Belize...tell me what you know

[Kjonus]

We're heading to Belize for two weeks starting April 1st, wondering what everyone can tell me as what they liked and what you should avoid. My plan as of now is to head to San Ignacio first and go into Guatemala to see the Tikal ruins and then back to San Ignacio to spend some time there checking things out. Once done there we'll be heading Caye Caulker. Is there something that I got to check out other than all the normal stuff that comes up when internet searching.

Thanks in advance.

[finboy]

My gf's parents have a place in Hopkins, small fishing town up north.

In no particular order:
-avoid Belize city, get out asap
-consider the hopper flights if you want to travel, the roads are garbage and it takes hours to drive across the country
-the ocean is great, seafood is amazing, great diving
-smaller villages have lots of petty crime, break ins, etc. So lock everything up, and don't leave anything out. If it isn't nailed down, it will get stolen.
-beer situation is rough, no imports from any country that shares a border, and anything else is taxed a lot higher because the local brewery has it in good with the government
-the food is great, but with more Canadian and American tourism, prices aren't crazy cheap
-getting cash can be a bitch, atm's and banks are super unreliable, and not a lot of places take cards. The good news is that the Belize dollar is tied to the US dollar, the bad news is that you have to carry a lot of cash.
-check trip adviser for reviews on everything, it's a good way to weed out the crap businesses from the ones who want to be a bit more professional
-get your shots, the bugs in the jungles can give you some nasty diseases
-drink bottled water, make sure it is sealed when you buy it
-the Belize zoo is pretty cool, but a bit of a drive
-cave tubing wasn't great, but there is a swimming hole close by that is pretty awesome

Overall it was worth seeing and checking off the list, but I don't think I would go back. As fun as the trip was, constantly having to worry about theft, being somewhat immobile because of the road conditions, and always having locals trying to sell you something because you are the rich tourist (comparatively speaking) turned me off a bit, it wasn't easy to fully relax.

[Kjonus]

Thanks for the info, you're the first person I talked to that said they wouldn't go back. :dunno:

[Dave P]

https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/M/MV5BN2RkMmNkYjktMjk2My00YjQxLTk5YmMtZTc1Y2YyMWY4ZmVjXkEyXkFqcGdeQXVyNTY1OTQ4MzQ@._V1_UY268_CR29,0,182,268_AL_.jpg

haha

[Buster]

5vZLjNolrS0

[ExtraSlow]

Just make sure to work the phrase "you better Belize it!" into every conversation. Everyone there thinks this is funny. If they don't laugh, say it again. And again.

[Kjonus]

Wow thanks guys some of you are so helpful :banghead:

[Buster]

Did you know that someone from Belize is called a Belizean?

[bourge73]

Originally posted by ExtraSlow
Just make sure to work the phrase "you better Belize it!" into every conversation. Everyone there thinks this is funny. If they don't laugh, say it again. And again.
I can't Belize how funny you are :rofl:

[Tik-Tok]

Originally posted by Buster
Did you know that someone from Belize is called a Belizean?

I don't Belize you.

[Gart]

When I went there (maybe 5 years ago?). We rented a jeep looking thing and I hit:
-Caves Branch (a little south of Belmopan, ~ half way to blue hole). It's an "adventure" type resort, so you do stuff like spelunking during the day. Was quite fun.
-We did a day trip out to ~ Dangriga area (can't remember exactly, just looking now at the map and guessed..). We took the Coastal highway back. One the the main bridges was out so we crossed a fierce looking river on a temporary bridge: what I remember as a couple of 2x4's. ahh fun.
-The Belize zoo (on the way back to Belize city). Basically I wanted to see a Toucan.
-Random road side restaurants on the main road. I was looking for hot sauces, and also the ultimate burrito (all the burritos are good).
-Next we went up to San Pedro (we stayed at a small place on the beach called Caye Casa). I Scuba'd a bit, but generally just relaxed in the town. No need for a car here. Rum is good, the locals are super friendly. The other place we have stayed at on another trip has since burned down unfortunately. Some of the pier bars are nice, cozy, and friendly. They also have really weird and amazing bar games. There are always a few Canadians in the area, so try and play some street hockey with them if you can for us.

My Brother and his wife did their honeymoon in Belize (mostly San pedro, etc. area) and still talk about it. My coworkers have been down more to the southern resorts with no complaints, but I can't speak to it.

My friend used to live in Belize (outside of the tourist areas) but moved away due to crime. I enjoyed my time there, but like a lot of places you need to keep your radar up when you stray from the touristy areas. Not being (too) racist, but avoid the Jamaicans (selling drugs) and you'll likely be fine. At one point we were near the Guatemala border where at the time they had active Guerrillas, but I found the mainland areas closer to Mexico were more sketch.

Didn't spend any time in Belize city. I'm fine with that.

Make sure you know how to change a tire. From my experience the roads are shit. By my count there are at least 2 paved roads in the country though.

[davidI]

Caye Caulker is good and chill but don't expect nice beaches.

There was some Reggae Bar with great food for good prices. I can't remember what it was called but it was a mix of Reggae and Chinese design with Creole food deals.

[Khyron]

The main reason to go there is the diving. Blue hole is nice (and expensive) but there's tons of cheaper amazing wall dives and lots of outfits to take you. Snorkeling is fine too. It's 10x better than Mexico.

We did Ambergis Caye, then got up to Ignacio, did an over-night trip to Tikal then took a taxi from Ignacio all the way to the SE coast for the last 5 days or so.