Northern Belize
We’ve compiled the best of the best in Northern Belize - browse our top choices for the top things to see or do during your stay.
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1. Crooked Tree Village
One of Belize's oldest inland villages, established some 300 years ago, Crooked Tree is at the center of the Crooked Tree Wildlife Sanctuary. With a population of about 900, most of Creole origin, the community has a church, a school, and one of the surest signs of a former British territory: a cricket pitch. There are many large cashew trees around the village, the serpentine growth pattern of which gave the village its name. The cashews are highly fragrant when in bloom in January and February, and when the cashew fruits ripen to a golden yellow color in May and June, they taste something like mango and smell like sweet grapes. The cashew nuts require roasting to make them edible. Villagers make and sell cashew wine. A Cashew Festival is held annually in early May.
Off Philip Goldson Hwy. (formerly Northern Hwy.), Crooked Tree Village, Belize District, Belize223--5004 -
2. Crooked Tree Wildlife Sanctuary
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.
Crooked Tree Village, Belize District, Belize223--5004-Belize Audubon Society in Belize CitySight Details
Rate Includes: BZ$8 -
3. Gallon Jug Estates
Once part of the venerable Belize Estates & Produce Company that owned one-fifth of all the land in Belize, Gallon Jug Estates is now 130,000 private acres that straddle the Orange Walk and Cayo Districts. There's a 3,000-acre working farm that produces coffee, grows cacao and corn, and raises cattle; it's the only truly commercial coffee operation in Belize. Gallon Jug also produces hot sauces and delicious mango and other jams, which sell in Belize and elsewhere. Tours of the coffee plantings and the production facility, along with other farm and jungle tours, can be arranged through Chan Chich Lodge. Jaguar sightings are fairly common around the Chan Chich Lodge, averaging around one a week. You're likely to see toucans, many different hummingbirds, flocks of parrots and ocellated turkeys, as well as deer. Chan Chich, one of the best jungle lodges in Central America, is the only place to stay in the area. It's possible to visit on a day-trip from La Milpa Field Station, Blue Creek Village, or even Lamanai or Orange Walk Town, but you need your own transportation and advance permission to come on the gated, private Gallon Jug lands. Gallon Jug has its own private landing strip.
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4. Lamanai
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.
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5. Altun Ha
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.
Rockstone Pond Rd., Maskall Village, Belize District, Belize223--0811-NICH/Belize Institute of ArcheologySight Details
Rate Includes: BZ$10 -
Recommended Fodor’s Video
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6. Cerros
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.
Copper Bank, Corozal, Belize822--2106-NICHSight Details
Rate Includes: BZ$10 -
7. Corozal House of Culture
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.
1st Ave., Corozal Town, Corozal, BelizeSight Details
Rate Includes: Free, Closed weekends -
8. Corozal Museum
This tiny one-room museum is the work of Lydia Ramcharam Pollard, a third-generation Indian Belizean, whose grandparents came to Belize as indentured servants in the mid-19th century and worked in the sugarcane and rice fields. Pollard has collected a variety of Corozal historical artifacts, including old domestic household items, sugarcane tools, tortilla-making equipment, and other mestizo pieces, along with some items that represent her family's history.
129 South End, Corozal Town, Corozal, Belize402-3314Sight Details
Rate Includes: By donation, Closed Sun., 9-11:30 am, 1-4:30 pm Mon.-Fri.,, 9-11:30 Sat. (hours may vary) -
9. Corozal Town Hall
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.
1st St. S, Corozal Town, Corozal, Belize480--2072Sight Details
Rate Includes: Free, Closed weekends -
10. Las Banquitas House of Culture
This small museum—the name refers to the little benches in a nearby riverside park—presents changing exhibitions on Orange Walk District's history and culture. Among the permanent displays are artifacts from Lamanai and Cuello. Las Banquitas is one of five House of Culture museums; the other four are in Belize City, Corozal Town, Benque Viejo, and Santa Elena, though the Belize City one rarely accepts visitors and is used for events. These museums are operated by NICH, the National Institute of Culture and History.
Main and Bautista Sts., Orange Walk Town, Orange Walk, Belize227--0811-NICHSight Details
Rate Includes: Free, some exhibits have small fees, Closed weekends -
11. Río Bravo Conservation and Management Area
Managed by Belize City–based Programme for Belize, a not-for-profit organization whose mission is the wise use and conservation of Belize's natural resources, the Río Bravo Conservation Area contains nearly 400 species of birds, 70 species of mammals, and 200 types of trees. About one-half of Río Bravo is managed as a nature reserve, and the rest is managed to generate income, from forestry and other activities, including tourism. Programme for Belize is actively involved in research and conservation programs to protect endangered species including the yellow-headed parrot. Within the reserve's borders are more than 60 Maya sites; many have yet to be explored. The most important is La Milpa, Belize's largest site beside Caracol and Lamanai. At its height between AD 400 and 830, La Milpa was home to almost 50,000 people. The suburbs of this city spread out some 3 miles (5 km) from the city center, and the entire city encompassed some 30 square miles (78 square km) in area. So far, archaeologists have discovered 20 large courtyards and 19 stelae. Visiting Río Bravo, like the other areas of northwestern Orange Walk, is best done in a four-wheel-drive vehicle. You must make arrangements to visit in advance with Programme for Belize, as the entire Río Bravo Conservation Area is managed by this private, nonprofit organization, and the main road through its lands is gated. You also need advance reservations to stay at La Milpa Field Station. Staying overnight or longer at this field station is the best way to see Río Bravo, but you can visit it briefly on a day-trip. Another field station, at Hill Bank, primarily serves as a research base for sustainable forest management but visitors with an interest in forest research can be accommodated in two cabanas and a dorm that sleeps six. Contact Programme for Belize for information. Guides and information are available at La Milpa Field Station. Chan Chich Lodge, Lamanai Outpost Lodge, and other hotels also can arrange visits with guides to La Milpa and the Río Bravo Conservation and Management Area.
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12. Santa Rita
Not far from Corozal are several Maya sites. The closest, Santa Rita, is a short walk or drive from the town center. It's on a low hill across from the Coca-Cola plant near Corozal Hospital at the north end of town. Only one large temple building has been excavated. The government of Belize designated Santa Rita as an official "Wedding Garden of Belize," and a number of mostly Belizean weddings have been held there. Although there isn't a visitor center yet, a caretaker/guide will show you around and collect the admission fee.
Near Corozal Hospital and Coca-Cola plant, Corozal Town, Corozal, BelizeSight Details
Rate Includes: BZ$10 -
13. Shipstern Nature Reserve
About 3½ miles (6 km) west of Sarteneja on the road to Orange Walk or Corozal is the Shipstern Nature Reserve; this is the driest place in Belize and best visited January through April. You pass the entrance and visitor center as you come into Sarteneja. The 31 square miles (81 square km) of tropical forest forming the reserve are, like the Crooked Tree Wildlife Sanctuary, a paradise for birders. Shipstern is managed by the Corozal Sustainable Future Initiative (CSFI), an NGO. More than 300 species of birds have been identified here. Look for egrets (there are 13 species), American coots, keel-billed toucans, flycatchers, warblers, and several species of parrots. Mammals are in healthy supply as well, including tapirs, pumas, and jaguars. The former butterfly farm next to the visitor center is now a small education area, and butterflies are being repopulated; don't apply bug spray if you are entering the butterfly enclosure. There is a botanical trail leading from the visitor center, with the names of many plants and trees identified on small signs. Admission, a visit to the butterfly center, and a guided tour of the botanical trail is BZ$10 per person. Other tours are available, including one to the lagoon at Xo-Pol (BZ$150 per person) to see birds and crocodiles; stop at the Shipstern visitor center for more information. Bring plenty of bug juice. Although you can stay and eat in Sarteneja village, Shipstern offers basic cabin accommodations or a budget; meals are an added daily cost.
Chunox-Sarteneja Rd., Sarteneja, Corozal, Belize632--0939-Corozal Sustainable Future Initiative in Corozal TownSight Details
Rate Includes: BZ$10 per person; birding tours BZ$50 per person
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