From Mayan ruins to jungle lodges, Belize offers terrific experiences that should be on every traveler’s list. Here are Fodor’s top picks for a memorable trip.
Cave Tubing
Overland journeys and undersea adventures are just part of the Belize experience. Underground, you’ll find subterranean rivers that provide thrilling passage through spooky caves.
PLAN YOUR TRIP: Visit Fodor’s Belize Travel Guide
Bird Watching
Belize’s jungles teem with wild birds—nearly 600 species. Endangered beauties such as the scarlet macaw and keel-billed toucan roam freely in the country’s interior.
PLAN YOUR TRIP: Visit Fodor’s Belize Travel Guide
Kayaking
The Belize Barrier Reef blocks big swells, so the country has some of the region’s best open-water kayaking. Inland, there are rivers for all levels of paddlers.
PLAN YOUR TRIP: Visit Fodor’s Belize Travel Guide
Jaguar Trekking
Jaguars are shy and nocturnal, so sightings are rare. But Belize has the highest concentration of them in the world. With patience and luck, you might spot one in the wild.
PLAN YOUR TRIP: Visit Fodor’s Belize Travel Guide
Belize Barrier Reef
Widely considered one of the world’s best sites for diving and snorkeling, the Belize Barrier Reef is home to more than 300 species of fish and sixty-five kinds of coral. It’s the longest barrier reef in the Western or Northern hemispheres.
PLAN YOUR TRIP: Visit Fodor’s The Cayes and the Atolls Travel Guide
Ziplining
One of the most thrilling ways to explore Belize is from its treetops. Canopy tours zip you through a network of suspended platforms high in the trees.
PLAN YOUR TRIP: Visit Fodor’s Belize Travel Guide
Remote Escapes
Private islands are the stuff of dream vacations, and Belize’s cayes and atolls have a number of these fantasy getaways—some with surprisingly down-to-earth prices.
PLAN YOUR TRIP: Visit Fodor’s The Cayes and the Atolls Travel Guide
Mayan Ruins
For 5,000 years the Mayans inhabited this region. Caracol and more than a dozen sites are open to visitors for climbing, exploring, and general ogling of astounding architectural ingenuity.
PLAN YOUR TRIP: Visit Fodor’s The Cayo District Travel Guide
Staying at a Jungle Lodge
In Belize there’s a jungle lodge for every budget, from simple cabins to the deluxe Caves Branch Adventure Company & Jungle Lodge. Included free each night is the jungle music of birds, monkeys, and tree frogs.
PLAN YOUR TRIP: Visit Fodor’s Belize Travel Guide
Hummingbird Highway
A drive on this scenic roadway winds through limestone hill country, deep-green mountains, and citrus country with groves of Valencia oranges.
PLAN YOUR TRIP: Visit Fodor’s The Cayo District Travel Guide
Actun Tunichil Muknal
More than a cave system, ATM is a visit to a Mayan underworld filled with eerie chambers where ancient artifacts and human skeletons remain undisturbed.
PLAN YOUR TRIP: Visit Fodor’s The Cayo District Travel Guide
Ambergris Caye and Caye Caulker
Belize’s largest island and its “little sister” attract divers and beachcombers, sunbathers and snorkelers, with the most water sports, beach resorts, and restaurants in the country.
PLAN YOUR TRIP: Visit Fodor’s The Cayes and the Atolls Travel Guide