Things to Know Before Traveling to Belize (2024 Guide)

Here’s a detailed list of things you should know before traveling to Belize.

Hands up, who’s heard of Belize? Be honest! I knew very little about Belize before I started researching for our 3-month vacation in Central America. Maybe it’s complete ignorance on my part, or maybe I was distracted in Geography class that day. I couldn’t picture what Belize looked like. Or what the people looked like, what language they spoke, and where in the bloody world it was located.

Where is Belize?

Belize is an island nation in Central America, off the coast of both Mexico and Guatemala. Belize is the only English-speaking country in Central America.

Oh, and it’s insanely beautiful, like a honeymoon brochure pretty; google it seriously; I nearly had a heart attack when I Google-imaged Belize the first time.

Even though Belize is located in Central America, it definitely has more of a Caribbean vibe. The locals even admit they identify more with Caribbean culture than Latin (Central American culture). They speak Creole (think Sean Paul) and love a good barbecue. Honestly, walk down the beach in Placencia and food stall vendors will be shouting “baby back ribs, get your ribs here”. Belizeans were the biggest characters from our travels: loud, passionate, and full of love and life.

What is there to do in Belize?

Even though Belize has picture-perfect beaches, you don’t want to spend your whole trip lying on the white sand drinking rum or a Belikin (the local beer). We didn’t mind the beer, but a local man once told us it tasted like “rusty water,” and he recommended a Dominican beer instead.

The best beach in my opinion is Placencia, but during rainy season there’s lots of seaweed on the shore. So, if you want to avoid the black stuff be sure to visit from May until October.

For the adventure nut – Belize is heaven. There’s lots to do, from diving at the famous Great Blue Hole to swimming with whale sharks. We were meant to dive into the Blue Hole but heard lots of horror stories from fellow travelers. One Norwegian girl we met (who was a dive-pro, might I add, and had completed something like 100 dives) passed out down there and had to be quickly brought to the surface. To make a long story short, she essentially died and had to be brought back to life. Eeek!

After hearing that and countless others’ feedback we decided against doing it. Mainly, because it’s really expensive and we were backpackers on a budget. Also, I’ve never dived before (my ears hurt too bad down there). Plus there are hammerhead sharks in the hole. Sharks are my greatest fear by the way.

Unfortunately, it was off-season for us to swim with the Whale Sharks – this is something I want to go back and do. However, two once-in-a-lifetime things we completed whilst in Belize were exploring the Actun Tunichil Muknal (ATM) caves and diving the Hol Chan Marine Reserve. Read more about these amazing activities below.

The BEST Things to do in Belize

1. ATM Caves

The ATM Caves (aka Actun Tunichil Muknal Caves) is a 7 km cave system that was used as a Mayan burial site, so there are lots of skulls and skeletons inside. The caves are uber-important to the local people so you cant just rock up at the cave and go in yourself, you have to book a tour with a registered tour guide (there are only 15 guides who can do this tour so be sure to book ahead).

We got lucky because the owner of the campsite we were staying at was friends with one of the guides, and so we booked his tour quite easily. Otherwise, you can book the tour at any travel agency in San Ignacio (the nearest town to the caves).

Most of the cave system is filled with water, really deep water like a swimming pool, and you must hike 2km through the jungle to get to the entrance of the cave. So being fit is highly recommended. The caves are really dark, so you have to wear a headlamp at all times. Once inside the cave, it’s surreal, as if you’re in an Indiana Jones movie or something. There are different chambers inside with skulls and bones and old Mayan artifacts scattered everywhere. Everything is left exactly how it was when the first explorers found it.

You also aren’t allowed to bring cameras into the cave (which is why we don’t have any photos of the inside). Because once upon a time, a tourist dropped his camera on one of the really important skulls and made a massive indentation. Damn tourists. Honestly, ATM caves have to be seen to be believed.

Tour suggestion:

This full-day tour from San Ignacio has over 130 5-star rating reviews and it’s very similar to the one we did. It costs from $120 USD per person. It includes round-trip transport, a local guide and a riverside lunch.

2. Diving the Hol Chan Marine Reserve

The Hol Chan Marine Reserve is like the Great Barrier Reef but better. I’ve dived at Australia’s Great Barrier Reef three times, and this dive in Belize trumps it massively. Sorry Australia! The best way to do the tour is from the island of Caye Caulker. I highly recommend staying a couple of days on the island; it’s backpacker-central but looks like your own slice of paradise. There’s also lots of yummy food places here.

Anyway, we completed our dive with Carlos Tours, who doesn’t have a website, unfortunately. But I’m sure your accommodation will be able to arrange a tour with Carlos for you.

Tour suggestion:

This Hol Chan snorkeling tour visits one of the most famous spots in the reserve – Shark Ray Alley, which, yep, you guessed, is home to dozens of reef sharks and stingrays. This well-rated tour is 5 hours long and includes snacks, a guide, and transport to the boat from Belize City. It costs from $90 USD per person – which is great value for money.

3. Belize Zoo Night Tour

We also stayed the night at Belize Zoo, actually staying at the zoo in a wooden cabin. It was such a unique experience and we could hear the animals growling, etc throughout the night. We did a night tour while there, it started around 6 pm. This is the best time to do a tour at the Zoo as most of the animals here are nocturnal, meaning they come to life at night.

Belize Zoo is not like a normal zoo because most of the animals here have been rescued from crazy Belizean owners who decided one day they wanted a pet Jaguar for example, and then didn’t know what the hell to do with it so they gave it to the zoo.

You’ll find jaguars, tapirs, coatamundis, crocodiles, and more here!

Belize Zoo’s motto is the best little zoo in the world and I have to agree.

4. Visit the Xunantunich Ruins

The Xunantunich ruins are one of the most famous Mayan ruins on the island – at it’s peak this “city” was home to around 200,000 people. The Castillo is the shining star of these ruins, it’s the tallest structure here and you can climb to the top of it and take in the views.

Xunantunich means “stone woman,” and the ruins are aptly named because the ghost of a woman is said to haunt the Castillo! These ruins were first discovered in 1890, and surprisingly excavations still continue to this day!

They are notoriously hard to reach and are located around 70 miles from Belize City, to get here you’ll need to hop on a ferry from San Jose Succotz village.

5. Relax at Placencia Beach

Located on the island’s Southern Coast, Placencia Beach is one of the most popular (and most beautiful) beaches in Belize. We spent 4 nights here, just chilling out on the white sand beach, going for lazy strolls through the small town and harbor area, and eating good food.

It’s a famous spot to go swimming with whale sharks as the waters surrounding Placencia are teeming with these majestic creatures between March and June. From here, you can also go hiking in nearby Bocawina National Park or go on a boat tour along the Monkey River, where you can spy howler monkeys.

A great, but splurge-worthy restaurant here is the one at the Turtle Inn (which is owned by Francis Ford Coppola).

Getting to Belize

We came from Guatemala into Belize via a tiny speedboat. But you can fly from London Heathrow to Belize City – there are indirect options only available. Stops in LAX and Atlanta airports are common stopovers on this route. Most major airports in the U.S fly direct to Belize City.

Pros:

• Did I mention Belizes’ picture-perfect beaches and lots of adventure tour options

• Not many people have visited Belize, so, you will have bragging rights

• The locals are super-cool, friendly and chilled-out

• Everyone speaks English – so, no need to learn a new language

Cons:

• Belize is expensive – you may not think this because it’s in Central America, which is a continent known to be cheap for travelers. But, accommodation, tours, and restaurants are all considerably more expensive than its neighbors, Mexico and Guatemala

• If you don’t like fried food, you may struggle in restaurants, especially on Caye Caulker. Belizeans love fried or barbecued food

• It can be difficult to get to Belize from Europe – with the cheaper flight paths requiring one or even two stops

Thanks for Reading!

Hope you enjoyed this detailed list of things to know before traveling to Belize. It’s a long piece, I know, so, if you stuck with it thanks a bunch.

Before you go, you may also enjoy reading some of my most popular blog posts, like –

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10 Reasons to Visit El Salvador (Updated for 2024)

Last Updated on July 10, 2024 by snaphappytravel