Does sipping cuba libre by the beach with fried bread fruit chips on the side, learning to make ceviche, talking to interesting locals, hiking the hidden falls amidst the dense forest, watching the sunset from the ruins, living in the zoo, hogging on giant natural avocados, snorkeling in world’s best barrier reef, living with a mayan family in the most beautiful village, eating the traditional old mayan dishes, getting drumming lessons from professional drummers, canoeing the caves, rappelling the falls, shaking a leg to the reggae music sound like a vacation you would fancy? Then Belize is the place for you!
Belize in August was a much needed break after two busy months of being swamped with work and finishing all the pending chores. It being a low season, everything worked out like it was meant to be. Cheap flight tickets, affordable stay and a whole lot to explore! I started planning my trip months in advance unlike every other time. I did come across a lot of blockers like booking excursions that had a requirement of minimum 2 people. Dilemma of renting a car, as I had read about roads in Belize not being that great and not wanting to risk it being a solo traveler. Booking accommodation was the only smoothest part of planning my trip. After having explored the country myself, I decided to share the information I have to make it easier for you to plan your Belize trip.
Here you go!
Belize city
A night in the Zoo
Belize city is a convenient place for a quick stop over if you have a flight or a ferry to catch. I would not recommend staying in the city if given a choice, as there is nothing much to do or to see. If you plan on staying, I would recommend booking a hotel. On my last day in the country, I had booked an Airbnb for myself and it had no air conditioning which I knew about. But the room had no ventilation and I did not expect the weather to be 100 degrees(LOL, it felt like). I left the Airbnb and went to Radisson hotel in the city instead. I only stayed here for a night as I had a flight back to the States next day, and from any where else, it is time consuming to get to the airport. Especially from the Cayes, if you have a early morning or a noon flight, the earliest ferry leaves around 6:30am and hence staying in the city the night before made more sense.
You’ll find buses leaving to various areas of the country like Orange Walk, Dangriga, La Demogarcia, Punta Gorda, Belmopan, Benque etc from the city which makes it a hub. You can find the bus schedule here. This schedule helped me big time while planning my excursions around.
– Getting here
From Airport, the easiest way to get to the city is a taxi which you will find right outside. If you decide on taking the bus, the stop is 20-30 minutes walk away from the airport and will have the sign of Belize city written on it. There is enough space in the front and back of the bus to load your luggage and the bus conductors will help you with it.
– Excursions nearby
Lamanai Ruins
Frankly speaking you don’t have to book any tour prior to your trip. You can literally get here and book your tour on the spot. The only tours that need prior bookings are ATM Caves, Caracol Ruins and the Big Blue hole Scuba diving/ Snorkel tour.
1) A Zoo night tour is a must, the experience in the night is something you cannot miss. I was alone in this tour and I had the whole Zoo to myself. The guide was very informative and made the whole tour fun by feeding the animals and making them do some tricks. I loved the part where he made the jaguar turn upside down. It is also one of the best places to capture a star trail or simply enjoy star gazing. You can make your reservation here (minimum 2 people)
2) Many excursions located up North depart from Belize city. I wanted to see Lamanai Ruins in Orange Walk. Since I was staying in Belize Zoo I had a long commute, where I had to catch a bus from the Zoo to Belize City and then another bus going to Orange walk. In Orange walk you will find a lot of Lamanai Boat Tour companies. Boat tour is the cheapest option in comparison with taking a taxi from Orange walk to the ruins, which will cost you around $100-$200 BZD whereas the tour costs only $80 USD which includes a good lunch served near the ruins.
2) Orange Walk is famously known as the Taco County and you will see a lot of taco tours here. I remember getting off at my stop just before the town of Orange Walk, I was very hungry as I had started early morning. I saw a small taco joint right in front of the tour company, selling 3 tacos for only 1BZD, the cheapest and the most delicious tacos ever.
3) You’ll also find Crocodile night tours leaving from Orange Walk. New river is home to crocodiles and manatees. You cross the same river for Lamanai ruins. We did see a couple of crocodiles on our way, but the experience is exhilarating at night! Lamanai Landing is a great place to stay as they offer tour packages which are reasonable if you decide on staying in the North for a couple of days.
4) The ferries for the Cayes like San pedro and Caye caulker, leave from Belize city.
San Ignacio!
Amazed by the Xunantunich ruins
Located in Western Belize, this is my second favorite place in the country. It hosts most of the major attractions. If you wish to see or do any of the excursions listed below, San Ignacio would be an ideal choice to stay at.
– Getting here
I took the bus from Belize Zoo going towards Benque which is the last stop. You can find the bus schedule here, it came very handy for me to plan my excursions and getting around the cities. If you have rented a car, the ride is very straight forward and smooth. However, if you plan on driving to the remote attractions by yourself, I would recommend taking a guide with you as they know the way in and out. GPS wouldn’t be of much use due to bad network! Also, the roads to most of these excursions are rugged and unkept. There is absolutely nothing around the areas and getting help could be tricky but not impossible as you will see a couple of tour vehicles passing by.
– Excursions
Barton Creek Caves
1) You can visit Xunantunich ruins on your own. Catch a bus from San Ignacio town going towards Benque and get down at San jose Succotz. Take a hand operated cable winched river ferry to cross the other side. This ferry is free and once you get down the uphill walk to the ruins is about 20 minutes. After this, you will see the visitor center, the entrance fee is BZD 5 ($10 USD). From visitor center it is another 10-15 minutes walk until you see the first plaza. You can also do a horseback ride tour to Xunantunich which is fun. Please find more information on the bookings here.
2) Maximum tours for ATM Caves leave from San Ignacio town. If you are staying in Belize city or somewhere else, chances are you might end up driving/arranging transportation for yourself to Belmopan. The tour companies then pick you up from a confirmed spot in Belmopan and drive you to the caves. This tour can only be done through tour operators as per the Belize tourism rule.
3) Caracol Ruins (majority of tours leave from San Ignacio) located deep inside Mountain Pine Ridge National Park almost near Guatemalan Border, can be covered on your own if you have an all wheel drive rental. I would recommend hiring a guide and taking some food with you as it is around 3 hours of a drive from the town and the gravel road is completely isolated, unkept with nothing but jungle around you. I went with a tour company and we got a flat tyre 2 hours into the drive. However, the area is safe as it is guarded by the army and you will see them on your way in and out. As you enter Mountain Pine Ridge National forest, you pay the entrance fee ($10USD) and after about 2 hours you will see the guards outside the ruins. You step out of your car to enroll the number of people driving with you while entering and exiting the park. I have seen a couple of inland Belize tours in Caye Caulker as well which are more expensive.
4)You’ll pass Mountain Pine Ridge National Forest while driving to Caracol Ruins. I would recommend going on two separate days for both the excursions (second being Caracol ruins). Mountain Pine Ridge National forest is very pretty and takes a whole day to actually explore everything including Rio on pools, Big Rock Falls and Rio Frio Caves. All of them are far apart from each other. Hence, I would say keep a day free to enjoy mountain pine ridge national park completely. You can do this tour on your own, with an all wheel drive car. You will also find a lot of car rentals for $70USD a day in the town.Some of the tour companies offer Caracol ruins with Rio on pools and Big rock falls on your way back. However, if you end up spending more time in Caracol ruins, which you definitely will then you end up compromising on watching either Rio on pools or Big rock falls as doing both is time consuming. Hence, I would not recommend booking Caracol Ruins tour combined with Rio on pools and Big rock falls.
5) Barton creek cave, I would only recommend doing this tour with David adventure tours. David discovered these caves and does complete justice to the whole tour. You will get to truly enjoy the caves and you won’t be disappointed. You can stop by his office near San Ignacio bus junction in the town and book a tour of your choice.
6) I would also recommend visiting the Spanish Lookout village (Mennonites Village) near the town. Bus leaves from the town at 11:00am. Once here, you will notice the difference between modern and traditional Mennonites who are called Moneynites in Spanish lookout village (for obvious reasons). Headquarters of Western Dairies is located here and is the best ice cream in Belize.
7) Visit the Cahal Pech for a beautiful sunset. It is the highest point in San Ignacio and hence perfect for a sunset!
8) Take a walk in the villages around, Bullet Tree Falls Village is one of them. You can go river tubing in Mopan river located in this village. If you are staying in Cohune Palms, Mike, the owner of this place will arrange the tubing excursion for you as you will see the river flowing right in their backyard. Perfect for a quick jump!
The tour companies I would recommend are: Pacztour, Mayawalk and Exploreinlandtours
Note: ATM caves tour is the busiest tour, I would recommend taking a guide with you instead of booking through a company. The tour companies always go packed with large groups over crowding the Cave. If given a choice I would totally skip this cave and go for Barton creek caves or Jaguar paw caves instead
– Places to stay
I miss the time spent in Cohune Palms Resort.
I was staying in Cohune Palms in Bullet Tree Village during my first three days of the stay. It is around 20 minutes away from the town, you can either catch a taxi from the town (shared cab BZD 4) or a bus to the village. The bus will drop you at the entrance of the village and then you walk for another 10 minutes towards the end of the village where it’s located close to Mopan river. I loved the seclusion and safety it provides.
There are no restaurants or stores nearby, so I would suggest eating in the town before heading back to the resort. Or you could have a meal at the resort for only BZD 8. The food here is great, they also offer beers for cheap. I had the best time drinking Belkin near the river and chatting with Mike, the owner of the place. He also has all the right contacts you need to get around the town for excursions so you don’t really need to worry about anything.
This is a hidden gem that I was absolutely happy and privileged to have witnessed. You can read more about it here
This camp ground offers amazing and comfortable cabins for $50 USD per night. It is the most convenient place to stay as the town, bus stop, restaurants, stores are all nearby.
This is another hostel located in the town and is one of the safest and good hostels around. All the good restaurants, tour companies, stores are nearby!
– Where to eat?
I miss the food!
There are two very famous restaurants in the town that are open no matter what, Eva’s and the Tandoor place on Berns avenue. This is the most lively place with many other restaurants, clubs and bars close by. You should also try Erva’s kitchen who serve authentic Belizean food. You can read more about where to eat in Belize here.
Hopkins!
Running away from the sand flies!
I would say, Hopkins was my least favorite. And I was glad that I had to shorten my stay here to accommodate something else in my trip. The beach was covered with sea grass when I was here. There were sand flies everywhere, if it isn’t windy expect to be bitten brutally by sand flies. Any kind of repellent didn’t help me at least. It just made the situation worse and I had marks all over my feet. The only bright side of it was experiencing Garifuna culture, my hike to Antelope falls and laying in the hammock in my Airbnb.
– Getting here
Bus going to Dangriga leaves from Belize city and from Dangriga, you can either catch a cab or another bus going to Hopkins which leaves from the same spot. I took the bus from San Ignacio to Belize city and then from Belize City to Dangriga. Hence I took a cab from Dangriga to Hopkins for BZD 40 as I was tired of loading and unloading my luggage in the buses.
– Excursions
Canoeing the beautiful rivers of Belize
1) I would highly recommend taking the Garifuna cultural experience with Palmento Grove. It is one of the most fun experiences where you dress up in their traditional clothes, prepare their traditional dish Hudut from scratch, learn how to make cassava, taste their delicious cassava cake and in the end take a drumming lesson with a professional drummer.
2) Hike Antelope falls in Mayflower Bocawina National Park. It is a difficult and strenuous hike that I underestimated. I would definitely recommend going with a guide, as they know their way around. You pay $10 USD entrance fee for this hike! The falls will make the hike totally worth it. My Airbnb host had gotten me in touch with a local guide who took me to the falls for $100 USD which was a very reasonable price.
3) Cockscomb Basin Wildlife Sanctuary and Jaguar preserve are close to Hopkins and the tours leave from here.
4) Monkey river boat tour leaves from Hopkins and Placencia both, so you can pick. The boat takes you through the lazy river where you can see the howler monkeys and crocodiles if you get lucky. You can book your tour here
5) You can also take the bioluminescence tour. The tour is restricted to a certain period of the year and you can check out the link above to book a tour. I would definitely suggest taking this tour if you are in Belize between August and November.
– Places to stay
The view from Tipple Tree Baya
I stayed in an Airbnb called Tipple Tree Baya located in southern Hopkins and was in a great location. The hosts were fabulous and had all the contacts needed for a private tour, taxi or a guide. They also had bicycles you could rent for $10 BZD per day!
Another one of stays that caught my attention while riding my bike around the village was Jungle Geanie. A number of beachfront cabanas with a beautiful view of the ocean.
– Where to eat?
Hudut in the making
Hopkins is a small village with a single road connecting north and south. You will find all the restaurants on the stretch. Try some Hudut at Innies, fish burger at Geckos, mouthwatering sea food at Ella’s cool spot and one of the most delicious pizzas with live drumming on Tuesdays at Driftwood Bar and kitchen.
Punta Gorda!
View on the way!!
Southern Belize could be a different country in itself as it is very different then the rest of the country. As you drive through those lush green forests and watch tall buildings getting replaced by smaller villages, buses being your only option of commute to these villages you’ll know you are in Punta Gorda. All the buses leave from PG to San Pedro Columbia village, Blue Creek village, Aguacate or Big falls.
– Getting here
You can catch a bus from Belize city or Hopkins going to PG. They are all express buses and get you in time to catch the bus going to the other small villages. I took a cab from Hopkins to PG as I had a huge luggage with me and I was already tired of dragging it around everywhere in the buses. You can then either catch a flight or a bus from PG going north. I took a Tropic air flight from PG to Belize city and then a ferry to Caye Caulker. Tropic Air and Maya Island Air are two local airlines that take you anywhere you wish to go within the country. You can book a flight on their website directly.
– Excursions
Crossing the Blue creek River
There are a lot of villages in and around PG like I mentioned above that you can explore to get a true local Mayan experience. You can book your tours with PG tours, they are extremely accommodating and can even give you suggestions on the things to do.
1) I would recommend going to a cocoa farm here to see how they make chocolate from raw cocoa followed by home cooked local food.
2) Stay with a mayan family in Aguacate in their homestay program.
3) Visit the Earthship in San pedro Village to experience a complete seclusion and disconnect from everything to truly connect with yourself.
4) Watch a sunset in Lubaantun ruins in San Pedro village because you will never see a sunset by the ruins like this!
5) Take the boat to Sapodilla cayes from PG.
6) Go snorkeling in Port Honduras Marine Reserve
7) Take a splash in the water of Blue Ceek Caves.
– Places to stay
Guaca Mayo Campground!
I stayed in Aguacate for the whole weekend but there are ample options to stay in PG. You can reach out to jo audett to make any bookings or get any information on excursions and she will hook you up with the most memorable local experience.
Aguacate!
More breathtaking views!
My most favorite place in Belize is this beautiful village of Aguacate. You can’t get anymore of a local or authentic than this!
– Getting here
You can catch a bus from PG which leaves around 11:00 am only on Mondays and Thursdays, it would be best to plan your trip accordingly. Also make sure you don’t visit these villages during rainy season as the bridge connecting them gets flooded with water and usually buses don’t run.
– Excursions
A pretty common sight around!
There is a lot to do in the village like learning to cook mayan dishes and enjoy the meal with the family, go take a dip in the river, hiking through forests to see the waterfalls, a blue hole, coffee making and much more. The family that you decide to stay with will take care of you without you having to worry about anything. You can read more about my experience staying with a mayan family here.
– Places to stay
Living with Silvester and his family
You could either do a homestay or stay in the guest houses here. You can do the bookings prior to your visit by emailing Jo Audett or Luis who is the pioneer of the homestay program.
– Where to eat?
Some Jippi Jappa anyone?
Any mayan family would be more than happy to feed you for only $8BZD.
Caye Caulker!
Colors in Caye Caulker
This place is the best way to enjoy your last couple of days in Belize by unwinding and going slow!
– Getting here
You can take a ferry from Belize City or a flight to the Caye. You have two ferry options San Pedro Belize express water taxi or Ocean ferry. Both are pretty same but SPBE is more famous than the other. I took SPBE for $15 USD round trip to Caye Caulker. You can find the ferry schedule here.
– Excursions
Hammocks 🙂
Frankly speaking my favorite excursion in Caye Caulker was relaxing and sipping cuba libre! There are a lot of things to do around this tiny island, you can read more about it on my blog here.
– Places to stay
Yuma Hostel!
Yuma’s hostel is a good and a cheap option on the island. It is right next to the ferry dock which makes it convenient. However, there are a lot other options nearby like the Island magic resort, La Cubana hostel.
– Where to eat?
Creole Fish
You will be overwhelmed with the number of options around you but worry not, I have got you covered 🙂 I would recommend trying these places if in Caye Caulker. I had the best time eating here and mingling with the people!
Hope this helps in planning your trip to Belize and you have a great time like I did! Let me know if you have any questions or concerns in the comments below 🙂
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