Highlights of Belize in February
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Best things to do Near Belize City
Belize City is home to the main international airport of Belize and therefore likely where you’ll start your trip. While where we stayed, the Belize Biltmore Plaza, was a nice hotel, we didn’t stay in the area for long. Truthfully, the city wasn’t very walkable and we’d heard information that it’s not the safest part of the country. That being said, it was a great jumping off point for my trip!
A pro tip for arrival if you like alcoholic beverages: buying bottles is expensive on the mainland, so try to shop for anything you may need in the duty free section of the airport before you hit the road.
Altun Ha Ruins
On our first travel day we visited Altun Ha, one of many Mayan ruin sites in Belize. Learning about the Mayan history is one of the best things to do in Belize, in my opinion. We were given a guided tour of the grounds and learned about the Maya culture. After the tour, we were given some free time to explore some of the ruins, including climbing to the top of one of the temples.
A majority of the site has not been excavated, with over 500 mounds existing on the property. The mounds are structures overgrown with grass that to most would appear as hills. A small museum is also on the grounds, with depictions of items that were found during initial excavation. If you’re looking for local gifts, there are also small stalls set up near the grounds. I brought home some coffee for a friend that she loved!
Belize Zoo
Around 45 minutes outside of Belize City is the Belize Zoo. Our tour director was able to arrange a stop here on one of our travel days. What’s unique about this zoo is that it houses animals found throughout Belize itself. Additionally, the animals housed there are rescues from the country or confiscations from the illegal wildlife trade. Some are also brought in from other rehabilitation and zoological centers. The animals kept there cannot be released for one reason or another, and so the zoo cares for them.
The zoo’s focus is on education and conservation of Belize’s wildlife. It’s a great place to spot some of the more elusive and endangered animals, such as the jaguar and tapir. The exposure to these species helps promote their conservation with the general public.
Best Things to do in Belize: San Pedro & Ambergris Caye
From Belize City, we took the ferry to San Pedro. The trip is around an hour and a half, and can be a bit cramped and bumpy so bring your motion sickness meds if that’s an issue! I opted to sit on the top level and the airflow definitely helped. Unfortunately, there were some folks that got sick on the bottom level so be mindful of that. With that said, the trip lands you on the island of Ambergris Caye, the largest coral island in Belize. There, your main transit is walking, taxis or golf carts. If the island vibe is your thing, this is the place to be.
Snorkeling at Hol Chan
Hol Chan Marine Reserve is a barrier reef located off of Ambergris Caye in San Pedro, Belize. It is known to be one of the best areas for snorkeling and spotting marine life in the area. Unfortunately for us, we had bad weather the day we were scheduled to go. According to our guides, this mean being unable to go to the “best part” of the reef. Due to the roughness of the water that day and some inexperienced swimmers, most groups stayed close to the boat and saw only common reef fish. However, other groups that ventured further out saw turtles and rays! I would definitely revisit this area in better weather to give it another go.
Secret Beach
After snorkeling, our group was given the option to go tubing or to Secret Beach. I opted to go to Secret Beach and, honestly, would not recommend it. It’s especially not worth it, in my opinion, if the water is rough or the weather is bad. Because of the weather, the only real option was to go to a bar. We had some fun, until group members were harassed, at which point we decided to sit in the bad weather and wait for the rest of our group. This is not something I’d add to a return itinerary.
Take a food tour
An optional thing to do on my Belize tour was a food tour in San Pedro. As someone that loves trying new foods while traveling (especially Central and Latin American cuisine) I was all about this! Something that’s interesting about San Pedro specifically is that there is a blend of a variety of cultures. This leads to a variety of foods as well.
Our food tour began with drinks and a few snack items. We, of course, had a rum punch. The first bites were of Jamaican influenced food: a conch fritter and jerk chicken at Jambel Jerk Pit. Had we had another night in San Pedro, I definitely would’ve been back for dinner!
We then moved on to sample some tostadas, which were of course delicious! My favorite stop, however, was next, where we had homemade pupusas. We had the option of a variety of flavors, from simple cheese to pumpkin. These were a fan favorite, and many members of the group ordered more to go.
Our tour naturally concluded with dessert – ice cream! We ended up at a shop with so many flavors to choose from. As a dairy-challenged individual, I selected a mango sorbet. But I’ll be honest, I did try a sample of a local staple, soursop. This is a tangy, tropical fruit that our group compared to a range of flavors like pineapple, strawberry, or apple. It’s definitely something to try yourself!
Belize Food Bonus: Try Gibnut!
While we tried this dish outside of our food tour, one unique thing to try in Belize is gibnut, or the “royal rat.” This dish comes in a few different forms, but we tried it stewed in a delicious sauce. It’s dubbed the “royal rat” because of the late Queen Elizabeth II’s affinity for eating it when visiting Belize. You can read more about this and other dishes I’ve tried while traveling in my blog “Eating Like a Local!”
San Ignacio
Tikal National Park – Guatemala
Okay, okay. Tikal National Park is actually in Guatemala. However, it was still part of my trip to Belize and I couldn’t possibly write this without bringing it up. If you like history, wildlife, and greenery, this is your place.
We started the morning by crossing the border – don’t forget your passports! We met up with our tour guide and transit for the day and drove to the park.
Into the Jungle
Unfortunately, I missed a big chunk of the park due to breaking my ankle the night before. (Yes, this happened. You can read all about it here.) While I rode to the main site in a wagon, my tripmates took a short trek through the jungle of the park.
After a brief introduction to the history of the site, we were given the opportunity to explore the structures. This included being able to climb up to the top of Temple IV (with the help of a staircase). Fun fact: in addition to its Mayan history, Tikal was used for filming “Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope.”
After exploring the ruins, we took a guided walk back through parts of the jungle to go have lunch on site. Along the way, our guides told us of some of the wildlife they’ve encountered, such as and jaguars and over 285 recorded species of birds. We saw many birds, spider and howler monkeys, and of course coatimundi.
Parting with our guides back at the border, we finished the night back in Belize at our hotel in San Ignacio.
Cacao farm tour & chocolate making at Che’il Mayan Chocolate
On one of our other travel days, the group opted to take a tour of a chocolate farm and learn how the Maya produced the sweet. We received a tour of the trees where cacao is grown and a lesson on its harvest. The guide even gave us the opportunity to try the fruit of the cacao tree! Following the tour, we had a homemade lunch and a chocolate lesson. Each person was given the opportunity to grind the chocolate, and we all received a sample at the end. Fun fact: the metate, or stone, we used to grind the chocolate has been in the family here for over a century!
Things to do on the Southern Coast, Belize
Cave Tubing
If you’re an outdoor and nature lover, this is the activity for you. En route to San Ignacio, our group went cave tubing. This isn’t as action packed as you may think, but more of a (mostly) leisurely float down the river and through part of a jungle cave system.
To start off, we were given a chance to swim and “cliff” jump at the mouth of one of the caves. We then set off on our journey, linked together in our tubes. Sadly, I don’t have as much footage as I would’ve liked due to a dying GoPro (oops! Lesson learned).
In the caves, we learned about the formations and how they were created. We also floated by a waterfall within the cave system, which was something I hadn’t seen before. The remainder of the experience was spent floating through the jungle, taking in the greenery.
Pro tip: Try to coordinate this experience around cruise ship arrivals. Cave tubing is one of the top things to do on a Belizean cruise stop, and the site gets crowded fast. Our director was able to rearrange our schedule to avoid the crowds when he learned of the cruise schedule and we more or less had the area to ourselves. I’d highly recommend it!
Ziplining
For the adventure enthusiasts, one of the best things to do in Belize is go ziplining in the jungle. This was my first time going and I loved it. The guides and safety equipment were more than up to standard, and the views were incredible. If you’ve never been, no worries – the course gradually made its way from short, easy lines to a longer line over the river.
I’d suggest bringing an action camera like a Go-Pro, as I got some great footage of the scenery and even the guides doing tricks. I’d borrowed an older model from a family member, but now own the Hero12 and have taken it on several trips since. There are some helmets already equipped with a clip mount, so you don’t need to worry about the harness or lines interfering.
Snorkeling in the Southern Cayes
Our second snorkeling excursion had much better weather and calmer waters. We had the option to go snorkeling in the Southern Cayes, which I’d recommend to anyone. We more or less drifted along through comb jellies (no stingers!) in water with huge starfish and rays. Our guides even pointed out a scorpionfish, and allowed us to dive if we chose to. If you’re looking for things to do in Belize that are outdoors but still pretty relaxed, this is the best option in my opinion. Of the two opportunities, this was some of the best snorkeling in Belize.
Garifuna drum lesson
If you’re interested in culture and music, the one thing I’d recommend you do in Belize is learn about Garifuna drumming. I was fortunate that our tour director with EF arranged for local Garifuna drummers to teach us a lesson on the beach of our last hotel. They not only taught us the history, but we all had the chance to play with the group. The night ended with dancing under the stars (I sat out some of that due to aforementioned broken ankle…). Honestly, this was one of my favorite experiences I had in Belize.
The Best Time to Visit Belize
My trip to Belize was in mid-late February. Our tour director informed us that this is one of the best times weather-wise to visit the country. This is after rainy season (mostly) and just before the high crowds of the dry summer season. As someone from the Northeast U.S., it also served as a break from the cold, with temperatures reaching low 80s.
Belize Activities for Everyone
Belize is truly one of those countries that has something to do for any and every person. Well, except ice cave explorers, I suppose. Between the food, music, history, and outdoor and island activities, you can’t go wrong. I had opted for this trip because of the ease of going with a tour group last minute. I didn’t expect to fall in love with the place, and I can’t wait to return.
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