Belize in 12 Days From Reef to Jungle
Ancient Mayan Ruins. Amazing snorkeling. Hidden waterfalls. When we chose Belize for our family vacation we were looking for an adventure. Belize checked all of the boxes and it didn’t disappoint.
A lot of people visit Belize via the cruise ship port. While cruises are a great way to get a taste of a country if we had visited this way I am not sure I would have fallen in love with this beautiful country. If Belize City is all you see you are missing out. There is so much more.
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The Belize airport is small, so small we exited the plane directly on the tarmac. Then we were directed to walk to the right on a long sidewalk to immigration. The immigration process was fairly quick and we were easily able to get a taxi just outside the door.
For our trip we planned on staying on the island of Amergris Caye for part of the trip and San Ignacio for the remaining part of the trip. This allowed us a base close to all of the things we wanted to see.
From Reef to Jungle – Our Belize Adventures
We started our Belize adventure on Ambergris Caye, so we had the taxi take us from the airport to the water taxi terminal. The taxi ride took about 25 minutes.
At the terminal employees take your luggage to have it checked at the curb, so you won’t have to haul it down to the terminal. From here we walked passed some shops to the terminal were we purchased tickets for the water taxi.
San Pedro and Ambergris Caye
Island living at its finest. There are no cars here, so you can rent a bicycle or a golf cart to explore. Swim, kayak, snorkel or walk along the beach on the island of Ambergris Caye.
After a few days we returned to the mainland and made our way around Belize by car. The second part of our vacation we made our base in San Ignacio. From Belize City this is about a two hour drive down Western Highway.
See my post on: Island Paradise: 4 Days in San Pedro and Ambergris Caye
Cayo District | San Ignacio
We spent 4 days in Ambergris Caye and then spent our remaining time based out of San Ignacio in the Cayo District.
Belize’s Mayan Ruins
See Belize Mayan Ruins. Actun Tunichil Muknal (ATM Cave) was the best tour we took in Belize. It is a day excursion where you will ford rivers, hike through a jungle, swim to and through a cave.
Xunatunich Mayan Ruins were my favorite ruins we visited in Belize. You have to take a wooden ferry across the river just to access the ruins. The stone carvings are amazingly intricate and from the top you have amazing views of Belize and Guatemala. Visit our post on 3 Amazing Mayan Ruins in Belize & How to Find Them
See Belize’s Waterfalls
Thousand Foot Falls is the tallest waterfall in Central America, so we had to go. It is quite the adventure just to get to this remote place. You can can see both Thousand Foot Falls and Big Rock Falls in one day trip from San Ignacio.
Stann Creek District
While based in St. Ignacio we took several day trips – one of these was to the ocean village Dangriga. On the way to Dangriga we stopped at St. Herman’s Blue Hole National Park . Then we continued down Hummingbird Highway for another hour before we reached town.
St. Herman’s Blue Hole National Park
Take a hike or cool off in the swimming hole at St. Herman’s Blue Hole National Park.
On our day trip to Dangria we stopped at St. Herman’s Blue Hole National Park. Not to be confused with the famous Great Blue Hole off of the coast of Belize City in Belize, St. Herman’s Blue Hole National Park is in the Cayo District near Belmopan.
This National Park is about an hour and a half drive from Belize City and an hour from where we were staying in San Ignacio. St. Herman’s Blue Hole National Park has a visitor’s center, a cave to explore and a swimming hole.
There is a small entrance fee. To get to the swimming hole you have to hike down a dirt path and walk down many steps.
To get to the swimming hole you will walk down many steps. If it rains in higher elevations, this blue swimming hole can be very cloudy.
On a hot humid day this swimming hole is refreshing. To give you an idea of how rains affect the clarity of the water we took two photos . The above photo was taken four days after a rain storm. The photo below was taken six days after a rain storm.
Six days after the rain storm the water was much clearer and a great spot to cool off from the summer sun.
Pelican Beach Resort
We continued north for a few minutes until we reached Pelican Beach Resort. They had a beautiful beach area and a great restaurant. This area was very peaceful. They had a great pier with several hammocks.
Things to See and Do in Belize District
- Community Baboon Sanctuary
- Belize Sign
Community Baboon Sanctuary
The Community Baboon Sanctuary is a unique experience where you can learn about the Black Howler monkeys of Belize and walk through their natural habitat.The Community Baboon Sanctuary is a cool community run effort to conserve the natural habitat for black howler monkeys in Belize.
The monkeys are wild here and you are walking through their natural habitat. There is no fence around the sanctuary, the whole area is natural.
The black howler monkeys are free to roam where they wish. At the time of our visit, we were the only visitors at the sanctuary. This was nice because we had a knowledgeable and personal tour of the sanctuary.
Belize Animals: Community Baboon Sanctuary
Our guide started out explaining the conservation effort and the land. Before we started, our guide talked about the insects and specifically the ants. The ants here have a powerful sting and our guide explained how they were used as stitches. It was fascinating as my kids recalled hearing this in a movie once. We also learned about the termites and the symbiotic relationship they have to the jungle.
During the tour you will walk down a dirt path along the Belize River. When the Belize River swells during the rainy season it will cover the path. We saw black howler monkeys within a few minutes of walking down the path.
Our tour guide spent years creating a relationship with one of the monkey families that resides on the land. We saw a male, two females, a baby and a young male monkey. Our tour guide would “call” to them and the monkeys responded.
Visiting the Community Baboon Sanctuary was one of the highlights of our visit to Belize. The kids loved learning about the monkeys as well as feeding them. The young male was very curious and climbed tree to tree to follow us along the path.
Seashore Promenade
There are two Belize signs in Belize City. One near the Tourist Village docks, which is the area where cruise ship passengers arrive and one at the Seashore Promenade.
The Belize sign pictured below is off of Seashore Drive in Belize City not too far from the airport.
Good to Know
Belize is the only Central America country with English as an official language. However, you will hear many languages spoken here including Spanish and Kriol.
The Belize dollar $2 = $1 USD, so this makes it easy to figure out how much something costs. We found that hotels and tours were listed in US prices, stores or restaurants (basically places locals would visit) were listed in Belize dollars. If you have any doubt, just ask. We never had a problem using US money at any place we visited.
Most places will take major credit cards, however on several occasions the internet was down in town and then you will need cash. It is always a good idea to have some cash on hand.
Belize can be seen by taking tours or a taxi cab to the sights. Many people we met chose this route of transportation. However, renting a car gives you the independence and ability to see so much more of this beautiful country.
Renting a vehicle enabled us to explore three of the six districts while we were here. Our adventures in Belize were more affordable for our family of five to see because we rented a vehicle. To learn more about renting a car and driving in Belize, please visit our page on transportation.
Day Trip From Belize -Guatemala
Nine miles from St. Igancio, Belize is the border of Guatemala. We took a fascinating day trip to Guatemala to see the ancient Mayan city of Tikal.
Belize Tours
Adventurer At Heart
Amber is the writer behind Adventurer At Heart, sharing practical travel advice based on more than 25 years of exploring Arizona and traveling beyond it. She looks for places with a story, from desert trails and historic sites to scenic drives and towns worth your limited vacation time. When she’s not traveling, she’s gardening.
