventurous, waterfall rappelling near the coastal town of Dangriga.<\/p>\n

4. A spicy culture mix<\/h3>\n

Belize\u2019s history has been one of conquest and colonialism, with different groups moving in and settling from all over Central America and Europe. This has lead to a really interesting cultural mix, one you won\u2019t find anywhere else in the Caribbean: Maya descendants like the Yucatec, Creoles from West Africa, the Spanish-speaking Mestizos, even German Mennonites. How does this affect travelers? The food! Belizean cuisine is what fusion is all about. There\u2019s flour tortillas and cheesy fry-jacks, hot panades<\/em> filled with beans or fish, jerk chicken, and coconut milk. Most lunches are going to be a combination of rice, beans and meat, with a side of Belizean potato salad and fried plantains. Trust us, it\u2019s delicious.<\/p>\n

5. Mayan ruins to rival Mexico<\/h3>\n

\"belize-2\"<\/a><\/p>\n

The Maya left stepped pyramids all over Central America, but Mexico<\/a> and Guatemala usually grab the headlines when it comes to spectacular ruins. Belize has managed to stay off the radar, which, as everyone knows, is travel gold. The Cayo District and Toledo\u2019s Deep South in particular are scattered with archeological sites like Caracol, a crumbling ruin deep in the forest near that Guatemalan border and once a major Maya capital. Xunantunich and Altun Ha are equally impressive, but the drive to Caracol is incredibly beautiful. It\u2019s home to 140-foot Canaa \u2013\u00a0aka the \u2018Sky Place\u2019 \u2013 the largest pyramid in Belize. Unlike Maya sites in Mexico, like Chichen Itza, Belize\u2019s ruins are largely crowd-free, especially if you travel in a shoulder month like May or December.<\/p>\n

6. Beaches to die for<\/h3>\n
\"belize-3---side78\"<\/a>

Image c\/o side78, Flickr<\/p><\/div>\n

People often think the Caribbean has an edge over Central America when it comes to beaches, but it\u2019s hard to reconcile that when you\u2019re sitting on the white sands of Ambergris Caye or Placencia. With 240 miles of coastline in its back pocket, along with uncountable islands, atolls and sand-bars, Belizean beaches can mix it with the best in the world any day. The Placencia Peninsula is the country\u2019s most popular coastal strip, and has the restaurant and bar scene to match, but for something a bit more remote, try Hopkins Village Beach or the ridiculous Half Moon Caye, a crescent-shaped strip of sand dotted with coconut palms and a protected turtle-nesting site.<\/p>\n

7. The Great Blue Hole (just Google it)<\/h3>\n
\"belize-5---belizeglobe.com\"<\/a>

Image c\/o belizeglobe.com<\/p><\/div>\n

You\u2019ve probably seen pictures of the Great Blue Hole on National Geographic or some David Attenborough documentary and thought \u2018That looks pretty cool, I wonder where it is.\u2019 Well, it\u2019s in Belize. At the center of Lighthouse Reef is a genuine natural wonder: a 1000-foot diameter sinkhole that drops 430 feet towards the ocean floor. This is the Great Blue Hole, one of the world\u2019s premier dive sites. Experienced divers will tell you that the real show is actually Lighthouse Reef itself, but a trip to the Blue Hole is sort of mandatory, if only from a Bucket List perspective. You don\u2019t have to have a scuba license to enjoy the site either \u2013 snorkelers can see hundreds of fish species around the shallow edges of the reef, and there\u2019s plenty of dive companies that run day tours from Caye Caulker or San Pedro.<\/p>\n

Now it’s your turn \u2013 explore Belize on an Intrepid small group adventure<\/a>. If you live in the UK, you can also get 10% OFF Central America<\/a> tours.<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n

Feature image c\/o dee3nah, Flickr\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n

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Central America\u2019s little-country-that-could is due for a tourism boom, but if you hurry, you can still beat the crowds. 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