Background

Formerly known as British Honduras, this Central American country is located on the Caribbean Sea. The Mayan Civilization population spread and grew for thousands of years in Belize. English settlers started migrating to the country in 1638. By 1840 it became a part of the British Empire, thus getting its name of British Honduras. In 1973 the country was renamed Belize, and the country achieved its independence from Britain in 1981.

Today

Belize is a multicultural and multilingual country, reflective of its native peoples and immigrants. Belize's ethnic groups, such as Mestizo, Creole, and Mayan, speak their native languages and Spanish. Most Belizeans typically know English as well, which is the country's official language.

Why Belize?

Belize has diverse ecosystems making it a top destination for outdoor enthusiasts. Divers, snorkelers, hikers, beachgoers, and adventurers can experience the fantastic natural beauty from mangrove swamps, coastal plains, hills, and mountains. The area offers impressive water excursions that will be sure to make everyone in the family happy. From the Belize Barrier Reef, hundreds of Cayes (a.k.a. cay or key is a small, low-elevation, sandy island on the surface of a coral reef), and Blue Hole National Park (more on these a little later), there is plenty of incredible things to do.

Planning Your Trip

After researching things to do in Belize, we decided to spend half our time in the jungle and half by the beach. I am typically drawn to the beach; however, on this particular trip, the jungle was by far the best part of our journey!

The weather was warm and sunny while we were in the jungle portion of our journey. Unfortunately for us, the weather was not on our side while we stayed in Placencia (on the Caribbean Sea). It rained hard, and some lighting storms rolled through, preventing us from being able to go diving on this trip. We did get to enjoy some snorkeling off of some of the Cayes.

Bocawina Rainforest Resort and Mayflower Bocawina National Park

I wanted to spend time away from it all and in the jungle to experience the country's outdoor beauty. After much thought (and research), I chose for our trip to stay at the Bocawina Rainforest Resort that lies within the Mayflower Bocawina National Park. The park and resort area is located in the Stann Creek District, west of Hopkins and north of Placencia. The resort is the only one allowed to operate within the park. Mayflower Bocawina National Park offers hiking, rappelling, and ziplining set within the park's beautiful forest's lush surroundings.

Bocawina Rainforest Resort is an eco-resort that is entirely "off the grid" -they use hydroelectric power and solar panels for electricity. The resort has ensured that the forest has remained relatively untouched and is protected. 

We loved the fantastic surroundings of the resort. We rented a bungalow with two huge rooms next to each other for our family of five. The bungalow felt like we were on an island getaway-beautiful wood shutters, furniture, and decor. The bungalow's front porch was screen enclosed, spacious with seating and hammocks to enjoy the jungles sights and sounds. There was enough room for the five of us to spend time playing Uno and cards while enjoying some family time. 

Farm To Fork Cuisine

The Wild Fig Jungle Bistro & Bar is located on-site, offering International and Belizean cuisine. Ingredients come from local farmers and food grown on the property. The food is literally farm to fork here. The meals were all delicious and fresh. We chose to sign up for the meal plan, which included three meals and dessert with dinner; this made it easy, and since the resort is remote, it made sense. You can have a meal plan with your stay or pay as you go. Either way, you will not be disappointed! Don't forget to try a rum cocktail here - they are delicious.

THE BEST Tour Guide!

The excursions we booked would not have been near as successful or fun without our tour guide! I never use a tour guide - I AM the tour guide when we travel. It just kind of fell into place for us while we were there. 

Our shuttle driver from our airport arrival to the park was Garrison (which I thought was Harrison, my son's name). As we talked on the drive, we found out he owns the Belize Jungle Masters business and could provide us with a guide that would help with booking and shuttling us to our excursions. We had five people in our group, it seemed like a good idea to get a guide, so we didn't have to worry about transportation or navigation. I have to say, Jose, who ended up being our guide, was excellent! Not only knowledgeable but pleasant and offered a lot of history and information (which we appreciated). See below for the list of places we visited.

Chabil Mar

The second half of our stay was to enjoy the Caribbean Sea by staying at Chabil Mar in Placencia. Placencia is a peninsula a few hours south of Belize City. I highly recommend Chabil Mar. The accommodations were beautiful and with air conditioning! The hotel offers a two-bedroom condo with a sleeper sofa in the living room and a full kitchen. Amenities included are free use of bikes, kayaks, paddleboards, and plenty of lounge chairs and tables. The hotel grounds were beautiful with pools, beach access, and a tiki bar.

Now on to more fun and exciting things to do…

Amazing Things To Do In A National Park

Mayflower Bocawina National Park

As I've mentioned earlier, this national park makes for a fantastic vacation! There are so many beautiful experiences to be had within the park setting.

Hiking Antelope Falls and Bocawina Falls

A must-do, while you are here, is the hike to Antelope Falls! It is a fabulous trail that offers views, a 100-foot waterfall, and the potential to see monkeys if you are lucky (we were lucky to see some in the treetops). At the top of the mountain, you will be rewarded with waterfalls and a natural pool. Go for a refreshing swim and enjoy the sound of the waterfalls. Word of note, this hike can be challenging at the very top.

If you are interested in a slightly less challenging trail, try the hike to  Bocawina Falls, leading to a waterfall and pools to enjoy. 

Ziplining

Bocawina offers the longest zip line in the country. It was a fantastic ride through the rainforest canopy of trees. Totally thrilling to complete the 2.5 miles long zipline course. One run is about 2,300 feet long, and you feel like you are soaring through the forest - a spectacular feeling! Fun for the entire family!

The Belize Bird Conservancy

Explore your bird watching skills by taking a tour with an experienced local guide. There are over 200 species of birds within the park (toucans, owls, kiskadees, and tityras, to name a few). The Belize Bird Conservancy has a Bird-a-thon every April to educate and raise money for bird research and conservation.

Waterfall Rappel

For the adventurous explorer, try rappelling the only guided waterfall rappelling in Belize! Chose from two of the waterfalls within the park to explore canyoning these wondrous waterfalls.

Ancient Mayan City Ruins

Visit the three sites within the park to view Mayan sites that are currently under excavation. A piece of history in the making!

Incredible Things To Do Outside The National Park

ATM Cave - Actun Tunichil Mukal

Get your Indiana Jones hat on for this one!  Actun Tunichil Muknal Cave: "Cave of the Stone Sepulcher" or ATM Cave for short is a fantastic experience that none of us will ever forget. This cave is located near San Ignacia in the Cayo District.

I can honestly say this was our favorite thing we did while in Belize! This is a Mayan archeological site that only allows certified tour guides within the cave system. I do not recommend this if you are claustrophobic. Some areas are very tight, and you are wading through water, climbing boulders, and climbing (there's even a ladder) in the cave system. There are Mayan skeletal remains and ceramic artifacts within the different areas in the cave system. You have to wear a headlamp, and no cameras are allowed.

Mayan Ruins

Explore the wonder of the Mayan Civilization with a stop at one of the archeological sites in Belize. Travel back in time, as far back as 3,000 years ago, to see how Mayan culture thrived in Mesoamerica. 

We visited Xunantunich, located near the Guatemalan border. From beginning to end, this was a must-see thing to do and share as a family!

Start off by hopping abroad, a hand-cranked cable ferry over the Mopan River. Many of the structures here were built around the 7th century (some estimate these structures are older). El Castillo ("The Castle") dominates the view here. Thought to be used as an ancestral shrine, check out the building's incredible detail and architecture! Climb to the top to get a bird's eye view of Guatemala on a clear day.

Wildlife!

Mayan Chocolate Tour

The Mayans invented chocolate, so why not take the time and find out where one of the most delicious foods comes from and how it's made? We did a private tour of a cocoa farm and were treated to a lesson in how to make chocolate straight from cocoa nibs and made our own chocolate bars. This tour was booked through Jungle Masters and it was great fun and a learning experience!

Cave Tubing

Explore caves in a new and fun way! Try Jungle Paws Cave Tubing if you have time while in Belize. Sit back, relax, and take in the beauty of the limestone and stalactites as you float in the water on an air-filled tube. This is most definitely a great outdoor activity for the whole family!

St. Hermans Blue Hole National Park

You can enjoy wildlife viewing, tubing, hiking, swimming, and picnicking at this park. The park is located on Hummingbird Highway, a short road trip from Belmopan in the Cayo District. 

The park's highlight is known as the "Inland Blue Hole," (not to be confused with the other Blue Hole, see next section) with an incredible blue sparkling pool of water. To get to the Blue Hole, you climb down some steep steps to reach the water and cavern. The area surrounding the water is a picture-perfect moss-covered rock face with lush greenery. 

Snorkeling and Scuba Diving

The Great Blue Hole

Jacque-Yves Cousteau declared this area "one of the top ten dives sites in the world." 

I can see why! Just looking at the water's deep dark blue color, forming almost a perfect circle in the Caribbean Sea, is so intoxicating. Approximately 70 kilometers off the Belize coast, the Blue Hole is part of the Belize Barrier Reef Reserve and was declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site. 

Explore the abundant marine life and coral in the largest ocean sinkhole in the world. If diving is not for you, you can snorkel as well. The weather was not conducive to visit during our stay near the coast. Aw, shucks, we will just have to plan another trip to dive there.

Silk Caye and Turtle Alley

Spend the day enjoying the water with a boat ride out to a caye and then some snorkeling with a guide. The guides then prepare everyone a delicious lunch, and you get to go out again to another location to snorkel. The water is clear, and you have the opportunity to see squid, plenty of fish, nurse sharks, and turtles.

Belize Zoo and Tropical Education Center

The Belize Zoo and Tropical Education Center are run by a non-profit organization. The zoo promotes conservation, education, recreation, and research. Known as "the best little zoo in the world" to locals, this is a gem to visit.

Placencia

We stayed here for the second part of our trip. The town is located on the coast and has a laid back feel. We stayed at Chabil Mar Resort and couldn't have picked a better place to stay. Again, we had a family of five and needed to find lodging to accommodate us all. Chabil Mar has a variety of different floorplans that accommodated our needs. 

The rooms were immaculate and impeccable. The gardens and grounds were lush, tropical, and very well maintained. The resort offers free use of bikes, paddleboards, and kayaks. Plenty of room to lounge by the multiple pools and free use of chaise lounge chairs and umbrellas at the beach. 

The Main Street in Placencia Village, in fact, is in the "Guinness Book of World Records" as the narrowest main street in the world. 

Restaurants and More in Placencia

Try some fabulous food at the many outdoor restaurants here. A few businesses to try:

• Tutti Frutti:  We basically went here every night! The gelato is so delicious, and you'll love the variety of flavors.

• Dawn's Grill: We walked along the beach from our resort to get here. We had a delicious breakfast while enjoying the view of the beach.

• Brewed Awakenings: For all of my caffeine loving friends out there! Enjoy a good cup of coffee here.

• Rumfish y Vino: Enjoy some Caribbean cuisine here, and you will not be disappointed. 

More Accommodation Recommendations

Looking for the perfect place to stay while in Belize? Check out these links to help you on your way:

For Hotels and All-Inclusives

• Placencia, take a look here.

• Belmopan click here

• Hopkins look here

• Caye Caulker check out places here.

Random Ann Moment

As we are headed via shuttle to Placencia, we passed a bar called The Flying Pig Bar and Grill. My boyfriend says he thinks his friend from high school may own that bar. Sure enough, checking on Facebook-his friend from high school does own that bar! We made a point of going over and saying hi to his friend Pat. Cool little sports/tiki bar; if you are ever in the neighborhood, go and pay him a visit.

Overall, Belize is a beautiful destination if you are interested in nature, animals, water sports, or simply rest and relaxation.

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