Why You Should (and Shouldn't) Visit Belize
Traveling in this area of the world was a very different experience than, say, trekking around Western Europe or Japan. While I learned a lot and had a wonderful time, this sort of vacation is one that you'd want to take knowing what you're getting yourself into. For that reason, I thought I would take the time to record a few of my thoughts below.
Reasons to Visit Belize
Hiking through amazingly lush broad-leaf jungles. Climbing majestic towering Mayan ruins. Exploring miles of caverns--some used by the ancient Mayans. Snorkeling and diving on a reef that is among the best you'll find in the Americas. A vibrant and interesting local population with some amazing food.
If any of that sounds interesting to you and you're up for an adventure, then you should definitely consider Belize as a destination. Add in how getting there is a short flight from Houston, English is spoken everywhere, and the US dollar is accepted by everyone, and you have a country that is uniquely accessible to Americans.
Reasons NOT To Visit Belize
Considering the amazing experiences Belize offers, why isn't the place swarming with Americans? It's not; in fact, we were told in several places that Canadians visitor outnumber Americans significantly, and that tourism is significantly down overall due to the economy.
There are a couple of reasons for this. First of all, Belize is beyond a doubt a third world country. While it has a very stable government, it's people are mostly very poor, and the standards of living--except for ex-pats who come to retire--are much, much lower than the US. Wander from the tourist areas and you'll see trash heaps everywhere, shacks and hovels built with whatever materials are at hand, and a sparse road system made up of heavily rutted dirt tracks that absolutely destroy tires. Guatemala is even worse: people there are flat-out desperate, enough to be dangerous. For this reason, the Belizean Army heavily patrols the border with Guatemala to prevent cross-border theft during the night.
Secondly, outside of natural and Mayan sights, Belize doesn't have much to offer a tourist seeking a comfortable place to relax. The main city is not a place you'd want to visit, much less stay in. The country contains very few truly upscale hotels (although an explosion of timeshare construction is changing this). And there are very few good beaches. Read that again: do not go to Belize if you're looking for miles of gorgeous white-sand beaches!
Finally, Belize is not a budget destination. As our guidebook put it, it's probably the least expensive country on the Caribbean. However, that's not to say it's super affordable. While you can cut some corners--avoiding using guides, staying in budget accommodations, visiting the cheaper Mayan sits, and cooking your own meals--you're going to miss out on some of the best reasons to visit Belize in the first place. Further, public transportation is very limited on the mainland. Unless you're staying at a lodge that offers van transportation, you'll have to rent a car. And that will cost you--aside from the absolutely insane way Belizeans drive (a road is a valuable resource that must have every inch of pavement used at all times), gas in Belize is about three times as expensive as in the US.
All of that said, the fact remains that Belize is a wonderful place filled with amazing culture and history. It was also a real eye-opener for us. We wanted an adventure, and boy did we get one!
Where to Go in Belize, and How Long to Stay
We divided out trip between roughly 5 days inland (in the Cayo) followed by a week on the outlying islands (Ambergris Caye). Our initial thought was to spend our time in the Cayo hiking and visiting all of the Mayan sites, and then relax on Ambergris.
We really enjoyed the Cayo. Don't visit Belize without traveling to this district. It has a lot to offer--access to the best Mayan sites, hiking, caving, etc. In retrospect, 5 days in the Cayo was about right. Every day was packed, and by the time we left we felt we'd done everything we'd wanted to do.
On the other hand, Ambergris Caye is not the relaxing destination we thought it would be. There are no beaches there. To repeat: do not go to Ambergris Caye expecting to doze on white, sandy beaches. Furthermore, the town on Ambergris, San Pedro, has grown into the second coming of Belize City: crowded, traffic-prone, dusty, smelly, and loud. Combine that with the huge condos going up all over the island, and there is very little charm left to be had here. The one point in San Pedro's favor is that most of the best dining in Belize can be found there. Frankly, that's not saying much.
The main reason to visit Ambergris are the completely amazing reefs off its eastern coast. The caye makes a great base for absolutely stunning diving, snorkeling, and reef fishing. Even so, we found that a week on Ambergris was too long. Plan for maybe 4 days here, depending on how much you want to do on the reef.
We didn't visit the southern coast or Toledo district of Belize, but if we were to plan this trip again, we would add a few days here. These regions offer some of the last old-growth jungle terrain found in Belize, as well as better beaches than the Cayes.
Reasons to Visit Belize
Hiking through amazingly lush broad-leaf jungles. Climbing majestic towering Mayan ruins. Exploring miles of caverns--some used by the ancient Mayans. Snorkeling and diving on a reef that is among the best you'll find in the Americas. A vibrant and interesting local population with some amazing food.
If any of that sounds interesting to you and you're up for an adventure, then you should definitely consider Belize as a destination. Add in how getting there is a short flight from Houston, English is spoken everywhere, and the US dollar is accepted by everyone, and you have a country that is uniquely accessible to Americans.
Reasons NOT To Visit Belize
Considering the amazing experiences Belize offers, why isn't the place swarming with Americans? It's not; in fact, we were told in several places that Canadians visitor outnumber Americans significantly, and that tourism is significantly down overall due to the economy.
There are a couple of reasons for this. First of all, Belize is beyond a doubt a third world country. While it has a very stable government, it's people are mostly very poor, and the standards of living--except for ex-pats who come to retire--are much, much lower than the US. Wander from the tourist areas and you'll see trash heaps everywhere, shacks and hovels built with whatever materials are at hand, and a sparse road system made up of heavily rutted dirt tracks that absolutely destroy tires. Guatemala is even worse: people there are flat-out desperate, enough to be dangerous. For this reason, the Belizean Army heavily patrols the border with Guatemala to prevent cross-border theft during the night.
Secondly, outside of natural and Mayan sights, Belize doesn't have much to offer a tourist seeking a comfortable place to relax. The main city is not a place you'd want to visit, much less stay in. The country contains very few truly upscale hotels (although an explosion of timeshare construction is changing this). And there are very few good beaches. Read that again: do not go to Belize if you're looking for miles of gorgeous white-sand beaches!
Finally, Belize is not a budget destination. As our guidebook put it, it's probably the least expensive country on the Caribbean. However, that's not to say it's super affordable. While you can cut some corners--avoiding using guides, staying in budget accommodations, visiting the cheaper Mayan sits, and cooking your own meals--you're going to miss out on some of the best reasons to visit Belize in the first place. Further, public transportation is very limited on the mainland. Unless you're staying at a lodge that offers van transportation, you'll have to rent a car. And that will cost you--aside from the absolutely insane way Belizeans drive (a road is a valuable resource that must have every inch of pavement used at all times), gas in Belize is about three times as expensive as in the US.
All of that said, the fact remains that Belize is a wonderful place filled with amazing culture and history. It was also a real eye-opener for us. We wanted an adventure, and boy did we get one!
Where to Go in Belize, and How Long to Stay
We divided out trip between roughly 5 days inland (in the Cayo) followed by a week on the outlying islands (Ambergris Caye). Our initial thought was to spend our time in the Cayo hiking and visiting all of the Mayan sites, and then relax on Ambergris.
We really enjoyed the Cayo. Don't visit Belize without traveling to this district. It has a lot to offer--access to the best Mayan sites, hiking, caving, etc. In retrospect, 5 days in the Cayo was about right. Every day was packed, and by the time we left we felt we'd done everything we'd wanted to do.
On the other hand, Ambergris Caye is not the relaxing destination we thought it would be. There are no beaches there. To repeat: do not go to Ambergris Caye expecting to doze on white, sandy beaches. Furthermore, the town on Ambergris, San Pedro, has grown into the second coming of Belize City: crowded, traffic-prone, dusty, smelly, and loud. Combine that with the huge condos going up all over the island, and there is very little charm left to be had here. The one point in San Pedro's favor is that most of the best dining in Belize can be found there. Frankly, that's not saying much.
The main reason to visit Ambergris are the completely amazing reefs off its eastern coast. The caye makes a great base for absolutely stunning diving, snorkeling, and reef fishing. Even so, we found that a week on Ambergris was too long. Plan for maybe 4 days here, depending on how much you want to do on the reef.
We didn't visit the southern coast or Toledo district of Belize, but if we were to plan this trip again, we would add a few days here. These regions offer some of the last old-growth jungle terrain found in Belize, as well as better beaches than the Cayes.