Central & South America · Touring guide
Caribbean coast and barrier reef, with English spoken and an easy pace for a first Central American trip.
Is it right for you?
A strong fit for
Diving, reef and a gentler introduction to the region.
We would think twice for
Travellers chasing five-star polish, because Belize does barefoot, small-scale and personal, and its prices reflect scarcity rather than marble.
What we would want you to know
Island transfers depend on boat schedules, so build in flexibility.
We’ve been here
San Pedro on Ambergris Caye is the part of Belize we know first-hand: sandy streets, golf carts outnumbering cars and the reef a short boat ride from the docks. It showed us that Belize's islands are about the water rather than the sand, which shapes how we match people to them. Caye Caulker, the jungle around San Ignacio and the south come from research.
From our trips
Filmed by us on the trip itself and shown without sound. No stock footage.
The route
Nights 1 to 3
Drive west from the airport, stopping at the Belize Zoo on the way. Spend one day inside the ATM cave with a licensed guide and another at Xunantunich and the river pools of Mountain Pine Ridge.
Nights 4 to 6
Take the Hummingbird Highway over the hills to the coast, with a walk in the Cockscomb Basin on the way. In spring, time a boat to Gladden Spit for the whale sharks; otherwise snorkel the southern cayes and eat hudut in Hopkins.
Nights 7 to 10
Fly north to Ambergris Caye for the reef: snorkel Hol Chan and Shark Ray Alley, dive or fly over the Blue Hole, and hire a golf cart to explore the north of the island. A water taxi day to Caye Caulker makes an easy change of pace.
An idea to react to, not a fixed package. We shape the real thing around your dates, your pace and what the flights are doing that season.
Map and stops
Belize's busiest island town, where sandy streets, golf carts, beach bars and dive shops line the shore and the barrier reef sits a short boat ride out. Hotels run from simple guesthouses in town to resorts north and south, which are quieter but leave you relying on golf carts or water taxis. The beach is narrow and the shallows are seagrass, so people swim off piers more than from the sand.
A smaller, cheaper island to the south whose Go Slow signs set the pace, with sand streets, painted wooden houses and a channel called the Split for swimming and sunsets. It suits younger travellers and anyone happy with simple rooms. There is almost no beach, the nightlife is small but lively, and a few days are plenty for most people.
The market town of western Belize, close to the Guatemalan border, with jungle lodges along the Macal and Mopan rivers around it. The ATM cave, Xunantunich and the waterfalls of Mountain Pine Ridge are all day trips from here, which makes it the natural first stop before the reef. Nights are cooler than on the coast, the tracks to some lodges are rough, and mosquitoes come with the river views.
A long, thin peninsula in the south with the golden sand the cayes lack, a laid-back village at its tip and resorts strung along the road behind. Boats run out to the southern cayes, and whale sharks visit in spring. It is quieter than Ambergris Caye and suits couples, but it is a long way from the international airport, so many people take the short flight in.
A Garífuna fishing village on a long, quiet beach north of Placencia, where drumming lessons and home cooking open a window on the culture of Belize's Afro-Caribbean Garífuna people. It is close to the Cockscomb Basin for jungle walks. Sandflies can be fierce on still evenings, the village is simple, and the better hotels are spread along the beach road to the south.
Weather and seasons
Out on Ambergris Caye the trade winds do much of the work. From February to May the air is dry and breezy, March afternoons reach about 30°C, and the sea warms from around 27°C in January to 29°C by late summer. Between November and February, cold fronts can bring a few grey, windy days that churn up the reef and cancel boat trips. The rains build from June, and the hurricane season that runs to November is most active from August to October, with October averaging 271mm. Christmas, New Year and Easter are the busiest and dearest weeks on the cayes, while inland around San Ignacio the trails turn to mud in the wet months.
Worth timing a trip around
Around the spring full moons, whale sharks gather off Placencia to feed on the spawn of snappers, and licensed boats take snorkellers out to meet them. Sightings are likely but never promised.
Lobster season opens on 15 June, and San Pedro, Caye Caulker and Placencia each celebrate with food stalls, music and every lobster dish imaginable.
St George's Caye Day on 10 September and Independence Day on 21 September bookend a fortnight of parades, flags and a carnival road march in Belize City.
Dangriga and Hopkins mark the arrival of the Garífuna by boat in 1832 with a dawn re-enactment on the beach, followed by drumming, dancing and church services.
| Month | High | Low | Sea | Rain |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 29°C | 21°C | 27°C | 89 mm |
| February | 29°C | 21°C | 27°C | 35 mm |
| March | 30°C | 23°C | 27°C | 43 mm |
| April | 32°C | 24°C | 28°C | 29 mm |
| May | 32°C | 26°C | 28°C | 61 mm |
| June | 32°C | 25°C | 29°C | 229 mm |
| July | 32°C | 25°C | 29°C | 43 mm |
| August | 32°C | 25°C | 29°C | 101 mm |
| September | 32°C | 25°C | 30°C | 115 mm |
| October | 31°C | 24°C | 29°C | 271 mm |
| November | 30°C | 22°C | 28°C | 201 mm |
| December | 29°C | 22°C | 27°C | 118 mm |
Temperatures are 2015 to 2024 averages from NOAA records for Philip S W Goldson Intl, 56 km away at 5 m. Rainfall is from the GPCC rain-gauge analysis (Deutscher Wetterdienst) for 2010 to 2019 and shows the typical (median) month, so one freak storm does not skew it. Sea temperatures: NOAA OISST, 1991 to 2020.
| Month | High | Low | Rain |
|---|---|---|---|
| January | 29°C | 19°C | 105 mm |
| February | 31°C | 18°C | 56 mm |
| March | 34°C | 20°C | 40 mm |
| April | 36°C | 22°C | 26 mm |
| May | 37°C | 23°C | 99 mm |
| June | 34°C | 23°C | 238 mm |
| July | 34°C | 22°C | 137 mm |
| August | 34°C | 23°C | 166 mm |
| September | 33°C | 23°C | 143 mm |
| October | 32°C | 23°C | 274 mm |
| November | 30°C | 21°C | 170 mm |
| December | 29°C | 20°C | 126 mm |
Temperatures are 2015 to 2024 averages from NOAA records for Mundo Maya Intl Arpt, 90 km away at 118 m. Rainfall is from the GPCC rain-gauge analysis (Deutscher Wetterdienst) for 2010 to 2019 and shows the typical (median) month, so one freak storm does not skew it.
Things to do
A cut in the barrier reef just south of Ambergris Caye, protected since 1987, with coral, turtles and fish in shallow water, and a nearby sandbar where nurse sharks and stingrays gather round the boats. Trips run from San Pedro; wear a rash vest rather than ordinary sunscreen.
A deep, circular sinkhole in the Lighthouse Reef atoll, a long boat ride from the cayes. The dive goes deep and suits experienced divers only; everyone else sees its famous shape best from a scenic flight.
A day of wading, swimming and scrambling through a river cave to chambers where the Maya left pottery and human remains more than a thousand years ago. Cameras are banned, a licensed guide is compulsory, and you need to be happy swimming in cool water in the dark.
A Maya city on a ridge above the Mopan River, reached by a hand-cranked ferry. Climb El Castillo for views into Guatemala, and arrive at opening, ahead of the heat and the tour buses.
A boat trip up the New River, watching for crocodiles, birds and howler monkeys, leads to a Maya city in the forest with a temple faced by giant stone masks. It makes a long day from the cayes or Belize City.
A forest reserve set up to protect jaguars, with trails to waterfalls and river pools. The cats are rarely seen, so come for the forest, the birds and a swim rather than a sighting, and bring insect repellent.
A small zoo of native animals, most of them rescued or orphaned, with jaguars, tapirs and harpy eagles in forest enclosures. It sits beside the road west from the airport, so it breaks the journey inland, and it is the one place a jaguar sighting is certain.
Float on an inner tube through a chain of river caves in the Caves Branch area, with head torches picking out the rock. It is gentle enough for children but fills with cruise passengers on ship days, so we check the cruise calendar and pick a quieter one.
Pine-covered uplands south of San Ignacio, surprisingly cool, with waterfalls and granite river pools for swimming, such as Rio On and Big Rock Falls. The roads are rough and unpaved, so go with a driver in a 4x4.
Food and drink
The Sunday lunch of Belize: rice cooked with red kidney beans in coconut milk, beside chicken stewed dark with red recado. Beans and rice, served separately, is a different dish.
Puffy triangles of fried dough served at breakfast with refried beans, eggs, jam or honey.
A Garífuna dish of fish in a coconut broth called sere, served with a pounded mash of green and ripe plantain. Hopkins and Dangriga make it best.
Chopped conch fried in a spiced batter and served with hot sauce, off the menu from July to September when the conch season closes.
Street snacks from the Mestizo north: salbutes are puffed fried tortillas topped with shredded chicken, cabbage and onion, garnaches crisp ones with beans and cheese.
A thick, sweet drink of dried seaweed blended with milk, cinnamon and nutmeg, sold at stalls and cafés and said to be good for stamina.
Money
Belize costs more than its neighbours, because the cayes import almost everything and most places to stay are small and independently run. The price rises with the number of boat and dive days rather than the hotel's star rating, so decide early how much time you want on the water. A short domestic flight between the cayes and Belize City saves hours over the water taxi, and inland a licensed guide is compulsory for the ATM cave anyway. Rooms at Christmas and Easter go early and cost the most.
Flights and transfers
One or two stops from the UK, usually via a US gateway into Belize City, then a puddle-jumper flight or water taxi to the cayes. English is the official language, which makes Belize the easiest introduction to Central America there is.
Flights from UK airports
Route check September 2026. Some routes are seasonal and schedules change, so we confirm the live options when we quote.
Practical details
6 hours behind the UK in winter, 7 hours in summer
Belize dollar (BZ$), fixed at two to the US dollar; US dollars accepted almost everywhere
English (official), with Kriol and Spanish widely spoken, plus Garífuna and Maya languages
Type A, B and G; mostly 110V
On the right
Treated in the main towns, but most visitors drink bottled or filtered water, which hotels usually provide
10 to 15 percent in restaurants unless service is included; tip dive crews, boat captains and guides
Entry for British passport holders
Visa. No visa needed for stays of up to 30 days, which can be extended locally.
Passport. Valid for more than 3 months after you arrive. Some airlines ask for 6 months.
Summarised from the FCDO travel advice on gov.uk, checked 29 September 2026. Rules change: read the current entry requirements and the full travel advice before you go.
Questions we get asked
Ambergris Caye if you want more choice of hotels, restaurants and dive trips, or a quiet resort north of town; San Pedro is where we have been, and it has the widest choice of places to stay on the reef. Caye Caulker is smaller, cheaper and slower, better for younger travellers on a budget. They are a short water taxi apart, so it is easy to visit one from the other.
Not in the Caribbean postcard sense, apart from the Placencia peninsula. On the cayes the sand is narrow and the shallows are full of seagrass, so people swim from piers and spend their days on boats. The reef is the point of Belize. For long walks on soft sand, add a few nights in Placencia or Hopkins.
In some years, yes. Sargassum drifts in from the open Atlantic, mostly from spring into late summer, and piles up on east-facing shores, including parts of Ambergris Caye. The barrier reef holds some of it back and hotels clear their beaches, but the amount changes week to week, so we check the recent picture before recommending a stretch of coast.
Yes. Much of the best snorkelling is in shallow water, and at Hol Chan and Shark Ray Alley you can see turtles, rays and nurse sharks while floating at the surface. The Great Blue Hole is for experienced divers, but a scenic flight shows non-divers its shape far better. Beginners can also try a short introductory dive with an instructor.
By a short domestic flight or by water taxi. Flights leave from the international airport as well as the city's municipal airstrip, so you can connect straight from your arrival without going into town. Water taxis leave from Belize City's harbour and cost less, but the crossing is bumpy when the wind is up.
Seven to ten nights covers the two halves of the country: three nights inland around San Ignacio for caves and ruins, then four or more on a caye for the reef. With longer, add Placencia or Hopkins in the south, or cross into Guatemala for Tikal, which is close to the western border.
Photographs
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