Tourism Belize, visit Belize

Belize

With one foot planted in the Central American jungles and the other dipped in the Caribbean Sea, Belize blends the best of both worlds. Offshore, kayakers glide from one sandy, palm-dotted islet to another, while snorkelers swim through translucent seas, gazing at a kaleidoscope of coral, fish, dolphins and turtles. Inland, explorers investigate ruins of ancient civilizations, and birders aim their binoculars at some 570 species. Between national parks, wildlife sanctuaries and marine reserves, more than 40% of the country’s area is protected in one form or another, creating a haven for countless creatures of land, sea and sky.

Belize attracts more than 850,000 annual visitors eager to explore the mysteries of Maya sites such as Altun Ha or Lamanai, spot a toucan in the bird-watcher's paradise that is Crooked Tree Wildlife Sanctuary, snorkel the reef off Caye Caulker or the Northern Cayes, and otherwise partake of paradise. Tourism is the country’s top source of employment and investment. The irony is that it is also the country’s biggest environmental threat.

Mapa de Belice

Belize City

Belize City

A fair percentage of tourists in Belize choose to spend as little time as possible in Belize City, the country’s only major urban area. This may be explained by the fact that, on the whole, the country’s main attractions are natural and nautical, making any kind of prolonged visit to its only metropolis superfluous. But another (and equally likely) explanation is this: outside of certain spots, the city itself just isn’t a very safe place for anyone, let alone cash-and-camera toting tourist types. ‘Dodgy’ is the word many travelers use to describe Belize City, and even those who admire its raffish charms and cultural vibrancy (and, to be fair, there’s plenty of this) admit that the city – unlike the rest of the country – is anything but relaxed.

That being said, Belize City is still the historical (if no longer the actual) capital of the nation, making it an interesting place to spend a day or two for those interested in the nation’s history and culture. Its ramshackle streets are alive with colorful characters who represent every facet of Belize’s ethnic variety, especially the Creoles. The urban scenery encompasses not just malodorous canals and grungy slums, but also handsome colonial houses, seaside parks, bustling shopping areas and sailboats bobbing at the mouth of Haulover Creek. You might find Belize City menacing, but you won’t find it dull.

Altun Ha

The ruins that have inspired Belikin beer labels and Belizean banknotes, Altun Ha stands 34 miles north of central Belize City, off the Old Northern Hwy.

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Altun Ha was a rich and important Maya trading and agricultural town with a population of 8000 to 10, 000 at its peak in the Classic Period (AD 300–1000). The entire site covered some 1500 acres, but what visitors today see is the central ceremonial precinct of two plazas surrounded by temples, excavated in the 1960s and now looking squeaky clean following a stabilization and conservation program from 2000 to 2004.

Altun Ha existed by at least 200 BC, perhaps even several centuries earlier, and flourished until the mysterious collapse of Classic Maya civilization around AD 900. Most of the temples date from around AD 550 to 650, though, like many Maya temples, most of them are composed of several layers, having been built over periodically in a series of renewals.

In Plaza A, structure A-1 is sometimes called the Temple of the Green Tomb. Deep within it was discovered the tomb of a priest-king dating from around AD 600. Tropical humidity had destroyed the garments of the king and the paper of the Maya ‘painted book’ buried with him, but many riches were intact: shell necklaces, pottery, pearls, stingray spines used in bloodletting rites, ceremonial flints and the nearly 300 jade objects (mostly small beads and pendants) that gave rise to the name Green Tomb.

The largest and most important temple is the Temple of the Masonry Altars (B-4). The restored structure you see dates from the first half of the 7th century AD and takes its name from altars on which copal was burned and beautifully carved jade pieces were smashed in sacrifice. This is the Maya temple that’s likely to become most familiar during your Belizean travels, since it’s the one depicted (in somewhat stylized form) on Belikin beer labels.

Excavation of the structure in 1968 revealed several priestly tombs. Most had been destroyed or desecrated, but one, tomb B-4/7 (inside the stone structure protruding from the upper steps of the broad central staircase), contained the remains of an elderly personage accompanied by numerous jade objects, including a unique 6in-tall carved head of Kinich Ahau, the Maya sun god – the largest well-carved jade object ever recovered from a Maya archaeological site. (Look for the jade head illustration in the top left corner of Belizean banknotes.)

A path heading south from structure B-6 leads 600yd through the jungle to a broad pond that was the main reservoir of the ancient town.

Modern toilets, and drinks and souvenir stands are near the ticket office, and the site has good wheelchair access.

El gran Hoyo Azul de Belice

Lamanai

Perhaps the most fascinating Maya site in northern Belize, Lamanai
lies 24 miles south of Orange Walk Town up the New River (or 36 miles by unpaved road). The ruins are known both for their impressive architecture and marvelous setting, surrounded by dense jungle overlooking the New River Lagoon. Most visitors approach Lamanai by guided river trip from Orange Walk not just to avoid the long and bumpy road, but to take advantage of the river trip itself, which goes deep into the home of the countless colorful and unusual birds that live in the area. Most guides who do the 1½-hour river trip are experts in both archaeology and the area’s wildlife, making it an especially worthwhile experience. The river voyage passes through some of the most beautiful jungle and lagoon country in northern Belize, and the Mennonite community of Shipyard, before reaching Lamanai itself. There are a number of excellent tour guides in Orange Walk who specialize in the journey.

Crooked Tree Wildlife Sanctuary

Thirty-two miles up the Northern Hwy from Belize City lies the turnoff to the Crooked Tree Wildlife Sanctuary (CTWS; admission BZ$8). Quite possibly one of the best birding areas in Belize (perhaps even all of Central America), the sanctuary isn’t merely a park for nature enthusiasts, but a living community of about 900 folks, mostly of Creole descent, who were farming and fishing the area long before the word ‘ecotourism’ was ever coined. It is well worth a visit for anyone who loves nature or fancies experiencing a peaceful rural community with an interesting history and a beautiful setting. It’s best to stay the night so you can be here at dawn, when the birds are most active. The village has several midrange and budget accommodations. Don’t forget your binoculars – though if you do local guides should be able to lend you a pair.

The story goes that Crooked Tree village got its name from early logwood cutters who boated up Belize River and Black Creek to a giant lagoon marked by a tree that seemingly grew in every direction. These ‘crooked trees’ (cashew trees, in fact) still grow in abundance around the lagoon. Founded in the early 18th century, Crooked Tree may be the oldest village in Belize. Until the 3½-mile causeway from the Northern Hwy was built in 1984, the only way to get here was by boat, so it’s no wonder life still maintains the slow rhythm of bygone centuries.

Migrating birds flock to the lagoons, rivers and swamps each year between December and May. The best bird-watching months are usually February to May, when many migrants stop over on their way north, and the low level of the lagoon draws thousands of birds into the open to seek food in the shallows.

Bird-watchers are in for hours of ornithological bliss. Boat-billed, chestnut-bellied and bare-throated tiger herons, Muscovy and black-bellied whistling ducks, snail kites, ospreys, black-collared hawks and all of Belize’s five species of kingfisher are among the 286 species recorded here. Jabiru storks, the largest flying bird in the Americas, with wingspans of up to 12ft, congregate here in April and May and a few pairs nest in the sanctuary in the preceding months.

The CTWS visitors center (8am-4:30pm), with good displays and a range of books and information materials for sale, stands at the entrance to the village, just off the causeway. It’s here that you’ll be asked to pay your admission fee. The helpful, knowledgeable staff will give you a village and trail map and answer questions on anything to do with visiting the sanctuary, including information on expert local bird guides.

The obvious reference point in the village is the ‘Welcome to Crooked Tree’ sign, at a junction 300yd past the visitors center as you enter the village from the causeway.

A series of reasonably well-signposted walking trails weave along the lakeshores and through and beyond the village. About 3 miles north of the village center are an excellent 700yd boardwalk and an observation tower, allowing access to swampy areas of thick, low vegetation around the lagoon’s edge. From December or January to May you can reach the boardwalk by driving and walking; the rest of the year you’ll need a boat to reach it.

Xunantunich, Belice

Northern Cayes

Daydream a little. Conjure up an image of your ultimate tropical island fantasy – the postcard ‘paradise’ that you always dreamed about. With over a hundred enticing isles and two amazing atolls, chances are that one of the northern cayes can bring your fantasy to life. If you imagined stringing up a hammock on an otherwise deserted beach, there is an outer atoll with your name on it. Pining to be pampered? You have your choice of an ever-growing glut of ritzy resorts on Ambergris Caye. San Pedro is prime for sipping cocktails and dancing the night away to a reggae beat; Caye Caulker moves at a slower pace, exuding a friendly village vibe.

But this is only the beginning. The richest resource of the northern cayes lies below the surface of the sea. Only a few miles offshore, the barrier reef runs for 80 miles, nearly uninterrupted. For snorkelers and divers, Belize offers unparalleled opportunities to explore caves, canyons and coral gardens, to come face to face with nurse sharks and stingrays in their natural habitat, and to swim with schools of fish, painted every color of the palette. Much of the reef is protected by various marine sanctuaries, ensuring the continued vibrancy of this underwater world.

You might be shocked by prices in the northern cayes (especially Ambergris), which are noticeably higher than the rest of Belize. But it’s not outrageously expensive compared with other destinations in the Caribbean. Anyway, that’s the price you pay for paradise.

Caye Caulker

No Shirt, No Shoes...No Problem. You’ll see this sign everywhere in Belize, but no place is it more apt than Caye Caulker. Indeed nothing seems to be a problem on this tiny island, where mangy dogs nap in the middle of the dirt road and suntanned cyclists pedal around them. The only traffic sign on the island instructs golf carts and bicycles to ‘go slow, ’ a directive that is taken seriously.

The one thousand or so residents have traditionally made their living from the sea, specifically from the spiny lobsters and red snapper that inhabit its warm waters. It has also long been a budget travelers’ mecca, part of a classic backpacker route from Tulum, Mexico to Tikal and Antigua, Guatemala. In recent years, the economy has been shifting, as tourists of all ages and incomes are beginning to appreciate the island’s unique atmosphere. On Caye Caulker, there are no cars, no fumes and no hassles, just white sandy beaches, balmy breezes, fresh seafood, azure waters and a fantastic barrier reef at its doorstep.

Caye Caulker offers fewer amenities than Ambergris, but that is part of the charm of this place. All the residents know each other and it won’t take long before they know you, too.

The easygoing attitude is due in part to the thriving Rastafarian culture on the Caye, which pulses to a reggae beat. If it’s not Bob Marley blaring from a boom box on the beach, it’s the latest in punta rock. Drumming groups gather on the beach and at local bars to get their Afro-Caribbean groove on. They play for themselves, but anybody is welcome to gather around and soak up the good vibes.

The island is an ideal base for snorkeling and diving adventures at the nearby reef. The northern part of the island – a tempting destination for kayakers – is mostly mangroves, which are home to an amazing variety of birdlife. Other than that, all visitors should be sure to schedule in plenty of time for swinging on a hammock and enjoying the breeze (which is indeed a legitimate activity on Caye Caulker).