When to Go

When to Go

Belize is a year-round destination, but some times to visit are preferable to others. Belize, like much of Central America and the Caribbean, has two basic seasons: the rainy season, and the dry season. The rainy season is June through October, extending in some areas through November or even December. The dry season runs from December through May. However, by "dry season" Belizeans usually mean the months in late winter and spring, February through May, before seasonal rains begin in June, when temperatures inland may reach 100°F.

If you want to escape crowds and high prices and don't mind getting a little wet, visit in the rainy season. Though some restaurants may close and hotels may offer limited facilities, reservations are easy to get, even at top establishments, and you'll have the Mayan ruins and beaches to yourself. The busiest time in Belize is the Christmas-New Year's period, followed by Easter, but most hotels count the high season as mid-November through April.

The dry season can be a less attractive time for inland trips, with dusty roads and wilting vegetation, but this is a good time to visit the coast and cayes, with their cooling winds from the sea.

Scuba enthusiasts can dive all year, but the water is clearest from March to June. Between November and February cold fronts from North America can push southward, producing blustery winds known as "northers" that bring rain and rough weather and tend to churn up the sea, reducing visibility. Water temperatures, however, rarely stray far from 80°F, so many people dive without a wet suit.

Climate

Belize is a small country, but there's considerable variation in weather from north to south, and also from the cayes to the mainland. Rainfall, for example, varies dramatically depending on where you are: the Deep South gets as much as 160 to 200 inches of rain each year, but the rest of the country gets a lot less, as little as 50 inches in Corozal. The cayes generally get less rain than does the mainland.

The rain is not continuous; sudden thunderstorms are followed by sun. Often the rains come during the night, leaving much of the day for outdoor activities. The rainy season doesn't mean monsoons, but, rather, seasonal rains that green the countryside.

The dry season, generally January or February to May, is usually hot as well as dry. In late spring -- April is usually the hottest month of the year -- temperatures inland can reach 100°F (38°C).

Belize's Caribbean coast often gets sweltering humid weather with soaring temperatures, especially in summer, while the Mountain Pine Ridge, with elevations up to almost 3,700 feet, is cooler and less humid. In the Pine Ridge, on some nights in November to February, a fire in the fireplace can feel good.

Overall, however, Belize's subtropical temperatures generally hover between 21°C and 29°C (70°F and 85°F), much like the weather in south Florida. It's the high humidity that'll make you sweat. Remember to drink plenty of bottled water to avoid dehydration.

The western Caribbean's hurricane season is from June through November. September and October are the two prime months for tropical storms and hurricanes in Belize. Over the past century, about 85% of storms to hit Belize arrived in those two months; hurricanes, however, are relatively rare.