47 Best Sights in Belize

This remarkable nonprofit specializes in the care and rehabilitation of American crocodiles, but they also rescue and rehab pelicans, iguanas, turtles, snakes, and other creatures. Operators Christina Manzi and Chris Summers are warriors for the protection of Belize's wildlife and their habitat. You can schedule an educational visit to the center, and possibly see unreleasable crocs or critters temporarily on-site for medical care. It's a little off-the-beaten track but well worth a visit. 

Founded in 1969, the Belize Audubon Society is the oldest and largest conservation group in Belize. It manages seven protected areas and parks in Belize and accepts qualified volunteers to assist in its park management, conservation, tourism development, and other programs. The BAS usually requires a minimum three-month commitment for its overseas volunteers. Although the BAS prefers to partner with universities to get its interns, it does also accept individual volunteer applications. The BAS does not pay for lodging or living expenses.

The life's work of ornithologist Ken duPlooy, the personable Judy duPlooy, and their family is the 45-acre Belize Botanic Gardens. It's an extensive collection of hundreds of trees, plants, and flowers from all over Central America. Enlightening tours of the gardens, set on a bank of the Macal River at Sweet Songs Jungle Lodge, are given by local guides who can tell you the names of the plants in Mayan, Spanish, and English as well as explain their varied medicinal uses. If your family is looking for a fun group activity, there are also tea tasting tours, a tamale-making class, and a palm workshop. An orchid house holds the duPlooys' collection of more than 100 orchid species, and there also is a palm exhibit. The Botanic Gardens also run gardening programs for Belize residents as well as great birding opportunities.

Once a metropolis with five plazas and 32 large structures covering almost a square mile, Caracol once covered an area larger than present-day Belize City. Altogether it is believed there are some 35,000 buildings at the site, though only a handful of them have been excavated. Excavations at Caracol are being carried on by Diane and Arlen Chase of the University of Central Florida. The latest excavations are in an area approximately 500 yards southeast of Caracol's central plaza. Once Caracol has been fully excavated it may dwarf even the great city of Tikal, which is a few dozen miles away (as the toucan flies) in Guatemala. The evidence suggests that Caracol won a crushing victory over Tikal in the mid-6th century, a theory that Guatemalan scholars haven't quite accepted. Until a group of chicleros (collectors of gum base) stumbled on the site in 1936, Caracol was buried under the jungle of the remote Vaca Plateau. It's hard to believe it could have been lost for centuries, as the great pyramid of Caana, at nearly 140 feet, is still Belize's tallest structure.

The main excavated sections are in four groups, denoted on archaeological maps as A, B, C, and D groups. The most impressive structures are the B Group at the northeast end of the excavated plaza. This includes Caana (sometimes spelled Ca'ana or Ka'ana), or "Sky Palace," listed as Structure B19-2nd, along with a ball court, water reservoir, and several large courtyards. Caana remains the tallest structure in Belize. The A Group, on the west side of the plaza, contains a temple, ball court, and a residential area for the elite. The Temple of the Wooden Lintel (Structure A6) is one of the oldest and longest-used buildings at Caracol, dating back to 300 BC. It was still in use in AD 1100. To the northwest of the A Group is the Northwest Acropolis, primarily a residential area. The third major plaza forming the core of the site is at the point where a causeway enters the "downtown" part of Caracol. The D Group is a group of structures at the South Acropolis.

Near the entrance to Caracol is a small but interesting visitor center. If you have driven here on your own (with a Belize Defence Forces escort) instead of with a tour, a guide usually can be hired at the site, but you can also walk around on your own. Seeing all of the excavated area involves several hours of hiking around the site. Wear sturdy shoes and bring insect repellent. Also, watch for anthill mounds and, rarely, snakes. This part of the Chiquibul Forest Reserve is a good place for birding and wildlife spotting. Around the ruins are troops of howler monkeys and flocks of ocellated turkeys, and you may also see deer, coatimundis, foxes, and other wildlife at the site or on the way.

Some visitors to Cockscomb are disappointed that they don't see jaguars and that wildlife doesn't jump out from behind trees to astound them as they hike the trails. The experience here is indeed a low-key one, and seeing wildlife requires patience and luck. You'll have the best chance of seeing wild animals, perhaps even a jaguar or one of the other large cats, if you stay overnight, preferably for several nights, in the sanctuary and employ the services of a guide on an extended hike. Several nearby lodges, such as Hamanasi in Hopkins, offer night hikes to Cockscomb, departing around dusk and returning around 9 pm. Even then, your jaguar might not materialize—pragmatism is a must—but you'll spot plenty of other wildlife, and that's a splendid consolation prize.

Among the native wildlife aside from the jaguars, you might see other cats—pumas, margays, and ocelots—plus coatis, kinkajous, deer, peccaries, and, last but not least, tapirs. Also known as the mountain cow, this shy, curious creature appears to be half horse, half hippo, with a bit of cow and elephant thrown in. Nearly 300 species of birds have been identified in the Cockscomb Basin, including the keel-billed toucan, the king vulture, several hawk species, and the scarlet macaw, a species of parrot.

Within the reserve is Belize's best-maintained system of jungle and mountain trails, most of which lead to at least one outstanding swimming hole. The sanctuary also has spectacular views of Victoria Peak and the Cockscomb Range. Bring serious bug spray with you—the reserve swarms with mosquitoes and tiny biting flies called no-see-ums—and, if you can tolerate the heat, wear long-sleeve shirts and long pants. The best times to hike anywhere in Belize are early morning, late afternoon, and early evening, when temperatures are lower and more animals are on the prowl.

The road from Maya Centre to the Cockscomb ranger station and visitor center winds 6 miles (10 km) through dense vegetation—splendid cahune palms, purple mimosas, orchids, and big-leaf plantains—and as you go higher the marvelous sound of tropical birds, often resembling strange windup toys, grows stronger and stronger. This is definitely four-wheel-drive terrain. You may have to ford several small creeks as well as negotiate deep, muddy ruts. At the end, in a clearing with hibiscus and bougainvillea bushes, you'll find a little office, where you can buy maps of the nature trails, along with restrooms, several picnic tables, cabins, and a campground. The Belize Audubon Society manages the Cockscomb and can assist in making reservations for the simple accommodations in the sanctuary.

Altogether there are some 20 miles (33 km) of marked trails. Walking along these 12 nature trails is a good way to get to know the region. Most are loops of 0.5–1.5 miles (1–2 km), so you can do several in a day. The most strenuous trail takes you up a steep hill; from the top is a magnificent view of the entire Cockscomb Basin. Longer hikes, such as to Victoria Peak, require a guide and several days of strenuous walking.

Hotels and tour operators and guides in Hopkins, Placencia, and Dangriga offer tours to Cockscomb; Hopkins is closest to the sanctuary but it is easily accessible from any of these coastal communities.

The sanctuary's visitor center is at the end of the causeway. Stop here to pay your admission and arrange a guided tour of the sanctuary or rent a canoe for a do-it-yourself trip. The sanctuary, one of the country's top bird-watching spots, is managed by the Belize Audubon Society. You can also walk through the village and hike birding trails around the area. If you'd prefer to go by horseback, you pay by the hour. The visitor center has a free village and trail map. If you're staying overnight, your hotel can arrange canoe or bike rentals and set up tours and trips. Although tours can run at any time, the best time is early in the morning, when birds are most active.

The city's finest colonial structure is said to have a design inspired by the illustrious British architect Sir Christopher Wren. Built in 1814, it was once the residence of the governor-general, the British monarchy's representative in British Honduras. Following Hurricane Hattie in 1961, the decision was made to move the capital inland to Belmopan, and the house became a venue for social functions and a guesthouse for visiting VIPs. (Queen Elizabeth stayed here in 1985, Prince Philip in 1988.) Now it's open to the public. You can peruse its archival records, and art and artifacts from the colonial era, or mingle with the tropical birds that frequent the gardens.

Named after a Garifuna heroine who came to Belize with her 13 children and founded the village of Punta Negra in Toledo District, this museum has a number of displays on Garifuna history and life. Exhibits cover the Garifuna migration from Africa to St. Vincent, then to Roatan and Belize. Another exhibit is on Thomas Vincent Ramos, a visionary Garifuna leader who, in 1941, established the first Garifuna Settlement Day. Other displays are on Garifuna food, clothing, medicinal plants, and music and dance. The museum also has rotating displays of paintings by Garifuna artists including Pen Cayetano.

What makes Lamanai so special is its setting on the west bank of a beautiful 28-mile-long (45-km) lagoon, one of only two waterside Maya sites in Belize (the other is Cerros, near Corozal Town). Nearly 400 species of birds have been spotted in the area and a troop of howler monkeys visits the archaeological site regularly.

For nearly 3,000 years Lamanai's residents carried on a lifestyle that passed from one generation to the next until the Spanish missionaries arrived. You can still see the ruins of the missionaries' church near the village of Indian Church. The same village also has an abandoned 19th-century sugar mill. With its immense drive wheel and steam engine—on which you can still read the name of the manufacturer, Leeds Foundry of New Orleans—swathed in strangler vines and creepers, it's a haunting sight. In all, 50 to 60 Maya structures are spread over this 950-acre archaeological reserve. The most impressive is the largest pre-Classic structure in Belize—a massive, stepped temple built into the hillside overlooking the New River Lagoon. Many structures at Lamanai have been partially excavated. Trees and vines grow from the tops of some temples, and the sides of one pyramid are covered with vegetation. On the grounds you'll find a visitor center with educational displays on the site, and pottery, carvings, and small statues, some dating back 2,500 years. Local villagers from the Indian Church Village Artisans Center set up small stands on the grounds to sell handmade carvings, jewelry, and other crafts, along with T-shirts and snacks. Many visitors enjoy Lamanai not only for the stunning setting on the New River Lagoon, but also for the boat ride up the New River, where you are likely to see many birds, along with howler monkeys, crocodiles, and maybe even manatees.

Lamanai is a popular destination for cruise ship excursions; some days there can be large numbers of day visitors from cruise ships.

Lubaantun, which lies beyond the village of San Pedro Columbia, is southern Belize's premier Maya site and sight. The Late Classic complex was rediscovered in 1924 by German archaeologist Thomas Gann, who gave it a name meaning "place of fallen stones." Lubaantun must have been an awe-inspiring sight: on top of a conical hill, with views to the sea in one direction and the Maya Mountains in the other, its stepped layers of white-plaster stone would have towered above the jungle like a wedding cake. Lubaantun's structures are notable for their rounded corners and precision cutting, with no mortar needed to fit the stones together. No one knows exactly what function the structures served, but the wealth of miniature masks and whistles found suggests it was a center of ceramic production. (The altars so common to other Maya sites are nowhere to be found here.) The trio of ball courts and the central plaza with tiered seating for 10,000 spectators seems like a Maya Madison Square Garden, and you'll occasionally see kids kicking around a soccer ball here. There's a small visitor center at the site. Although this is southern Belize's largest Maya site, visitors are few during the week, and you might find you have the whole place to yourself. Most tour operators in Punta Gorda can arrange trips to Lubaantun, or you can visit by rental car, an easy trip down the San Antonio Road.

This small but fascinating museum, under the aegis of the National Institute of Culture and History (NICH), was Her (or His) Majesty's Prison from 1857 to 1993. Permanent displays include ancient jade and other Maya artifacts; medicinal, ink, and alcoholic-beverage bottles dating from the 17th century; Belize and British Honduran coins and colorful postage stamps; and an actual prison cell. Temporary exhibitions change periodically.

Nim Li Punit, a Late Classic site discovered in 1976, has 26 unearthed stelae, including one, Stela 14, that is 30 feet tall—the largest ever found in Belize and the second largest found anywhere in the Maya world. It's a fact that the original names of most Maya complexes in Mesoamerica are lost to to the ages. In a right and rite of first modern encounter, the archaeologists rediscovering each site conferred their own descriptive Modern Mayan, Spanish, or English names on them, and here is another example: Nim Li Punit, which means "Big Hat" in the Kek'chi Mayan language, is named for the elaborate headgear of a ruler pictured on Stela 14. Shady trees cool you off as you walk around the fairly small site (you can see it all in an hour or so). Stop by the informative visitor center on the premises—it's one of Belize's best such facilities—to learn more about the site. Nim Li Punit is near the Kek'chi village of Indian Creek, and children (and some adults) from the village usually come over and offer jewelry and crafts for sale. It is easily accessible via a short dirt road off the Southern Highway.

Hot springs, freshwater lagoons, caves, and hiking trails dot the 6,000-acre Agua Caliente Wildlife Sanctuary. The sanctuary is known for its water birds, including ibises, herons, egrets, woodstorks, and kingfishers. A half-mile boardwalk gives access to the visitor center. Navigating the trails can be tricky; use a local guide or one affiliated with an area tour operator. During the dry season you can hike under the forest canopy and through wetlands to the warm springs at the base of the Agua Caliente hills. During the rainy season, canoes are available for hire.

A team from the Royal Ontario Museum first excavated the Maya site in the early 1960s and found 250 structures spread over more than 1,000 square yards. At Plaza B, in the Temple of the Masonry Altars, archaeologists unearthed the grandest and most valuable piece of Maya art ever discovered—the head of the sun god Kinich Ahau. Weighing nearly 10 pounds, and worth an estimated 5- to 10-million dollars, it was carved from a solid block of green jade. The head is kept in a solid steel vault in the Central Bank of Belize, though it is occasionally displayed at the Museum of Belize. The jade head appears on all denominations of Belize currency. If the Masonry Altars temple looks familiar to you, it's because an illustration of the Masonry Altars structure appears on Belikin beer bottles. Because the Altun Ha site is small, it's not necessary to have a tour guide, but licensed guides may offer their services when you arrive. Don't skip the visitor center to learn about the Maya before you head in. Try to arrive early to beat the heat and the crowds.

Tours from Belize City, Orange Walk, and Crooked Tree also are options. Altun Ha is a regular stop on cruise ship excursions, and on days when several ships are in port in Belize City (typically midweek), Altun Ha may be crowded. Several tour operators in San Pedro and Caye Caulker also offer day trips to Altun Ha, often combined with lunch at the nearby Maruba Resort Jungle Spa. Most of these tours from the cayes are by boat, landing at Bomba Village. From here, a van makes the short ride to Altun Ha. 

Although the Maya are by far the largest population in rural Toledo, the district also forms part of Belize's Garifuna homeland. Barranco, a small village of fewer than 150 people about an hour by road from Punta Gorda, is the largest Garifuna center in Toledo. This southernmost coastal village in Belize has electricity, a couple of shops, a bar, a police station, a health clinic, and a school. Old-timers lament that young people don't want to stay in Barranco; they leave for the bright lights of Punta Gorda, Belize City, or beyond. In fact, remittances sent back home from those who are working elsewhere contribute substantially to the village's economy. One local kid who made good was Andy Palacio, the famed punta rock musician. A guided village tour includes, in addition to a visit to Palacio's gravesite, stops at the Dabuyaba (Garifuna temple), the House of Culture, and a cassava factory. Lunch in a local home is also possible. TIDE Tours, PG Tours, and other tour operators offer trips to Barranco, or you can drive yourself.

This wet cave, now a part of the Barton Creek Archeological Reserve in a remote area off the Mountain Pine Ridge Road, offers a canoeing adventure in Xibalba (the Mayan underworld). You'll float through about a mile of a long underground chamber—the cave is nearly 5 miles (8 km) long and parts have never been completely explored. You'll see Mayan ceramics along with ancient calcified skeletal remains and skulls. You can go on a tour from San Ignacio or from your lodge. PACZ Tours, for example, offers a six-hour tour, including lunch and admission to the cave, for BZ$170 plus tax per person, and Chaa Creek offers a half-day tour for one- to four persons for BZ$310 plus BZ$50 per person for park admission and equipment plus tax. You can also drive to the cave yourself, rent a boat and gear, and hire a guide near the cave. Getting to the cave is an adventure in itself, requiring a long drive on rough roads. Parts of the road and the cave itself may be inaccessible after hard rains. Be careful in the cave; it's best to tour with a reputable tour company with an experienced tour guide and reliable, well-maintained equipment such as float vests.

Also called the Rainforest Medicine Trail, this trail was originally developed by natural medicine guru Rosita Arvigo and gives you a quick introduction to traditional Mayan medicine. The trail takes you on a short, self-guided walk through the rain forest on the grounds of Chaa Creek, giving you a chance to study the symbiotic nature of its plant life. Learn about the healing properties of such indigenous plants as red gumbo-limbo and see some endangered medicinal plants. The shop here sells Mayan medicinal products like Belly Be Good and Flu Away.

Your stop for snapping a “Look where I am!” photo to post on Facebook or Instagram could be these large block letters by the shore that spell out BELIZE. Each colorful letter is a painted mural unto itself. Early morning sees the fewest visitors and the best opportunity for you and/or your traveling companions to get the shot you want. (You'll see people stand atop the two Es. We don’t recommend that.)

See exotic spices such as cardamom, vanilla, nutmeg, clove, cinnamon, and sandalwood growing at this spice farm just off the Southern Highway at Golden Stream. Black pepper is grown in enough quantity (about 10,000 pounds of peppercorns per year) for commercial sales in Belize. The spice farm is part of a 500-acre tract now producing mostly citrus fruits. Visitors are given a guided tour of the farm on a cart with seats pulled by a tracked tractor; walking tours are also available. The last stop on the tour is the drying room, full of wonderful spice aromas. Tours generally start every hour on the hour from 8 to 4, but it's advisable to call ahead. The restaurant accommodates tour groups and other visitors.

This 1,600-acre park lies along the Hummingbird Highway between Miles 16.5 and 19 in Stann Creek District. Established in 2001, the park is still relatively young, and although it offers no spectacular sights, it does have rustic hiking trails. The Barquedier Waterfall (locally sometimes called Bak-a-Der Waterfall) is about a 20-minute hike from the entrance. The park is part of a community co-management program for nature reserves. It's best to enter the park via the northern entrance at Mile 16.5 of the Hummingbird Highway. Camping is available in the park for BZ$20 per person, plus the park entrance fee. As to the park's curious name, it was named after its principle creek. Billy Barquedier was not a person, at least that anyone knows. Barquedier is an alternative French spelling for a barcadere, a "landing place." No one can identify where the "Billy" part comes from. 

Ever been freshwater snorkeling? Check out the Bladen River in the Bladen Nature Reserve. The river snakes through the reserve, allowing for excellent kayaking, canoeing, swimming, and, yes, some freshwater snorkeling. The 100,000-acre Bladen Reserve is comanaged by the Belize Forestry Department and the Ya'axche Conservation Trust, an environmental NGO based in Punta Gorda. Bladen is the center piece of the Maya Mountain Corridor, creating a crucial link in the last remaining large, intact block of forest in the region. Additional parts of this corridor are protected by the Cockscomb Basin Wildlife Sanctuary, the Columbia River Forest Reserve, and the Chiquibul National Park and Forest Reserve, all bordering Bladen. Tours of the Bladen Reserve also are given by interns from a private reserve managed by the Belize Foundation for Research and Environmental Education (BFREE). Camping and simple bunkhouse accommodations are available for around BZ$80–BZ$120 per person per day, meals included. Additional charges may apply for transportation, canoe rental, laundry, and other services.

Just at the western edge of San Ignacio, on a tall hill, is a small, intriguing Mayan site, the unfortunately named Cahal Pech ("Place of the Ticks"). You probably won't be bothered by ticks now, however. It was occupied from around 1200 BC to around AD 900. At its peak, in AD 600, Cahal Pech was a medium-size settlement of perhaps 10,000 people with some three dozen structures huddled around seven plazas. It's thought that it functioned as a guard post, watching over the nearby confluence of the Mopan and Macal Rivers. It may be somewhat less compelling than the area's other ruins, but it's no less mysterious, and worth a visit, given that these structures mark the presence of a civilization we know so little about. Look for answers at the small visitor center and museum, where you can also find a guide.

The largest tourism information center in the country, the BZ$4 million Cayo Welcome Center was established in San Ignacio due to the Cayo's archaeological sites and rain-forest jungle lodges getting an increasing number of visitors. Besides friendly staff who provide information about tours, lodging, restaurants, and sightseeing, the center has exhibits and photos of Mayan artifacts found in San Ignacio, along with contemporary art and cultural displays. Free Wi-Fi is available throughout. Food stalls and a burger restaurant are in or near the center complex, and there is easy access to the pedestrian-only section of Burns Avenue, with its tour guide offices, restaurants, bars, banks, shops, and budget hotels. The center also functions as a community center, with free movies and musical concerts by local bands some nights.

Like the Tulum site in Mexico, Cerros (also referred to as Cerro Maya, or Maya Hill in Spanish) is unusual in that it's directly on the water. Unlike Tulum, however, there is little development around it, and at times you can have the place all to yourself. With a beautiful setting on a peninsula jutting into Corozal Bay, near the mouth of the New River, the late pre-Classic center dates to 2000 BC and includes a ball court, several tombs, and a large temple. Altogether, there are some 170 structures, many just mounds of stone and earth, on 52 acres. There's also a small visitor center. Bring plenty of bug spray—mosquitoes can be fierce here.

The easiest way to get to Cerros is to charter a boat in Corozal Town, for a 15-minute ride across the bay.

The Natural History Centre at The Lodge at Chaa Creek has a small library and lots of displays on everything from butterflies to snakes (pickled in jars). Outside is a screened-in blue morpho butterfly-breeding center. If you haven't encountered blue morphos in the wild, you can see them up close here and even peer at their slumbering pupae, which resemble jade earrings. Once you're inside the double doors, the electric blue beauties, which look boringly brown when their wings are closed, flit about or remain perfectly still, sometimes on your shoulder or head, and open and close their wings to a rhythm akin to inhaling and exhaling. Tours are led by a team of knowledgeable naturalists. You can combine a visit here with one to the Belize Medicinal Plants Trail.

The architecturally elegant old Corozal Cultural Center, for many years the main Corozal market, was completely renovated and is now the Corozal House of Culture. Located in one of the oldest buildings in northern Belize (other than ancient Maya structures), the House of Culture was built in 1886. It's operated by the National Institute of History and Culture (NICH) as an art gallery and museum devoted to the history of Corozal Town and northern Belize. NICH operates other museums including ones in Belize City, Orange Walk Town, San Pedro, San Ignacio, and Benque Viejo, along with many Maya archaeological sites.

The history of Corozal, including a graphic portrayal of the brutality of colonial rule on the indigenous people, is depicted in a strikingly beautiful mural by Manuel Villamor Reyes on the wall of the Corozal Town Hall.

From cacao beans to final candy bars, you can see how chocolate is made at Cotton Tree Chocolates, a small chocolate factory on Front Street in Punta Gorda. It's associated with Cotton Tree Lodge. You'll get a short guided tour of the chocolate-making process and you can buy bars of delicious milk or dark chocolate. Cotton Tree Lodge also offers guests a program on sustainable cacao growing, producing, and harvesting.

The falls here are about 500 feet high and are the second highest in the country; the natural pool at the base of the falls is 75 feet deep. The swimming is wonderful, and the undisturbed forest around the falls is great for a picnic or enjoying nature. Before going to Davis Falls, stop at the Citrus Products of Belize plant (Mile 14.5 of Hummingbird Highway/Stann Creek District Highway) for information and to pay your admission fee. Tours of Davis Falls are offered by several tour guides including Holistic Eco Tours at Steadfast Village.

Getting to Davis Falls requires a four-wheel-drive vehicle to tackle the extremely rough 8-mile (13-km) dirt road, before you set out on the arduous 2-mile (3.3-km) hike.