Or just jump into a kayak and paddle around. Most tourists try typical Belizean fair—stewed chicken, rice and beans, ceviche, and lobster dishes. Look for them in Belizean gift shops and specialty stores. Anxious about delving into a dark, dank cave?
No worries. Belize offers exceptional, safe cave adventures for all levels of visitors. A trained tour guide will accompany you.
But not so on Caye Caulker! This island is so narrow that no matter where you are, you can walk to a prime sunset spot in under five minutes this is not true for Ambergris Caye, by the way — sunrises are way better there, as good sunset spots can take a bit of work to get to. Bring some rum punch or Belikins, or wine, or rum, or anything else, really… and enjoy with some friends and your camera!
Luckily there are plenty of bars and restaurants around in case you need refreshments. Check out the Mayan ruins of Altun Ha — one of the most important in the country — just 30 miles from Belize City.
Explore stone Mayan structures and climb up to the top of the central temple, which is not too much of a hike at only 54 feet tall. Since Altun Ha is so close to Belize City, most tours will combine visiting the ruins with a guided tour of Belize City. There are some cool historic landmarks and points of interest, but nothing crazy. To travel safely and hassle-free, I recommend this tour which also includes a trip to the Belize Zoo!
Before I get my head put on a stake for suggesting you visit a zoo — The Belize Zoo is different. They have 45 species of animals, all of whom have been orphaned or hurt and are unable to survive in the wild. The Belize Zoo also works to rehabilitate animals like jaguars and wild birds and release them back into the wild. Then our taxi driver tried to extort us and double the price that we had agreed upon! If you must stay in Belize City for logistical reasons, I stayed at Sea Breeze and found it to be quite safe and pleasant.
Caye Caulker is located right nearby an amazing wildlife reserve, Swallow Caye Wildlife Sanctuary, where you can actually swim with manatees in their natural habitat. Belize is doing excellent things to preserve to conserve and protect their manatees, to ensure that they live happy and healthy lives with their environment protected.
I highly recommend doing a manatee and snorkeling tour with a reputable company. Please note that you should never swim with manatees in captivity or do any tours that promise you can touch the animals — and this goes for dolphins, whales, and any other sea animal in captivity as well.
Our guide told us we would have had better luck in the summer — they like the warm water! A short boat ride away from the beaches of Placencia is a small island called Ranguana, which is a private island only for day trippers and those who stay at the one hotel on the island. Where to Stay: Placencia has a really wide range of accommodation options, from budget to midrange to the astronomically expensive.
Originally from nearby Jamaica, Belize has taken on jerk chicken as one of its own and makes a mean — though slightly less spicy — version of it. Apparently, some of the divemasters encouraged people to go beyond their PADI-certified limits — a big no-go in my book — and one girl got nitrogen narcosis and was feeling really ill and almost passed out underwater — a huge risk!
So if you do dive the Blue Hole, make sure you stay within your limits and go with a reputable company. Luckily, you have none of those risks — and a much better view — when you helicopter over the Blue Hole! While not quite as large or impressive as the ruins of Caracol, Xunantunich is still one of the best attractions in Belize. You can take a bus and then walk a mile or hire a taxi for cheap. The ruins of Cahal Pech are even closer, but not quite as exciting as Xunantunich.
To do so, opt for this tour that combines Xunantunich, the Belize Zoo, and cave tubing through ancient Mayan caves — not bad for a day trip! Howler monkeys kind of sound like demons, but they sure are cute!
If you want to connect with your primate kin while in Belize, check out the Community Baboon Sanctuary close to Belize City. Go figure. Eight villages have worked together to preserve the ecosystem around the river and protect the howler monkeys in their natural habitats. You can take a tour or rent a car to go to the sanctuary. If you must stay in Belize City, Sea Breeze is affordable and felt secure. Ambergris Caye and Caye Caulker are home to several scuba shops which can take you to some of the best destinations in the area: Mexico Rocks, Hol Chan, and Turneffe Atoll are all fantastic dive locations.
Explore Maya sites, swing from the tree tops, and jump into refreshing pools under waterfalls in the Cayo District. Swim with sharks and snorkel with myriad marine life in the Hol Chan Marine Reserve. Check off diving the Great Blue Hole from your bucket list.
Animal lovers will delight at sightings of jaguars, pumas, and howler monkeys in nature reserves, and birders will get a thrill at seeing exotic red-footed boobies and frigate birds on remote cayes.
The only Central American English-speaking country, Belize makes it easy to explore its natural wonders, with roads connecting its biggest cities of San Pedro , San Ignacio, and the capital city of Belmopan and other villages. Daily flights operate to the popular attractions , like Caye Caulker and Ambergris Caye. You can drive from one end of the country to the other in just two hours. Don't forget to pack your boots, bathing suits, and reef-safe sunscreen, and to help plan your vacation, check out our list of the top things to do in Belize.
Note: Some businesses may be temporarily closed due to recent global health and safety issues. Hol Chan Marine Reserve. A short boat ride from San Pedro in Ambergris Caye will bring you to the reserve, where you can jump into the warm waters for incredible underwater views. Southern stingrays, turtles, and an array of colorful fish glide gently beneath the waves among the colorful coral reefs.
In , the Belize Barrier Reef Reserve system was taken off the endangered world heritage list after dedicated efforts were made by the government to curb oil drilling, overfishing, and coastal overdevelopment. Nurse sharks at Shark Ray Alley. At the popular Shark Ray Alley in the Hol Chan Marine Reserve, visitors get a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to swim with nurse sharks and stingrays. The four- to five-foot-long nurse sharks are bottom feeders and are generally harmless to humans, as long as they aren't encroached upon.
Shark Ray Alley came to be when local fishermen used the area to clean off their daily catches, attracting nurse sharks and rays to the morsels left behind. Now, whenever they hear the boats, they come in droves for a meal.
When you visit Shark Ray Alley, your guide will attract the sharks with small fish as you swim near them from a safe distance. Rest assured, you can still get a good view from the boat if you choose not to jump in. Snorkeling and diving activities in the reserve are heavily monitored, so make sure to go with a company that has permission to bring visitors. Aerial view of the Great Blue Hole. Once a cave with massive stalactites and stalagmites, it collapsed underwater when the sea took over.
This submarine sinkhole, with a patch of deep blue water surrounded by shallow turquoise waters, is located in the Lighthouse Reef Atoll. This attraction is an incredible sight from above on a helicopter tour. The tour also brings you over to the Turneffe Atoll island cluster. One location worth mention is Hol Chan Marine Reserve since it is perhaps the best snorkeling adventure in Belize. By taking a trip there you will see pristine coral gardens and swim with countless marine wildlife.
Sea turtles, nurse sharks, stingrays, and all sorts of colorful fishes can be spotted at Hol Chan on a regular basis. The tour can be easily done from Caye Caulker or Ambergris Caye. This guided tour involves trekking through the jungle and rivers before arriving at the mouth of the ATM cave. If you prefer a more leisure option, try cave canoeing at Barton Creek Cave. Belize has no shortage of amazing scuba diving sites.
For divers that prefer seeing colorful corals and marine wildlife, other sites such as Half Moon Caye Wall and Long Caye Aquarium are much better. And by the way, often a better experience than diving the Blue Hole, is seeing it from the air. This can be done by booking a Blue Hole flyover tour with Tropic Air. Belize was once the epicenter of the Maya civilization.
In fact, the country has the highest concentration of Mayan temples in all of Central America. A quick summary of the post is that the most visited site in Belize is Altun Ha, due to cruise tourism; Lamanai has the coolest adventure, since it involves riding a boat there; my favorite is Xunantunich , especially if you go horseback riding; and Caracol is the largest and possibly the most important site in Belize.
0コメント