Worth getting out of bed for
Highlights the best Belize has to offer, from art and culture to fun-packed activities; we've even found the most inspiring place to enjoy the views from.
- Viewpoint
- Climb Caana, the tallest temple structure in Belize, at Caracol. Buried deep in the Chiquibul Forest, is one of the most impressive Mayan sites in the country – look out for howler monkeys and colourful exotic birds in the trees above.
- Arts and culture
- The Mayans left their mark on Belize, and there are some awe-inducing sites ,from the sacrificial altars, capstones decorated with hieroglyphics and carved ball courts uncovered from the jungles of Caracol, to the pyramid temples and stucco friezes of Xunantunich. Contrast Cahal Pech, a small site on the Macal river with many buildings condensed into a unfeasibly modest area, or venture into Guatemala to take on the mammoth Tikal, capital of a vast Mayan empire and one of the greatest cities in the world during its heyday in 700AD.
- Something for nothing
- Belize is a bird-watcher’s paradise. With 300 square miles of unspoilt woodland to perch in, the Mountain Pine Ridge Forest Reserve attracts more than 500 species of feathered flutterer. Look out for keel-billed toucans (the national birds), orange-breasted falcons or rare king vultures. If the birds prove too flighty, there’s also brilliant butterflies and colourful bromeliads to feast your eyes on.
- Shopping
- Saturday’s popular open-air market in San Ignacio is ideal for stocking up on pepper sauce, local honeys and jam. Find skin-softening, natural glycerin soap and colourful embroidered huipiles textiles at Caesar’s Place (Western Highway, mile 60) that make great gifts and souvenirs. In Placencia, you can collect wooden handicrafts such as the distinctive ziricote animal masks, jaguar sculptures and coconut mermaids from little stalls along the sandy sidewalk. Ambergris Caye is the proud motherland of ‘Pantyripper’, an ominously named blend of pineapple juice and coconut liqueur – you can pick up a bottle at the Rum, Cigar and Coffee House on Pescador Drive (+501 226 2020). Try DandE’s on the same street for frozen custard on the hoof.
- Daytripper
- Tikal – one of the most astonishing sets of Mayan ruins in Central America – is a few miles into Guatemala from the border in northern Belize. The trip is as much worth it for the jungle trek to get there as it is for the colossal temples – the moment when you fist see the temple-tops towering over the mist-hugged forest canopy is unforgettable. You can organise trips from Belize City or San Ignacio – see www.tikalpark.com for details.
- Best beach
- Both San Pedro and Placencia have white-sand beaches and clear blue Caribbean seas galore, but for the most unspoilt coastal frolic, boat out to the Turneffe Islands for desert-island bliss.
- Perfect Picnic
- Take a packed lunch and head off to wallow in the natural granite waterhole of Rio on Pools in the Mountain Pine Ridge Forest Reserve. On the way back, pop into the Green Hills Butterfly Ranch, to admire some of striking specimens bred here.
- Walks
- Take a subterranean trek through the Chiquibul cave system, with 25 miles of caverns and tunnels, it’s the largest in Central America. If clambering over boulders and circumnavigating rock pools sounds too strenuous but you still have a taste for underground adventure, take a guided canoe trip into Barton Creek Cave – the dramatic stalactite-moulded interior was originally used as a sacrificial site and connection to the spirit world. Trips can be organised through Blancaneaux Lodge.
- Activities
- Belize has the second largest reef in the world, and the diving here is spectacular. Take a two-hour boat ride from San Pedro and dive the Blue Hole, a collapsed underwater limestone cave with an unbeatable view down to its unfathomable depths. Experienced divers can drop below the rim at 40 metres to explore the eerie stalactites and glimpse Caribbean reef sharks. Snorkel or scuba with Amigos del Mar (www.amigosdive.com; +501 226 2706), one of the most respected dive schools in San Pedro, or try your hand at catching a tricksy bonefish or glimmering tarpon in the shallow waters of the reef. The Tides Dive Shop, opposite Turtle Inn, can arrange for you to swim with whale sharks (+501 523 3244).
Diary
February/March The whole of Belize celebrates Carnival, but nowhere throws its heart into the festivity quite like San Pedro. Elaborately costumed parades cross the city, and people celebrate by covering each other in coloured powder and lipstick. 9 March Baron Bliss Day: an original commemoration of one of Belize’s most philanthropic residents. . There are celebrations throughout the country, including a harbour regatta outside the Baron Bliss lighthouse in Belize City. The lighthouse forms the baron's tomb, erected in memory of his love of the sea. March/April Easter Fair in San Ignacio is a family-focused festival, with musical, games and sporting events. August Deer Dance Day in San Antonio is a fascinating hybrid of Christian and ancient Mayan culture, involving ritualistic dance, a staged ‘deer hunt’ and greased pole climbing. 21 September Independence Day is marked with cultural, religious and sporting events nationwide. A beauty pageant crowns Miss San Pedro. 12 October Pan-American Day or Columbus Day celebrates mestizo (Spanish/Mayan) culture with nationwide races, fiestas, regattas and beauty contests.
