There are many more enjoyable things to do in Belize than one vacation can cover, including stunning Cayes, superb scuba diving, magnificent turquoise water, and several options for adventure.
Even though Belize is a small country, it has a more fantastic range of scenery and activities than most other places worldwide.
Belize is a haven for ecotourists and adventurers thanks to its western edge’s dense jungles and historical ruins, the Caribbean side’s sparkling Cayes (islands), and their closeness to the second-largest barrier reef in the world.
In the Cayo District, visit Maya monuments, hang from the branches, and plunge into cool pools beneath waterfalls.
You may snorkel and swim among sharks in the Hol Chan Marine Reserve. Dive the Great Blue Hole and cross that off your bucket list.
The sightings of jaguars, pumas, and howler monkeys in nature reserves will excite animal enthusiasts. In contrast, the sightings of unusual red-footed boobies and frigate birds on inaccessible Cayes will amaze birdwatchers.
Since Belmopan, the capital city, and other important towns and cities are all connected by roads, making Belize the only country in Central America with an English-speaking population, it is simple to explore the country’s natural wonders. Notable towns and cities include San Pedro and San Ignacio, the capital city, and other villages.
Popular destinations like Caye Caulker and Ambergris Caye have daily flights. In just two hours, you can travel the whole nation by car.
If you enjoy the great outdoors and adventure, Belize has a lot to offer. Discover interesting and intriguing things to do in Belize by reading on.
1. 20 Things To Do in Belize
Language, culture, and cuisine all represent Belize’s true multiculturalism.
Although English is the official language, Kriol, Spanish, Maya, and Garifuna are widely spoken.
Recent immigration groups like the Chinese and, interestingly enough, the Mennonites, retired Americans, and Canadians add to Belize’s diversity, making this lovely country unique.
Every traveler should include Belize on their bucket list because of its incredible natural beauty, unique culture, cuisine, and commitment to protecting its heritage and biodiversity.
Keep reading to discover what to see and do in Belize, the most distinctive nation in Central America!
1.1. Actun Tunichil Muknal Cave
Inside the cave, visitors to the ATM Tour (Actun Tunichil Muknal) can view beautiful stalactites, stalagmites, and Maya pottery preserved without modification for hundreds of years.
The ATM Tour is best characterized as an adventure in the vein of “Indiana Jones.”
Your tour guide will unveil hidden passageways, tell tales of Mayan deities, and point out traces of a princess burial scene.
To get to the ATM camp, you must travel through the bush for 45 minutes and cross three rivers.
Next, You’ll put on a helmet and headlamp and explore the three-mile-long tunnel, ducking under crystalline stalactites and climbing ladders as you go down an underground river.
The journey will bring you near pottery fragments, jade axe heads, and other relics.
The journey culminates with a glimpse of the renowned Crystal Maiden, a teenager’s preserved skeleton who was offered to the gods as a sacrifice.
The bones have become calcified and have a brilliant aspect. It’s a singularly unique experience.
1.2. Stroll Through the Belize Zoo
The Belize Zoo is your next best option if your schedule prevents you from visiting the nation’s wildlife in its natural habitat.
The 29-acre zoo, located along George Prince Highway Mile 25, is home to several local animals.
To give animals used in documentaries about tropical forests a place to live, the zoo was founded in 1983.
Visitors can watch animals in enclosures similar to their natural habitats possible here; there are no iron bars.
The zoo has about 125 animals from 48 species, ranging from jaguars to howler monkeys.
The Belize Zoo also serves to rehabilitate rescued and abandoned animals.
1.3. Blue Hole
It used to be a sizable cave with magnificent stalactites and stalagmites, but it collapsed underwater when the sea took over.
The Great Blue Hole lies 450 feet below the surface and is a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
The Lighthouse Reef Atoll is home to this underwater sinkhole, which has a part of deep blue water encircled by shallow turquoise waters.
A fantastic view of this attraction may be had from above on a helicopter trip. The Turneffe Atoll Island group is another stop on the itinerary.
Those with a scuba diving certification can explore the natural beauties of ancient underwater tunnels, strange limestone structures, fringing coral, sharks, and other varieties of sea life beneath the surface.
Although Belize has pleasant weather all year, the best months to go diving are between April and June when it’s dry and the weather is optimum.
1.4. Caye Caulker
The five-mile-long Caye Caulker, which is 20 miles north of Belize City and is arguably the most endearing of all the Cayes in Belize, is a laid-back destination that attracts a lot of backpackers, budget tourists, and sun worshippers.
Decide to remain for a few days and take advantage of the local cuisine, shops, and day trips to nearby islands.
You shouldn’t be shocked if you see stray dogs chasing motorcycles and golf carts.
The Split, made possible by Hurricane Hattie in 1961, which split the island in two, is the most exciting location to visit.
The Split is now a tiny public beach ideal for meeting other tourists, eating delectable meals, and enjoying the warm waters while snorkeling or swimming.
Visitors frequently sit beside the water on benches and beach chairs to enjoy refreshments.
1.5. Shark Ray Alley
The Hol Chan Marine Reserve visitors can swim with nurse sharks and stingrays at the well-known Shark Ray Alley.
As long as they aren’t infringed upon, the four to five-foot-long nurse sharks are generally harmless to people.
Shark Ray Alley was created when local fishermen used the area to scrub up their daily catches because nursing sharks and rays were attracted to the leftovers.
Now, they gather in droves for a meal whenever they hear the boats. Your tour leader will use small fish to entice the sharks while you swim safely close to them at Shark Ray Alley.
Rest assured, you won’t miss much from the boat if you decide not to jump in.
Make sure to go with a firm that has permission to bring people, as snorkeling and diving activities in the reserve are strictly regulated.
1.6. Mayan Way
Belize is referred to as the birthplace of chocolate due to evidence that Mayan Indians enjoyed consuming chocolate-based beverages regularly.
Most of today’s chocolate manufacturing is concentrated in the Toledo District of southern Belize.
At the Lubaantun Ruins, visitors can explore a Mayan site while learning about chocolate’s significance in Mayan culture.
Visit a cacao farm to observe the beans’ cultivation and chocolate production.
In the San Pedro Columbia town, Eladio’s Chocolate Adventure offers organic cacao production eco-tours, delectable tastings, and a Mayan-style lunch at their hilltop restaurant.
You may sample regional cuisine and tour nearby cacao farms during the annual Toledo Cacao Festival, which lasts three days in May.
1.7. Belize Island
Belize has more than 400 offshore islands spread out along the Belize Barrier Reef, the second-largest barrier reef in the world, although some are just strips of uninhabited sandy coral.
Gourmet restaurants, cafes, resorts, and entertainment venues are all available on larger islands like Ambergris Caye and Caye Caulker.
The Placencia Peninsula, which is technically not an island but has 16 miles of golden sands on the Caribbean, is located southwest of Belize.
Despite the Placencia Peninsula’s growing popularity, travelers can still taste the native way of life there.
The Garifuna culture, a distinctive fusion of African and indigenous Caribbean musical, linguistic, gastronomic, and dance traditions, is present in communities like Hopkins, Seine Bight, and Dangriga.
In addition, Placencia is a superb starting place for trips to well-liked snorkeling and scuba diving spots on the Belize Barrier Reef and top mainland sites like the sizable Cockscomb Basin Nature Preserve, the only jaguar reserve in the world.
1.8. Belize Museum
The massive brick building off of Queen Street in central Belize City, which had been the colony’s main prison for decades, was transformed into the Belize Museum in 1993.
The international airport in Belize City bears Philip Goldson’s name, a renowned journalist, politician, and labor activist Antonio Soberanis.
The Belize Museum also honors several of the nation’s contemporary heroes.
Several original cells and the ruins of a wood-fired oven that formerly baked some of the nation’s best bread are on display for visitors to the Belize Museum.
The museum also has displays that span the history of the entire nation.
1.9. Cockscomb Basin Wildlife Sanctuary
There are no trails in the large, uninhabited Cockscomb Basin Nature Reserve.
The reserve is located in Belize’s Stann Creek District and is home to peccaries, coatimundis, otters, and the country’s national animal, the tapir.
A full-time research team devoted to understanding and protecting the jaguar and four other local big cat species can only be found in reserve, a protected natural area, on earth.
The geography of the Cockscomb Basin Wildlife Sanctuary is diverse and includes rivers, mountain slopes, jungle, and marshes from the Maya Mountains in the west to the Caribbean Sea in the east.
1.10. Cayo District
The Cayo District, home to various pre-Columbian archaeological sites, is where the Belizean Mayan world’s center is.
The two tallest structures in the nation, those of Xunantunich and Caracol, still stand among the ruins.
The spectacular 127-foot El Castillo pyramid at Xunantunich, close to the Guatemalan border, is located on a ridge with a view of the Mopan River.
It has a complex of temples and plazas and was initially a Mayan ceremonial center. For sweeping views of the surrounding jungle, climb the pyramid’s summit.
Come prepared and set aside time to explore the plazas and pyramids, as the site is currently off the usual path.
Make San Ignacio, a little hamlet with inexpensive forest accommodations and delicious meals, the base of your stay.
1.11. Half Moon Caye Caulker
In addition to the Great Blue Hole, the Half Moon Caye Atoll is located in the southwest portion of Lighthouse Reef Atoll.
Birdwatchers must visit this World Heritage Site to see the spectacular frigate birds nesting in the Ziricote thicket and the uncommon red-footed booby birds.
A cacophony of screeches and squawks can be heard as you get closer to the island.
You can get close to these birds through a viewing platform accessible through a trail.
Beginning in December, you can observe booby birds; from March through August, you can keep their young.
The case is renowned for its surrounding waters’ exquisite clarity, making snorkeling a marine lover’s paradise.
1.12. Ambergris Caye Caulker
The largest Caye (island) in Belize, Ambergris, has a variety of activities available.
There is plenty for everyone to do in Ambergris Caye, whether you want to unwind in a hammock on a stunning beach, go fishing or sailing, or go on a cuisine tour.
The central town of San Pedro is an ideal tourist base with its beach resorts and PADI tour companies.
Golf carts, the town’s primary mode of transportation, whizz by on its small streets.
1.13. Pine Ridge Forest Reserve
To preserve Belize’s pine trees, the Mountain Pine Ridge Forest Reserve was created in 1944 and is located in the Cayo District.
Adventurers will find many things to do here, starting with exploring the Ro Frio Cave, which welcomes tourists with a 65-foot entrance and has a river running through the cavern’s middle.
Take the well-kept walk along the river, stopping to see the rock formations, and then picnic at the sandy beach at the other end.
The reserve is home to Thousand Foot Falls, which, in actuality, is 1,600 feet high and is the highest waterfall in Central America.
The Maya Mountains’ ribbon of water flows down the Thousand Foot Falls and into the brook below.
If you’re lucky, you might see the uncommon, orange-breasted falcon in the nearby undergrowth.
On hot days, you can swim and cool off at other well-known waterfalls, including the Five Sisters Falls and Big Rock Waterfalls.
1.14. Black Hole
Black Hole Drop cave in Belize is first in the list of Maya sites if Caracol is the mother of all Maya sites.
Actun Loch Tunich is a massive sinkhole in the Maya Mountains, with a 300-foot rim that rises 200 feet above the basin and is surrounded by a growing forest canopy.
Not for the faint of heart, rappelling down to the bottom of the sinkhole is possible with expert caving guides if you are up for it.
You’ll feel a euphoric surge as you descend and move through the lush forest canopy. You’ll need a picnic lunch because climbing up entails scaling rocks and ladders, which some trips provide.
Be prepared for a full day of adventure because getting to the sinkhole demands a harrowing journey through the jungle.
1.15. Placencia Peninsula
On your Belize holiday, you’ll want to schedule some downtime between visiting Mayan ruins, having underwater experiences, and looking for elusive jaguars.
There is no better spot to unwind than on the Placencia Peninsula.
This relaxed area has calm, golden-sand beaches, gently swaying palm trees, and vibrant homes that will immediately put you in the holiday mood.
Examine Belizean art at Lola’s Art Gallery and Art n’ Soul Gallery in the city after you’ve had your fill of the beach.
The agricultural activities provided by Bunches of Fun Banana Farm Tours, which immerse you in a working banana farm and allow you to sample freshly fried banana chips, are also quite popular with tourists.
The Placencia Municipal Pier offers both harbor views and souvenir shopping.
1.16. Blue Hole National Park in St. Herman
The unusual 575-acre forest that houses St. Herman’s Blue Hole National Park, which should not be confused with the Great Blue Hole in the middle of the Atlantic, is home to various wildlife and geological wonders.
The two primary attractions are St. Herman’s Cave and the Blue Hole, connected by an underground stream.
Visitors can explore the cave on foot for around 200 feet without a guide or continue by raft with a guide and see old Mayan treasures.
In either case, bring your headlamp or hire one from the entry to see the spectacular stalactites and stalagmites. One of the best off-the-beaten-path activities in Belize was that.
The sapphire blue hole, a natural pool perfect for a relaxing swim, was created when a limestone cave collapsed.
1.17. Macal River Lagoon
This underappreciated water feature was once a vital connection in the ancient Mayan highway system that connected ceremonial, commercial, and urban routes.
Explore the serene and noteworthy Macal River in a rented canoe. You can take journeys upstream and downstream while admiring the natural surroundings.
There are many species in the area, some of which you can see while riding.
You can also make stops along the river to see a botanical park, a wildlife sanctuary, and another old Mayan city.
1.18. Hol Chan Marine Reserve
Over 4,000 acres of coral reefs, seagrass meadows, and mangroves make up Hol Chan, Mayan for “small channel.”
The marine reserve was created in 1987 to safeguard the region by limiting fishing activities. In the shallow waters of Hol Chan, you may swim among friendly sea turtles, vibrant fish, manta rays, and nurse sharks.
Some of these marine animals are so friendly that you can pet them. On the other hand, adult certified divers can investigate a shipwreck that is 80 feet offshore.
Believe it or not, all the sharks living on this sunken barge are the friendliest on the planet, even moray eels.
Even though the marine life at Hol Chan has become accustomed to people, remember that you are only a guest in their home.
For kids five and older, Hol Chan’s Sea Adventure is ideal. To ensure pleasure and safety, talk to the diving team.
1.19. Go Cruising
One of the most popular activities for visitors to Belize is cruising. If you discuss Belize with other tourists, they’ll probably recommend taking a Belize cruise.
Belize is a stunning beachfront nation with several locations to discover in its gorgeous blue waters.
If you want to cruise, visit one of Belize’s many island beaches, such as Ambergris Caye or Placencia.
However, we advise a tour along the barrier reef if you’re ready for a more significant challenge. You may take cruises to see sharks and other marine animals up close here.
Did we also mention that Ambergris Caye has the most incredible nightlife in Belize? After cruising, visit their neighborhood bars for the best all-night events.
1.20. Scuba And Snorkeling
Belize is a favorite snorkeling destination for divers because of its world-class diving locations. If you visit Belize in the summer, we strongly advise you to see the marine reserves at Hol Chan and South Water Caye.
The most exquisite coral gardens, rare fish, and marine life may all be found here.
Are you looking for a once-in-a-lifetime experience? Consider diving into the Great Blue Hole, the giant sinkhole on Earth.
This UNESCO World Heritage Site is one of the world’s best-known scuba diving locations and unquestionably one of the most unusual things to do in Belize.
2. Final Words
With its modest size, tropical setting, and intriguing history, Belize makes for a simple and wonderful family holiday.
Belize, situated on the Caribbean Sea’s eastern shore, is a country in Central America.
Due to its geographic exposure to the development of the Mayan civilization and the commencement of European discovery, the little country contains a diverse range of cultures and ethnicities.
That implies there will be a lot of swimming and significant Mayan ruins.
Belize is a little-known Caribbean jewel and one of the world’s most underappreciated natural beauty destinations.
Belize is unspoiled and ripe for adventure, with plenty of sand beaches, vibrant coral reefs, old Mayan ruins, and unusual species to explore.
In other words, Belize is a little Central American nation that contains a tropical paradise.
Whether you want to go scuba diving, hike to a waterfall, take a helicopter flight over the Blue Hole, or laze on the beach and sip cocktails, Belize offers many amazing things.
Last Updated on by Sathi Chakraborty, MSc Biology