Looking for a convenient, tropical, family-friendly destination where English is the native language and you can find adventure around every corner? That’s Belize. Grab your piece of the jewel!
Snorkeling at the Hol Chan Marine reserve in Amerbergris Caye, Belize
Over the winter holiday, my family ventured to Belize, a tiny Central American nation east of Guatemala and south of Mexico, for a week of sun and adventure. With its proximity to the U.S., year-round perfect weather and shared national language, Belize is a convenient and desireable destination for American travelers.
But more importantly, this tiny country is jam-packed with things to do and see, from jungles to Mayan ruins to world-class snorkeling and diving. Yet Belize still remains relatively unknown to many Americans. So, I am doing my best to spread the word about this friendly, exciting travel destination.
Why should your family visit Belize? If your family likes to sunbathe on tropical beaches or get out on the water to sail, fish, dive or snorkel, Belize has all the fun and sun of a Caribbean island plus one of the best coral reefs in the world. The Belize Barrier Reef is, in fact, a UNESCO World Heritage site and very popular with divers and snorklers from all over the world. Belize is indeed an ideal destination for beachcombers and water sports enthusiasts alike.
Cheating a little because these amazing Mayan ruins are across the border in Guatemala.
But Belize also has so much more to offer than beaches and water sports. Belize’s interior has amazing jungles, diverse birds and wild life, stunning Mayan ruins and plenty of waterfalls, caves, rivers and other geography to explore.
If you prefer an active vacation to lying on a beach, in Belize, you can hike, canoe, go horseback riding, bird-watching and ziplining and see some of the most important Mayan archaelogical sites in Meso-America. Not bad for a tiny country!
Big Rock Falls in the Mountain Pine Ridge Forest Reserve in the western part of Belize
To me, that is what was so appealing about Belize: the ability to see so and do so many different things on one trip. We visited two different parts of the country during our week-long visit, and while I normally don’t like to unpack more than once on such a short trip, in this case, it was worth it because it allowed us to combine natural beauty, history, culture and relaxation into one vacation. In short, there was something for everyone.
We spent the first half of the trip in the Cayo District, the western part of Belize, which is known for its caves, jungles and Mayan ruins. We stayed at The Lodge at Chaa Creek, a “jungle lodge,” which a type of eco-lodge that is very popular in this part of the country.
The grounds of Chaa Creek were gorgeous and we could see birds and wildlife, including toucans, from our deck in the treetops. We took advantage of the lodge’s many on-site activities, like horseback riding and spa treatments, and also took several day trips, organized by our lodge, to nearby sites. I highly recommend Chaa Creek for your trip.
One of the temples at Tikal. These building were built without any beasts of burden, metal tools or even wheels which is almost impossible to fathom.
The two full-day excursions we did during our time in the Cayo District of Belize were both extraordinary. First, we ventured across the border into Guatemala to see Tikal, another UNESCO world heritage site and one of the most important Mayan sites in all of Meso-America.
The trip to Tikal involved a long day of driving, and a somewhat tedious border crossing. But with its grand temples and plazas dating back to 500 A.D., Tikal is one of the most jaw-dropping sites I have ever seen and an experience that will stay with me always, akin to seeing the Pyramids in Gaza or Machu Picchu. Plus, my family liked the idea of getting an extra passport stamp and adding Guatemala to their list of countries. (I even practiced my Spanish with our Guatemalan guide. In Belize, English is the national language.)
The mouth of one of the many caves in the Mountain Pine Ridge Forest Reserve. That’s my mom on the right.
The second day trip was to the Mountain Pine Ridge Forest Reserve, an enormous national park covered in scrubby pine forest punctuated with caves, waterfalls and rivers. The landcape, which might remind Americans of mountains in the southeastern United States, looks completely different from the jungle just a short drive away.
Jumping in at Big Rock Falls
We visited only a tiny fraction of the Mountain Pine Ridge Forest Reserve, but in our short time, we explored an enormous cave, photographed stunning waterfalls and, to cap it all off, swam in a fresh water pool below yet another waterfall. Jumping off a huge boulder into the deep pool at Big Rock Falls, which they did again and again, was one of my kids’ favorite parts of the whole trip. Our guides for all of these excursions were friendly and knowledgeable and proud to teach us about Belize.
After a few days in the Cayo district, we traveled to Ambergris Caye, a tiny island off the coast of Belize for the beach part of our vacation. On the way to Ambergris, we stopped at the Belize Zoo, a charming and lushly landscaped smal zoo. There, you will find only animals native to Belize, including tapirs, howler monkeys, jaguars, fresh water crocodiles and giant Harpy eagles.
JR and the adults loved the few hours we spent touring the zoo, but Zuzu could not have been more bored and, in classic adolescent fashion, made sure everyone knew it. I do recommend the zoo for animal enthusiasts and younger children, but perhaps not jaded teens.
The trip to Amerbergris Caye was the low point of our trip, not because of Zuzu’s obvious misery during the visit to the zoo, but because of the logistics of the trip. I arranged for us to drive to Belize City — the country’s rather depressing capital which is to be avoided — and then take the water taxi to Ambergris Caye. The other option would have been to fly on one of the regular puddle-jumpers that fly between the mainland and the Cayes, but that was more expensive and seemed less fun.
Alas, “water taxi,” which does sound like fun, is a misnomer. The trip between Belize City and Ambergris Caye takes a solid 90 minutes – hardly a little jaunt on a “water taxi’ — and the ferry is desperately overcrowded with rock hard plastic seats and no amenities at all. Uncomfortable doesn’t even begin to describe the experience. I thought my family might kill me by the end of it. In retrospect, I would have certainly paid extra to fly to Amerbergris Caye, and indeed, on the way back we did fly.
Colorful buildings on Caye Caulker, Belize
Ambergris Caye is the most popular destination in Belize mostly for its outstanding snorkeling, diving and laidback tropical island vibe. The only town on Ambergris Caye, San Pedro — immortalized in Madonna’s song “La Isla Bonita” — is pretty ramshackle. Some people might find San Pedro charming in a raffish way; others might say it is just dumpy.
You can stay in San Pedro, which is convenient for getting to restaurants and shopping, or outside of town if you prefer to escape the noise and bustle for a more tropical island feel. We stayed at a nice but not luxurious hotel in town, but still right on the beach, which made it easy to walk to places. Xanadu Island Resort has villas with two and three bedrooms that are convenient for families, pretty grounds and a helpful staff. But it was not particularly scenic, and indeed, there was construction on either side of our hotel. If I had to do it over again, I might book a hotel further from San Pedro with a prettier setting.
While on Ambergris Caye, I highly recommend getting out on the water. One day, we rented jet skis and had a blast jet-skiing right from the pier at our hotel. Another day, we chartered a catamaran and took a full-day cruise that included two snorkeling stops, in the Hol Chan Marine Reserve, and sailing to Caye Caulker, a smaller island, for lunch. These were definitely the highlights of our time on Ambergris Caye.
Ambergris Caye has some delightful restaurants and Belizean cuisine is quite tasty. The seafood is incredibly fresh, as you might imagine and we ate a lot of ceviche. Belizean cuisine is similar to the cuisine of other Central American nations, with lots of rice and beans — which is different from beans and rice, by the way — tortillas and tropical fruit. Be sure to try a Belikin, the local beer! We drank bottled water the whole time we were in Belize, but had no trouble eating fresh fruits and vegetables. Those of us that eat vegetables anyway.
Getting to Belize from most major American cities is easy. The flight from Miami or Houston is quite short. There is even a weekly direct flight from Chicago, which we took on the way home. (We actually learned recently there is a large Belizean expat community in the Chicago suburbs, which may explain why there is a direct flight.) And with Belize in the same time zone as the Central U.S., jet lag is not an issue.
In short, Belize is a convenient, easy and fascinating destination for everyone from families with kids to honeymooners. I honestly believe that this friendly nation should be on more Americans’ radar screens. I, for one, am very glad that I got to experience the best of Belize, from the jungles of the Cayo District to the coral reefs of Ambergris Caye. I will not soon forget the many different experiences we had during our short time in Belize.
