Welcome to Belize

There’s a lot to take in even though we are a small country of just under 400,000 inhabitants sharing a land area of 8,867 square miles. The country's greatest length, north to south, is 170 miles and its greatest width, east to west, is 68 miles.

There’s a lot going on here! Let me try to explain….

We have Colonial roots but became independent in 1981. We have strong Caribbean influence so sweet Reggae and Soca music will be playing at many of the restaurants and bars everywhere. Our southern coast exhibits the strongest Caribbean influence and is also the heart of the Afro-Caribbean culture in Belize, which is mostly concentrated around the Stann Creek District. Belizeans of African descent are descended from the Garífuna. This explains why you will be moving to the rhythm of the Garifuna drums at some point during your stay with us. The mixture of the Colonial English and the Afro Caribbean culture gave birth to our creole dialect; so when you get here you’ll hear us say “wi soh happi youh coh vizit wi” with of course means “we’re so happy you came to visit us”.

Then just to mix things up a little more, we also have a very strong Central American influence because we are bordered on the North by Mexico and on the west by Guatemala so many of us speak Spanish as well! There is also the beautiful Mayan descendants who also share this jewel with us and add so richly to our beautifully diverse culture. The only problem with having such a rich melting pot of cultures in such a little country, is the difficulty of trying to take in all the fine local cuisine during your vacation.

During your visit, I encourage you to enjoy a combination of two desirable circumstances: Pristine tropical coastline with turquoise waters and a breathtaking underwater world; as well as lush tropical rainforest with untouched greenery and natural cave, waterfall, archeological, and wildlife attractions. And yes, it is possible and easy to experience both in one visit. Here are a couple sceneries I’d like you to start anticipating as you begin planning your Belize experience:

• a two hour ATV ride through the rainforest that leads to a lush waterfall where you can swim and picnic for lunch then enjoy the ride back to Cayo where you can enjoy a nice evening at your hotel or in town.
• a journey into the Mayan underworld in cave explorations that will be one of the most enlightening, epic, and unique experiences of your life.
• climbing to the top of an ancient Mayan temple in the middle of a lush rainforest
• delight in the symphony and sight of over 500 species of birds which is a birder's paradise!
• leap into the crystal-clear Caribbean sea for a healing and nurturing salt water swim or snorkel over colourful reefs and shoals of marine life such as rays, turtles, fish, and manatees.
• wave to the occasional school of dolphins that playfully race along a boat that is taking you to one of the hundreds of islands you may be visiting during your Belize vacation.
• book a fishing trip and have your guide bar-b-q your fresh catch on he beach for a late lunch.
• dive one of the incredibly diverse ranges of scuba dive sites
• enjoy populated island towns that have all the restaurants, bars, shopping and entertainment you need to enjoy island life; or choose one of the more private islands that have all the conveniences you need along with exceptional peace, quiet and tranquility.

As families, friends and loved ones meet again, and co-workers who work remotely get to know each other, and the new norm of travel and work instead of travel for wok sets in, we invite you to choose Belize because we have unbelizable possibilities here to help you celebrate life!