TRAVEL TO BELIZE WITH the perfect 12-day guide to experience THE COUNTRY’S landscape hotels and natural wonders.
Keep reading to see the detailed itinerary.
Belize is a small but naturally diverse country in Central America, with landscapes ranging from the Maya Mountains (rising up to 3,600 feet), jungles, mangroves, and caves to waterfalls, rivers, beaches, islands (known as cayes), and the Caribbean Sea. Home to the world’s second-largest living coral reef, more than 600 ancient Maya sites, and endlessly distinctive ecosystems, Belize is one of the most sustainable countries today, with 40% of its mass protected as parks or preserves.
“Simply by visiting, you will be contributing to Belize’s blue economy and its naturally sustainable way of life.”
DAY 1-4: Ambergris Caye
Location: Eastern Belize
Landscape: Island, beach, sea.
Discovery: Great Blue Hole, Lighthouse Reef Atoll, Half Moon Caye, Hol Chan Marine Reserve, Shark Ray Alley, Caye Caulker, The Split Beach, Secret Beach.
Types: Divers. Snorkelers. Lovers of the sea. Sun worshippers.
Hotel: Matachica Resort
“You are here to explore the rich underwater life of Hol Chan Marine Reserve and the 125m-deep Great Blue Hole.”
Great Blue Hole via Tropic Air
Ambergris Caye is Belize’s largest island, known for its scuba diving and white sand Caribbean beaches. You are here to explore the rich underwater life of Hol Chan Marine Reserve and the 125-m-deep Great Blue Hole, all part of the Belize Barrier Reef. The Blue Hole Natural Monument, a UNESCO World Heritage site, is located near the center of the Lighthouse Reef Atoll and has been called one of the top 10 dive sites in the world by French explorer Jacques-Yves Cousteau. The beautiful submarine sinkhole can be experienced by a dive-boat trip or by a scenic flight with Tropic Air.
Visit the white-sand Secret Beach. Eat locally-sourced seafood at Elvi’s Kitchen. Learn about the indigenous Garifuna culture at the Black and White Garifuna Restaurant. Have a traditional Belizean meal with everything cooked over an open fire at El Fogon.
The Split, Caye Caulker
Take a day trip to Caye Caulker, a small car-free island south of Ambergris Caye. See the picturesque Split - a narrow channel that divides the island in two.
DAY 4-7: Cayo
Location: Western Belize
Landscape: Rainforest, cave, river.
Discovery: Ancient Maya Site of Xunantunich, Caracol, Actun Tunichil Muknal (ATM) Cave, Mountain Pine Ridge Forest Reserve.
Types: Bird and wildlife enthusiasts. Lovers of ancient history. Adventurers.
Hotels: The Lodge at Chaa Creek, Blancaneaux Lodge, Hidden Valley Inn and Reserve, Chan Chich Lodge
Big Rock Falls
“More than 40% of Belize’s non-marine mammals and almost 50% of the bird species population make their home in the Mountain Pine Ridge Forest Reserve, including the near-threatened Puma and Jaguar.”
TChan Cheech Lodge
Discover the rich flora and fauna of the surrounding Mountain Pine Ridge, protected under the International Union for Conservation of Nature. The terrain includes steep ravines, five major waterfalls, jungle, pine, and rainforest — all teeming with life. More than 40% of Belize’s non-marine mammals and almost 50% of the bird population make their home here, including the near-threatened puma and jaguar.
Visit Caracol, the largest of the Maya sites found in Belize today, deep in the Chiquibul Wilderness. See the famous Xunantunich, the second tallest temple in Belize. Take a cave tour of Actun Tunichil Muknal, an ancient Maya ceremonial cave. Canoe through the Macal River while exploring wildlife and local villages. See the rainforest canopy from above with a zipline tour.
Actun Tunichil Muknal
The Lodge at Chaa Creek is set within a 400-acre nature reserve, which includes a Maya organic farm, The Blue Morpho Butterfly Farm, horse stables, and a Natural History Centre. The retreat offers a range of exciting and educational activities and miles of lush, well-maintained trails, perfect for horseback riding and hiking.
The Lodge at Chaa Creek
Hidden Valley Inn and Reserve provides exclusive access to over 90 miles of private hiking and mountain biking trails, as well as many secluded crystal pools and waterfalls, including the tallest waterfall in Central America.
Blancaneaux Lodge is a luxury jungle hideout owned by Francis and Eleanor Coppola. Located in the Mountain Pine Ridge Reserve, and surrounded by a lush rainforest, natural pools and waterfalls of the Privassion Creek, the lodge is a quintessential Belize experience.
Blancaneaux Lodge
DAY 7-9: Central Belize
Location: Central Belize
Landscape: Beach, sea, reef, jungle.
Discovery: Belize Barrier Reef, The Cockscomb Basin Wildlife Sanctuary, Mayflower Bocawina National Park.
Types: Bird and wildlife enthusiasts. Snorkelers. Shark lovers.
Hotel: Hamanasi Adventure & Dive Resort
“The small country boasts the Western Hemisphere’s longest continuous barrier reef, with 185 miles of coral formations and a large variety of marine life. ”
Glover's Reef Atoll
You are here to discover the Belize Barrier Reef. The small country boasts the Western Hemisphere's longest continuous barrier reef, with 185 miles of coral formations and a large variety of marine life. The Southern Barrier Reef offers several different snorkeling sites, including South Water Caye Marine Reserve, the largest marine reserve in the country. The dive sites include Jason's Wall, Elsie's Aquarium, Carrie Bow, South Water Wall, Trick Ridge, Hell Hole, and The Abyss with stops by deserted coral isles, such as South Water Caye along the way.
Take a land excursion to the Cockscomb Basin Wildlife Sanctuary, where you can observe the elusive jaguar in its natural habitat. Hike through the lush Mayflower Bocawina National Park, known for rainforest biodiversity, and the beautiful Antelope Falls.
Coral Caye
DAY 9-12: Placencia
Location: Southern Belize
Landscape: Island, beach, reef.
Discovery: Silk Cayes, Glover's Reef Atoll, Laughing Bird Caye.
Types: Island lovers. Slow travelers. Snorkel enthusiasts.
Hotels: Turtle Inn (and Coral Caye), Itz'ana Belize Resort & Residences.
“Belize is known for its many remote islands, or “cayes”. ”
Placencia, meaning “a pleasant place,” is located on a peninsula in southern Belize, the longest stretch of beach in the country. The laidback Caribbean town offers a close access point to Glover's Reef Atoll, part of the Belize Barrier Reef.
Belize is known for its many remote islands, or “cayes.” Visit Laughing Bird Caye, a paradisiacal island with a bird sanctuary, a short boat ride from Placencia. Spend a night on Coral Caye, a private island experience offered by Turtle Inn. Enjoy slow life to its fullest.
Turtle Inn
Itz'ana Belize Resort & Residences
ADDITIONAL EXPERIENCES
Turneffe Flats
Turneffe Flats
Founded in 1981, Turneffe Flats has long been recognized as Belize's premier saltwater fly fishing, scuba diving, and marine eco-tourism destination. Located on the beautiful Turneffe Atoll in the Caribbean, the remote eco-resort sits on a picturesque white sand beach, surrounded by coconut palms, with an expansive bonefish flat right outside your door and a vibrant coral reef only a stone's throw away.
The Atoll is the largest of only four coral atolls in the Western Hemisphere and is best known for its variety of saltwater fishing, with the opportunity to land bonefish, permit, and tarpon.
Lamanai Archaeological Reserve + Altun Ha
Visit Lamanai Archaeological Reserve, meaning "submerged crocodile,” one of the largest and most remote Maya sites in Belize, surrounded by a dense jungle and a lagoon.
See Altun Ha, one of Belize's best excavated and easiest to visit archeological sites, just an hour north of Belize City.
When to visit
Visit in May for the annual chocolate festival. June is the beginning of the lobster season, and the country holds a two-week-long festival in San Pedro, Caye Caulker, and Placencia. La Costa Maya International - Belize’s largest festival celebrating the cultures of the Mundo Maya region (Belize, Mexico, Guatemala, Honduras, Costa Rica, and Nicaragua). The dry season is between January and May.
Sustainable tips
Dive with locally owned PADI-certified dive shops.
Wear reef-safe sunscreen.
Don’t touch the reef or get too close to the fish.
Look for the Eat Right Fish Right symbol in restaurants to support sustainably sourced seafood.
