BELIZE
Belize is an oddity among the North American countries south of the U.S. border. Besides being non-Spanish speaking, it also stands out as an expensive travel destination. Furthermore, you should not be expecting higher prices to yield high quality. Also, businesses do not always act professionally and can be reluctant to give refunds when they are at fault. If you choose to vacation here, you might anticipate a few issues.
Nevertheless, Belize has many great natural attractions. Half of the country consists of subtropical rainforest, and the Belize Barrier Reef Reserve is the longest barrier reef in the Northern Hemisphere. Even with the mediocre effort put into their tourism industry, there is a lot here to enjoy and make a visit worthwhile. From my kids' perspective, their vacation here was nothing but a fun experience.
Our Belize itinerary included visits to both the coastal area and the interior. We booked overnight stays in Caye Caulker, San Ignacio, and Burrell Boom.
Travel Tips:
Although not cheap here, a rental car is probably the best choice if you want to visit the interior of Belize. Some message board posters claim that you can get around easily using public transportation. However, after examining routes and schedules, it became clear that relying on public transport would lead to complicated logistical problems. Furthermore, if you get stuck somewhere, transport services are going to be very expensive.
Pay close attention to charges on your credit card statements. The Avis rental car agency double-billed me. Although I prepaid before the trip, the local branch in Belize also charged my card on-site. I received a refund only after spending a ridiculous amount of time complaining. I had to escalate the issue to the Avis head office in the US.
Also, note that accommodation descriptions can sometimes be misleading, if not outright false. The most egregious example I discovered was an eco-lodge that advertises a room with a private bathroom that you can book online. In fact, none of their rooms have a private bathroom. Furthermore, they believe their description, 'lodging is basic,' is an appropriate way to communicate that the shared bathroom is an outhouse. Somehow this establishment is rated 9.0 'awesome' on booking.com.
Caye Caulker
After clearing immigration at the airport, we immediately hired a taxi and headed to the water taxi terminal in Belize City. There are several boats per day to Caye Caulker. The trip takes about 45 minutes. Note, buying a round-trip ticket is about 25% less expensive than paying for two one-way tickets.
Choosing between Ambergris Caye and Caye Caulker is a much-discussed topic on Belize travel boards. Both islands are near great snorkeling and diving sites. Caye Caulker is smaller (but not too small), less busy, and has no cars; people get around by walking, bicycles, and golf carts. For those reasons, I thought Caye Caulker would be the ideal choice for traveling with younger kids.
For accommodation, I rented a spacious house located at the south end of the town, next to the airstrip. The cost was not higher than most of the hotel rooms. In fact, it was less expensive than many. There are plenty of great apartment listings on Airbnb.
The Wildlife
A large number of animal species reside on Caye Caulker. Frigates and brown pelicans are abundant in the center of town by the harbor. Another animal that has no issue cohabiting with people is the black spiny-tailed iguana. Right outside the house we rented, these creatures were hanging out everywhere, including on the house.
The majority of species live in the mangroves and littoral forests on the island. The Estuary of Caye Caulker at the north part of the island is the best place to spot crocodiles and other wildlife. Since no paths or roads lead there, people generally visit by boat as part of a tour. An alternative way to explore the island for wildlife is to walk the south perimeter of the island. The path starts just past the airport runway at the south end of the town. Walking the trail took us a little over an hour. The first part took us through a forest, and afterward, we came upon a marsh. Locals warned us to watch out for crocodiles near the water. Although the indigenous crocodiles generally avoid people, they might attack a child. We did not spot any crocodiles, but we did observe blue herons searching for a meal.
Viewing aquatic life is the primary attraction of Belize's islands. The highlight of our Belize vacation was a private boat snorkeling tour. Before heading out into the ocean, the boat made stops on the west side of the island at the Tarpon Feeding Dock and the Seahorse Nursery. Although both are accessible from land, they were nice add-ons. At the Nursery, our tour guide dove in and caught a few seahorses in a glass tank for us to see. (They were, of course, returned to their home after a brief look.) Afterward, the boat continued to two snorkeling spots. Both had an abundance of colorful corals and fish, as well as an occasional sea turtle, eating seagrass on the ocean floor.
The second snorkeling spot was most memorable because of the presence of nurse sharks. Immediately after our boat stopped, several nurse sharks appeared. The tour guide pulled out a bucket of fish and demonstrated how to feed the nurse sharks. As the kids were content feeding the sharks, I jumped off the opposite side of the boat to snorkel. Underneath the surface, I spotted nurse sharks that were apparently full lying dormant at the bottom. I also observed other nurse sharks making a beeline toward another boat that had just entered the area. Whoever said there is no such thing as a free lunch! When booking a boat tour here, be sure to request a nurse shark stop.
St. Herman's Blue Hole National Park
This park is an ideal day trip from San Ignacio. It is only a little more than an hour's drive away. The entrances are just off the Hummingbird Highway. Here you can hike one of the jungle nature trails, visit a cave, and swim in a cenote. We did all three. The kids especially enjoyed swimming among the fish in the cenote. Known as the Blue Hole, it is the most popular cenote in Belize.
There are two caves in the park. St. Herman's Cave has steps built by Mayans. You are allowed to visit without a guide. The cave contains a stream, and a tour operator near the park entrance offers cave tubing trips.
The Belize Zoo and Tropical Education Center
We visited the Belize Zoo as a day-trip from San Ignacio. This was not our original plan. The zoo is located near the midpoint between San Ignacio and Belize City on the Western Highway, a little over an hour's drive. I had initially booked a stay at one of the guesthouses I found on the zoo's website, located at its Tropical Education Center. Staying overnight here would have the benefit of eliminating a round-trip drive from San Ignacio. We would also be able to book the night tour offered by the zoo. Unfortunately, about a week after confirming my reservation at the guest house, I received a cancellation notice. They had decided they would be closed for the days near the Easter holiday.
Apart from the accommodation mishap, I would highly recommend a visit to this zoo. I generally do not prioritize zoo visits on vacations, but the Belize Zoo stands out as an exception. This zoo has only animals native to Belize, and no animal residing here has ever been taken from the wild. The zoo contains many animals that were either orphaned or injured and brought there for rehabilitation. The zoo is located within a dense Belizean forest. Thus, the animals are living in their natural habitat. It is a great way to see many of the native species that are not so easy to spot in the wild.