Belize’s stilted homes — standing amidst turquoise waters and fluorescent jungle foliage — make rainbows seem dull.
“In Belize, you are free. You want an orange house, you paint your house orange and no one says nothing,” my taxi driver Uncle George explained.
Our necks bobbed along to reggae beats. Charms and rosaries hung beside a snoopy necklace. Many come to Belize for world famous diving, but vibrancy certainly wasn’t confined to the reefs.
“It’s Un-Belizable,” a sign claimed as we arrived at the ferry dock. I smirked. I like a place that doesn’t take itself too seriously.
Also, everything was written in English. Belize had been the only British colony in the region.
Creole French from the country’s slave trade history and Spanish from El Salvadorian and Honduran immigrants also carried through the streets as I approached the pier.
My friend Sasha smiled up from a picnic table in front of two beers. She’d just come from the Atlantic Canada coast and me from the Pacific. Somehow we’d managed to meet right here, right now — in Central America for a drink.
A friend of a friend had helped build schools in Belize in high school and they’d loved it so much — it had stuck with us a decade later.
So, we set out to Central America with no plans other than to see this Un-Belize-able place for ourselves.
The country is world famous for its coral reefs but neither of us were divers.
Yet, these 7 uniquely Belizean experiences showed us just how vibrant the country was:
1. Take time for a Belikin
“Here, try the official beer of Belize,” Sasha pushed one of the bottles toward me. The crisp, bubbly almost non-existent flavour cut through the heavy tropical heat.
“It’s time for a Belikin,” the beer’s slogan hung over every bar patio — and it soon became ours. Anytime things went sideways — we got lost, didn’t know what to do next, or couldn’t find our host — we’d pause and have a Belikin.
Inevitably someone lent us a phone or we worked out a plan. Meanwhile, it’s a very drinkable beer. It’s not pretentious. It’s simple and laid back — like equatorial life.
Plus, Belikin was guaranteed to be everywhere: a rare constant on a random trip.
The don’t worry, just enjoy spirit of Belikin and its strong national pride we’d find everywhere in Belize.
Locals loved living here and couldn’t imagine living anywhere else.
“Cheers,” the bottles clanged together and we chugged the last quarter when the ferry captain began flailing his arms at us.
Christened by our first Belikins, we headed off to the islands.
Our trip began on Caye Caulker, the lesser visited of the main islands near Belize City. Vida Rosa, the Pink Life, our Airbnb was a stilted fluorescent home worthy of the title.
2. Cycle the sandy islands
“Use these bikes girls, it’s really the only way around the island,” our host Donna said. Caye Caulker has a few golf cart “taxis” and maybe a pickup truck or two.
The lack of traffic added to the slow paced, take-it-all-in beach lifestyle. We biked into town to grab food.
Most of the local restaurants have swings for seats and serve Cajun foods as well as local coconut stewed beans and rice. We frequented the Fry Jack stands, a Belizean fried empanada stuffed with cheese and a variety of toppings. They’re highly addictive.
The next day, we biked to The Split, a local swimming spot where the island splits into smaller ones. We laid out on the rough coral sand beaches under palm fronds and floated in translucent waters.
Biking farther, we visited one of the island’s wilderness parks up-kept by neighbours. A micro-rainforest raised out of the white sand. Pelicans flew over the waves and squabbled on the shore where fishermen brought up their traps.
We even rode to the boat dock to go snorkelling (why should divers have all the fun?). Rays swam under and around us. Even if you’re not a diver, the high visibility waters are perfect for snorkelling.
With the islands thoroughly biked, we took “time for a Belikin” and let the next adventure come to us.
3. Walk shelter animals
Sasha has the biggest heart for animals.
“There’s a shelter on the island that rescues dogs and cats, you can take them for walks,” she looked off to the side with a spreading smile.
She meant it as a suggestion but it clearly was a must-see.
“Let’s go!” I’m an animal lover too and supporting good causes and meeting the people behind them just feels wonderful.
Also — how fun is it to do routine things like taking a dog for a walk in new places?
The Caye Caulker Animal Shelter grounds were donated by the community. Kenny, the manager, is a local celebrity famous for his care for the fluffy creatures — and a resident iguana.
Each evening, we took some wagging tails to the beach and watched sunset with sticky sweet cassava loaf and bread pudding.
Back at the shelter we cuddled the cats and spoke with Kenny.
“We’ve managed to adopt out 25 dogs so far. We’re working with vets from the mainland on a catch, neuter, release program.”
The shelter accepts donations of time, food, animal medications, and of course, money. But, even giving the dogs a chance to socialise, stretch their legs, and sniff is something Kenny truly appreciated.
“People ask why would I spend my time helping animals, but why wouldn’t I? They didn’t choose this life, and I am capable of helping them. It’s simple.”
The opportunity to speak with such a good soul made visiting the shelter a highlight of Caye Caulker.
4. Explore 3,000 year old Mayan ruins
“You can ride a school bus into the jungle,” a golf cart taxi driver said. “It’s easy, takes about four hours, and shows you a completely different culture in Belize.”
The last few days of island life were beautiful, but with a single look Sasha and I knew our ship was about to sail.
San Ignacio is a town nestled in the jungle hills of Belize’s interior. The endless flat plains on the bus ride there amazed me.
We asked locals on the bus ride for a hotel recommendation. Afterall, San Ignacio was a small town.
“Stay at the Hyatt,” someone said. Really? A big box hotel in a Belizean village?
“Hi-Et Hotel is named after my mother, because she’s so friendly,” Ethyl’s son told us on check-in. “Everyone walks by and says ‘Hi, Et!’”
Sasha and I laughed, nothing was as it seemed.
“Just walk up the road, there are some ruins to see,” he recommended.
It was such a casual mention. Some ruins. Up the hill. No big deal. We weren’t prepared for the amazement ahead.
We wandered up the road and saw the sign for “Cahal Pech.” It gave no details of who built it or when. There was just a scribbled drawing of the shockingly large site.
We had to track down the park guards to get a ticket. There was no one on the grounds, just us and the trees still rooted into the ruins.
Multiple pyramids made staircases around two large plazas. We wandered in and out of doorways, laid down to cool off on bunks cut out of stone.
When I returned home, I Googled the temple and discovered I dates back from 1,000 B.C.E.!
Sasha and I had unknowingly walked up a street, had a picnic lunch on a pyramid, and visited altars in a place over 3,000 years old! Belizeans really are humble, no one bragged about the epic ruins inside their own town.
Perhaps that’s because Cahal Pech actually means “Place of Ticks.” It’s hard to brag about a name like that. Apparently when it was first uncovered, it was being used as farmland… which meant a lot of bugs.
These Mayan Ruins in Belize are definitely worth visiting.
Thankfully, there are no ticks now. We time travelled at the site for a full day, and explored Belize’s truly ancient history.
Tikal, the colossal Mayan wonder of the world in Guatemala, is just hours away. However, you don’t have to leave Belize to be amazed by the Maya. The Cahel Pech pyramids are over 1,000 years older.
Someone needs to add that to the sign.
5. Save the iguanas!
Belize is truly tropical and we’d watched geckos skitter across the ceiling each night. Et’s son recommended a stop at the Iguana Rescue Project nearby.
“Go see some jungle meat,” he laughed. “People used to hunt big lizards to eat or sell, and green iguanas almost went extinct.”
Everything in San Ignacio was conveniently walkable. At the Iguana Project, part of a resort hotel, we had tea while we waited for the hourly tour to begin.
Wildlife tourism can be dodgy, even with the best intentions. But here, the Project had made a real difference. For 17 years, they’ve raised and released thousands of iguanas. The species have recovered from the brink of disappearing.
“Females live together and the males only show up to mate,” Jorge, our guide, explained. “So when people hunted them they’d find the females, many pregnant, in a big pile and take them all.”
It was an easy catch for a hunter but a big loss for the iguana population. Now the Project does community outreach in schools and even allows you to adopt (sponsor) an iguana from egg to release.
Jorge reached into the juvenile pen and came out with a handful of tiny iguanas! They huddled together for warmth and piled willingly into any person’s warm blooded hands. A few of them crawled up our arms and into our hair.
“They’re heat seeking, that’s how cold blooded animals survive,” Jorge said. “Your head is the warmest part of your body, and it’s all cozy and protected in hair.”
We laughed and gently removed our new hair pieces.
Males iguanas are solitary and territorial. They’re also the length and width of my leg. They laid out in the sun, eyes closed. Suddenly, one male got too close to another and both groaned and puffed up.
The disk shaped flap under their necks shot out and a mohawk of spikes stood up.
“Godzilla!” I shouted, Sasha rolled her eyes.
“They aren’t poisonous, but they have a lot of bacteria in their mouths so be careful,” Jorge said.
A day in this mini Jurassic Park gets you so close to iguanas — that they might get in your hair!
My heart was glowing after meeting people in Belize helping animals, whether the critters were domestic or endangered.
6. Search for toucans in the rainforest
Central America is home to some of the most bio-diverse places on Earth — not only in the sea.
We took an early bird watching tour from the same hotel as the Iguana Project to wander the jungle and see what we’d find.
In the first hours of light, clouds covered the trees. Vines and leaves tangled together in the mists. Insects, frogs, and other unknown animals sung a symphony greeting the day.
Dawn is the best time for bird watching.
“These plants make a good tea for digestion,” our guide pointed out medicinal plants along the way. Orchids and fan-like bird of paradise flowers decorated the green with bursts of orange and red.
We waited in silence and listened to the white noise of the life and fluttering leaves.
Sadly, we didn’t see a toucan but the sounds, smells, and bizarre plant life of the jungle made the hike a perfect way to start the day. It was thrilling just to be poised, waiting to see what would pop out at us from the jumble of sounds.
7. Make chocolate from scratch
“Mayans gave cacao to women giving birth,” said Adrian, the owner of a chocolate shop.
“It’s a natural painkiller.”
Fact: Chocolate is medicine.
Just when you thought cocoa couldn’t get any better, you find out it can heal you. Adrian’s family owned a sustainable cacao farm, shade grown in the jungles.
“Our family continues the Mayan tradition of growing, harvesting, and making chocolate by hand. There is no factory!”
He walked us through how he collected the ripe football-sided cacao pods, dumped the seeds and their fruity-casing into containers to ferment, then dried them out in the sun.
“Try these,” he handed us dried cacao seeds. A bold flavour like coffee beans and crunchy texture melted my stress away.
He guided us to slabs of granite rock set up like a mortar and pestle.
“You grind the seeds into a fine powder. Then you take raw sugar, like this,” he showed us a handful of golden panela, raw cane sugar. “And grind it in, too.”
Fats and oils aren’t chemically removed from the cacao seeds, like in processed chocolate, and create a creamy texture with nothing else added.
We nibbled on and bought some pieces: Berry, dark, and chilli spice. The texture was a bit drier at first — but then melted in my mouth! I’d never tasted so much flavour in my life! Coffee, cacao, and hints of sweet earth.
Afterwards, I felt healed. Chocolate really is a miracle.
Riding the school bus back to the airport it felt like we’d just been on a field trip.
We grabbed some fruit from the market for lunch, and our final fry jacks stuffed with coconut beans and cheese.
I’d miss the culture of Belize. People took time to enjoy life, didn’t take anything seriously (even impressive ancient ruins), and did good deeds simply because — they could.
Sasha and I clanged together a pair of Belikins one last time.
Belize was unbelievable, the sign had got it right.
