Must-see attractions in Belize

  • underwater buddy team reef

    Hol Chan Marine Reserve

    Ambergris Caye

    At the southern tip of Ambergris, the 6.5-sq-mile Hol Chan Marine Reserve is probably Belize's most oft-visited diving and snorkeling site. It offers…

  • Museum of Belize

    Belize City

    This modern museum in the Fort George District provides an excellent overview of the story of Belize, told through exhibits housed in the country's former…

  • A Red-footed booby (Sula sula) sits on a branch in a breeding colony on Half Moon Caye off the coast of Belize. This is part of a UNESCO World Heritage Site.; Shutterstock ID 583848568; Your name (First / Last): Alicia Johnson; GL account no.: 65050; Netsuite department name: Online Editorial ; Full Product or Project name including edition: Belize

    Half Moon Caye Natural Monument

    Belize

    Half Moon Caye Natural Monument is known first and foremost as providing nesting grounds for the rare red-footed booby bird, but the island's enchantments…

  • Palm tree at the Goff's Caye in Belize; Shutterstock ID 163105160; Your name (First / Last): Alicia Johnson; GL account no.: 65050; Netsuite department name: Online Editorial ; Full Product or Project name including edition: Belize

    Goff's Caye

    Belize City

    Some of the most spectacular snorkeling in Belize happens just a short swim off the powder-white sands of Goff's Caye, a tiny, uninhabited island just a…

  • Green iguana profile detail with black background. Lizard's head close-up view. Small wild animal looks like a dragon. ; Shutterstock ID 616251773; Your name (First / Last): Alicia Johnson; GL account no.: 65050; Netsuite department name: Online Editorial ; Full Product or Project name including edition: Be

    Green Iguana Conservation Project

    San Ignacio

    On the lush Macal Valley grounds of the San Ignacio Resort Hotel, this excellent program collects and hatches iguana eggs, raising the reptiles until they…

  • Living Maya Experience

    Southern Belize

    Two Kekchí families in Big Falls village have opened up their homes as a cultural experience for visitors and both are excellent. The Cal family…

  • Belize City, Belize, Belize, Central America

    Swing Bridge

    Belize City

    This heart and soul of Belize City life, crossed by just about everyone here just about every day, is said to be the only remaining manually operated…

  • Mexico Rocks

    Ambergris Caye

    This snorkeling site, 15 minutes from San Pedro and with a maximum depth of just 8ft, is a unique patch reef towards the northern end of the island…

  • Hol Chan Canyons

    Ambergris Caye

    Four miles south of San Pedro, this part of the Hol Chan Marine Reserve is famous for its dramatic canyons and ample sea life, including eagle rays,…

  • Image Factory

    Belize City

    The country's most innovative and exciting art gallery stages new exhibitions and hosts regular book launches, usually of work by Belizean artists…

  • Black or Guatemalan Howler Monkey, alouatta pigra or caraya, sitting on a tree in Belize jungle and howling like crazy. They are also found in Mexico and Guatemala.; Shutterstock ID 650139157; Your name (First / Last): Alicia Johnson; GL account no.: 65050; Netsuite department name: Online Editorial ; Full Product or Project name including edition: Belize

    Mayflower Bocawina National Park

    Southern Belize

    This beautiful 11-sq-mile park of jungle, mountains, waterfalls, walking trails, swimming holes and small Maya sites lies about 16 miles southwest of…

  • UNSPECIFIED - FEBRUARY 07:  Old ruins of a Mayan Temple, Lubaantun, Stann Creek District, Belize  (Photo by DEA / M.BORCHI/De Agostini/Getty Images)

    Lubaantun

    Southern Belize

    The Maya ruins at Lubaantun, 1.3 miles northwest of San Pedro Columbia, are built on a natural hilltop and display a construction method unusual in the…

  • manatees: trichechus manatus being watched by tourists. sw allow caye, belize

    Swallow Caye Wildlife Sanctuary

    Caye Caulker

    About 19 miles southwest of Caye Caulker, the vast Swallow Caye Wildlife Sanctuary spans nearly 9000 acres, including Swallow Caye and some parts of…

  • Snorkeling in Belize

    Caye Caulker Marine Reserve

    Caye Caulker

    Declared a marine reserve in 1998, the 61-sq-mile Caye Caulker Marine Reserve includes the portion of the barrier reef that runs parallel to the island,…

  • The Split on Caye Caulker Belize

    The Split

    Caye Caulker

    A narrow channel that splits Caye Caulker into two, the Split has clean, deep waters free of seaweed, making it one of the island's best swimming areas…

  • Shark Ray Alley, Caye Caulker, Sand Pedro, Belize ; Shutterstock ID 1098661994; Your name (First / Last): Alicia Johnson; GL account no.: 65050; Netsuite department name: Online Editorial ; Full Product or Project name including edition: Belize

    Shark Ray Alley

    Ambergris Caye

    Only snorkeling is allowed at this perennially popular spot, which is in a shallow part of the Hol Chan Marine Reserve. Shark Ray Alley was traditionally…

  • Caye Caulker Forest Reserve

    Caye Caulker

    The northernmost 100 acres of the island constitute the Caye Caulker Forest Reserve, declared in 1998. Birdlife is prolific in the reserve, particularly…

  • Cahal Pech

    San Ignacio

    High atop a hill about a mile south of San Ignacio, Cahal Pech is the oldest-known Maya site in the Belize River valley, having been first settled between…

  • Tres Cocos

    Ambergris Caye

    The dive site is a bit deeper than most around San Pedro, with coral heads rising up to 50ft and a wall with spurs that spill out from 90ft to 120ft, but…

  • Pen Cayetano Studio Gallery

    Dangriga

    Renowned throughout Belize for his art and music, Pen Cayetano's workshop and gallery displays Garifuna artifacts and crafts. It also has works of art and…

  • Cypress Garden

    Ambergris Caye

    Due to chumming, this San Pedro dive site was once the spot to see nurse sharks and grouper. The feedings have stopped and the fish have moved elsewhere,…

  • Gulisi Garifuna Museum

    Dangriga

    This museum, operated by the National Garifuna Council (NGC), is a must for anyone interested in the vibrant Garifuna people. It brings together artifacts…

  • Tuffy Canyons

    Ambergris Caye

    About 1.6 miles south of San Pedro, this dive site is marked by deep grooves and a long, narrow tunnel. This high-walled passage leads to an opening at…

  • Tackle Box Canyons

    Ambergris Caye

    About a mile offshore from downtown San Pedro, this great site offers big, steep coral grooves. There are swim-throughs in many places along the drop-off…

  • Esmeralda

    Ambergris Caye

    Right in front of the town school, this 50ft to 75ft dive features a spectacular series of deep canyons covered with flourishing soft corals. There is an…

  • The Government House Museum, dating from 1814.

    Government House

    Belize City

    Fronting the sea down at the end of Regent St, this handsome two-story wooden colonial mansion served as the residence of Britain's superintendents and…

  • Nim Li Punit

    Southern Belize

    The Maya ruins of Nim Li Punit stand atop a natural hill half a mile north of the Southern Hwy, near the village of Indian Creek. The site is notable for…

  • Temash-Sarstoon National Park

    Southern Belize

    The tiny Garifuna fishing community of Barranco (population 160), about an hour's drive from Punta Gorda, is the access point for Temash-Sarstoon National…

  • Río Blanco National Park

    Southern Belize

    The 105-acre Río Blanco National Park, just west of Santa Elena village, is a compact protected wildlife area that's home to a variety of flora and fauna…

  • Chaos Oasis

    Southern Belize

    One of the stranger things you're likely to see in Belize is this 'Earth Ship' structure, made even more incongruous because it's so close to the entrance…

  • Aguacaliente Wildlife Sanctuary

    Southern Belize

    About 13 miles northwest of Punta Gorda and 2 miles off the Southern Hwy, the village of Laguna is the starting point for the 8.6-sq-mile Aguacaliente…

  • Boca del Rio

    Ambergris Caye

    The underwater terrain at Boca del Rio, a half-mile northeast of San Pedro, is a spur-and-groove system, featuring rolling coral hills and sandy channels…

  • Marie Sharp's Factory

    Dangriga

    The super-hot bottled sauces that adorn tables all over Belize and beyond are made from habanero peppers here at Marie Sharp's Factory, 8 miles northwest…

  • Blue Creek Cave

    Southern Belize

    About a 20-minute walk along a jungle path from the bridge is Blue Creek Cave, which you can only enter with a guide. The cave has a ‘wet side,’ where you…

  • St John's Cathedral

    Belize City

    Immediately inland of Government House stands St John's Cathedral, the oldest Anglican church in Central America. It was built by slave labor between 1812…

  • Serpon Sugar Mill Historical Park

    Southern Belize

    This well-kept riverside historical park is the preserved site of the Serpon Sugar Mill, which operated here from 1865 until 1910. There's a small…

  • Digi Park

    Belize City

    A pleasant waterside recreation area complete with food huts selling local and international cuisine, a playground and a walled-in sandy area with water…

  • Court House

    Belize City

    You can’t miss the prominent Court House on Regent St, built in 1926 as the headquarters for Belize’s colonial administrators to replace an earlier wooden…

  • House of Culture

    Ambergris Caye

    Find out more about the fascinating culture found in San Pedro at this cultural center near the football field. Frequently changing displays celebrate…

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