What's Where in Belize

What's Where in Belize

Belize City

Belize City is probably the first place you'll see in Belize, and often it doesn't make a good impression. The predominantly Creole city, with a population of less than 80,000, is hardly more than an overgrown town. Its reputation for crime and street hassles isn't totally without foundation. The city's ramshackle commercial center, with narrow streets, unpainted storefronts, and boys on bikes yelling "gimme dollar" could qualify Belize City as a stand-in for a run-down West African town. (In fact a movie set in Africa, The Dogs of War, was filmed here.) But first impressions aren't everything. Under Belize City's not-so-pretty skin is an interesting old character. This is the business, media, financial, transportation, cultural, social, and -- despite the capital being almost 50 mi away -- political hub of Belize. Things are happening here -- parties, live music, good conversation, and good food. Areas of the city, such as the waterfront along the harbor, have been spruced up and actually look inviting. Charming old colonial buildings dot the Fort George area. Houses are being painted, signage is being improved, and streets are being cleaned. Tourist police are running off hustlers. Cruise ships have brought a new bustle to downtown. It's not New York, but Belize City has a raffish charm that grows on you the more time you spend here.

The Cayes & Atolls

Though Belize has hundreds of islands in the Caribbean, only a handful are set up for visitors with hotels, restaurants, and tours, and the majority are in this area. The two largest and most populated cayes (pronounced keys) are Ambergris (Am-bur-griss) Caye, with around 8,000 people, and Caye Caulker, population 1,000. They're just a few hundred feet inside the Belize Barrier Reef. The Caribbean ambience and signature Belizean accent of Ambergris Caye make it the country's most popular place to visit. Though it's pretty touristy for Belize, it's nowhere close to the craziness of other Caribbean beach towns like Cancun and Playa del Carmen. The tallest buildings are only three stories, many of the streets are sand, and golf carts are the most common kind of transportation. Why go to Ambergris? You can dive, snorkel, swim, and fish to your heart's content, or stroll the streets of San Pedro, Ambergris Caye's only town. San Pedro, immortalized in Madonna's "La Isla Bonita," has tons of restaurants and is the only place in the country with decent nightlife options. North Ambergris, finally connected to town by a new bridge over the river channel, is beginning to flourish as an area for upscale beach resorts and vacation homes.

Caye Caulker is Ambergris Caye's sister island -- smaller, less developed, and a cheaper date. Caulker (whose name comes from hicaco, the Spanish word for coco plum) has the kind of laid-back, sandy-street, low-key island charm that travelers pay thousands to experience. Here, you can have it for peanuts.

Farther offshore, three South Pacific-style atolls -- Lighthouse, Glover's, and Turneffe -- have pristine waters and fabulous diving but little else save a few dive and fishing lodges. Also off the coast are many small, remote cayes. Two, Tobacco and South Water, each have a handful of small hotels, and several others have a single lodge or hotel.

Northern Belize

Northern Belize is the "Sugar Coast" of Belize, land of sugarcane and sweet places to visit. Corozal Town, up against the Mexican border, is one of the undiscovered jewels of Belize. There's not a lot to do, but it's a great place to do it. Go ahead: slow down, relax, and enjoy life. The weather's gorgeous (there's less rain here than anywhere else in Belize) and the fishing's excellent. Orange Walk Town doesn't have many attractions, but it's a gateway to the big, wild tracts of land in the northwest. Northern Belize is home to several top-notch jungle lodges and a half dozen notable Mayan sites, including Lamanai, with its stunning setting on the New River Lagoon, the largest body of fresh water in Belize. Sarteneja, in the northeast, is a sleepy fishing village on the sea, with only two tiny hotels. It's just waiting to be discovered by travelers who like to wander off the beaten path.

The Cayo

The Cayo, in western Belize, has a lot going for it: wide-open spaces, few bugs, and friendly people. The major towns are San Ignacio-Santa Elena (population about 16,000), about 10 mi from the Guatemala border, and Belmopan City (population about 9,000), the sleepy little capital of Belize. The town of Benque Viejo del Carmen sits at the edge of Guatemala, a little more than an hour-and-a-half drive from the marvelous ruins of Tikal. About 20 years ago, the first small jungle lodges in the Cayo began operation around San Ignacio. Now, there's a flourishing mix of hotels, cottages, and jungle lodges in all price ranges near San Ignacio, on both the Macal and Mopan rivers, and in the Mountain Pine Ridge, a pine forest area that looks more like the southern Appalachians than the tropics. The area's loaded with natural attractions and packed with potential for outdoor activities -- caving, canoeing, hiking, horseback riding, and mountain biking, to name a few. Several of the country's most accessible Mayan ruins are here, including Caracol, the premiere Mayan site in Belize, and Actun Tunichil Muknal, the Mayan cave that many call the highlight of their trip. Belmopan, between Belize City and San Ignacio, is the downsized capital of Belize, but there's not much to see or do within the town. The Belize Zoo is nearby, as are several excellent jungle lodges. Along the scenic Hummingbird Highway south of Belmopan are barely explored caves, rivers, and national park areas.

The Southern Coast

Want beaches? The best on the mainland are in Placencia, an appealing seaside alternative to the bustle of Ambergris Caye. The peninsula has some 16 mi of beachfront along the Caribbean, a backside lagoon where manatees are frequently seen, and a few dozen hotels and restaurants. In recent years, several of Belize's most deluxe resorts have opened on the peninsula, and a real estate boom is underway. Most of the seafront property's already been sold to American baby boomers dreaming of a Caribbean retirement, and more than 1,000 condos are planned, but when you drive down the peninsula on the muddy unpaved road, you wouldn't know it. Between Dangriga and Placencia is Hopkins, which has new small seaside hotels and clusters of condos. Although the sand flies can eat you alive here (bring bug spray with DEET, like Deep Woods Off), you can get in some excellent fishing and beach time, take a day trip to the nearby Cockscomb Wildlife Sanctuary jaguar reserve, boat out to the reef, or enjoy some good snorkeling and diving.

Toledo & the Deep South

Rainy and lush, beautiful and remote, Punta Gorda in far southern Belize is the jumping-off point for the unspoiled Mayan villages of Toledo District and for onward travel to Guatemala and Honduras. Over the next few years, as the final few miles of the paving of the Southern Highway to Punta Gorda is completed and the road is extended into Guatemala, this area is expected to take off, so now's the time to see it. PG, as it's known, is Toledo's main city, but it's small -- fewer than 5,000 people live here, mostly Garifuna, local Maya, and immigrants from Guatemala. Mayan villages, hardly changed for centuries, are dotted around PG. Ancient Mayan ruins here have architectural and construction styles quite different from Mayan settlements in other parts of Central America. Lovely cayes, the southern end of the barrier reef, and near-pristine waters offer terrific fishing, diving, and snorkeling.