Belize

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Quick Facts

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Capital

Belmopan

Population

256,000

Government

Parliamentary Democracy

Religions

Christianity (Catholic, Protestant)

Languages

English, Spanish, Mayan, Garifuna, Creole

Calling Code

+501

Nationality

Belizian

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Introduction

Schlammfahrt

© All Rights Reserved philipo

Owning an almost audacious amount of coastline, Belize's geographic location is given to diverse travelling. The entire coast is sidelined by a barrier reef, making for exceptional diving opportunities. But head a little inland and you will discover many more attractions. Hundreds of Mayan ruins have been discovered in Belize's heartland and well organized tours make these fantastic sites to visit, their attraction accentuated by enjoyable nature trips.

Unfortunately, Belize remains a somewhat difficult country to travel around. Apart from a handful of established tourist attractions, Belize is yet to fully realize its spectacular potential as a crowd drawer. In the meantime, much of Belize is still for the hardy traveller.

Brief History

Geography

Regions/Districts

Belize is divided into 6 districts

• Belize District
• Cayo District
• Corozal District
• Orange Walk District
• Stann Creek District
• Toledo District

Cities

• Belize City is the largest city in Belize and the hub of cultural and financial activity.
• Belmopan is Belize's capital. The small city was constructed as a replacement capital after a hurricane devastated Belize City in 1961.
• Corozal
• Dangriga
• Orange Walk
• San Ignacio
• Punta Gorda

Sights and Activities

Mayan Ruins

Mayan temples

© All Rights Reserved fia

Like many other neighbouring countries such as Mexico, Guatemala and Honduras, Belize boasts an impressive amount of Mayan Ruins. Still, unlike its neighbours they are less visited as many people stick to the islands and beaches of the country. Mayan ruins include Altun Ha, Cahal Pech, Caracol, Lamanai, Lubaantun and Xunantunich. Of these, at least the trip to Lamanai is probably one of the most impressive and the ruins themself don't disappoint either. It is best to base yourself in Orange Walk Town in the north of the country and do a (multiple) day trip by car and boat. Monkeys, birds and crocodiles will accompany you and you will able to visit indigenous people and even some Menonites. Caracol and Lubaantun are impressive as well. Many ruins can be visited while based in San Ignacio in the central west of the country towards the border with Guatemala. From here, even Tikal in Guatemala can be visited.

Beaches and islands

Beautiful Belize

© All Rights Reserved EMA375

Belize is most famous for its fantastic beaches, islands and all sorts of activities you can do while based on one of these islands or beaches. Although the mainland beaches are ok, most people go and visit the Cayes just offshore. The most popular ones are Caye Caulker and Ambergris Caye but there are hundreds to visit and from here you can do numerous day trips, mainly to go out snorkelling and diving. Belize is famous for its 'Blue Hole' near Ambergris Caye. For more information about both, visit the Ambergriscaye website.

Wildlife

Belize has some splendid national parks and sanctuaries. Although spotting larger animals like predators (the jaguar for example is very elusive) is very hard, Belize has some tropical creatures you will definitely see. These include several species of primates, many birds including the toucan, frogs, reptiles, crocodiles, butterflies and unfortunately lots of mosquitoes. The aquatic wildlife is just as impressive with sharks, dolphins, whales and rays being the larger ones, but numerous colourful but smaller fish are to be seen as well. You won't be disappointed when combining some inland parks with the underwater world of the country.

Events and Festivals

Weather

Belize has a tropical climate with generally warm to hot weather with high humidity. Temperatures usually hover around 30 °C during the day and 23 °C at night. December to April is the best time to visit because it is the dry and sunny season, while from June to November it is rainy season with occasional hurricanes possible from August onwards.

Getting there

Plane

Philip S. W. Goldson International Airport (BZE) is the largest airport in the country and is located near Belize City. Due to the number of tourists flying in and out of this airport there are several airlines that have direct flights from North America, Miami and Fort Lauderdale and even a few cities in South and Central America. Direct flights from Europe will start in Spring 2009.

Maya Island Air has only one international destination: San Pedro Sula in Honduras. Other airlines serve several cities in the United States, Canada and Honduras and a flight to and from the capital of El Salvador, San Salvador. Tropic Air flies to Flores in Guatemala.

By Car

The best routes into the country are from Chetumal in Mexico to cross into the north of Belize, or in the west from Flores in Guatemala. You need to buy a permit and insurance to bring your car into Belize and you need to be the owner of the car.

By Bus

There are three official border crossings into Belize, two from Mexico and one from Guatemala (in the west). From both directions there are frequent direct services from Flores in Guatemala and Chetumal in Mexico to Belize City and several other places on the route, like San Ignacio.

By Boat

There are several connections from towns in the south of Belize like Dangriga and Punta Gorda to places in neighbouring Honduras and Guatemala, like Puerto Cortes (Honduras) and Puerto Barrios and Livingston (Guatemal). There is also a connection between Placencia (via Big Creek) to Puerto Cortes but it doesn't go very often, usually once a week.

Getting around

Plane

Maya Island Air serves about 8 domestic cities, including several of the islands off the coast, Placencia and Dangriga. Their hub is Belize City. Tropic Air has roughly the same flights on offer.

By Car

The Southern Highway from Dangriga to Punta Gorda and the Northern Highway to Mexico are generally in good condition. This also applies to the Belize to Belmopan road towards the west and the Guatemalan border. The Manatee Highway to Dangriga is unpaved and so are most other roads. Renting a car is a good option to get around as distances are not too large. Driving is on the right side of the road. The best places to rent a car are Belize City, as well as Ladyville, Dangriga and San Ignacio. A normal car is mostly enough, unless you want to drive to the far south or into the interior's unpaved roads, which really need a 4wd, especially during the rainy season. You need to be 25 years old to rent a car in Belize and a national driving licence is enough for shorter periods.

By Bus

There are many bus services along the main highways to towns in the north, south and west towards Guatemala. Services are frequent and reliable and there are both older and newer buses with aircon available, recommended during longer trips. There are 3 major bus operators; National, James and BBDC, among other smaller companies.

By Boat

Water Taxi, Belize

© All Rights Reserved KoalaGirl

Red Tape

Visas are not required for citizens of EU or Caricom (Caribbean Community) countries, Australia, Canada, Hong Kong, Mexico, New Zealand, Norway, the USA or Venezuela. A permit valid for 30 days will be stamped in your passport when you enter the country. This can be extended by further periods of one month (up to a maximum of six months) by applying at an immigration office.

Visas for other nationalities mostly cost BZ$100 (USD 50) from a Belizean embassy or consulate and are valid for a 90-day stay.

Money

See also Money Matters

The Belizean dollar (BZ$) is the national currency. The currency bears the portrait of Queen Elizabeth II and the dollar is divided into 100 cents. Coins come in denominations of one, five, 10, 25 and 50 cents and one dollar; bills come in denominations of two, five, 10, 20, 50 and 100 dollars.

Work

Study

Language

Eat

Sleep

Drink

Health

See also Travel Health

Safety

See also Travel Safety

Keep Connected

Internet

Phone

See also International Telephone Calls

The country calling code to Belize is: 501
To make an international call from Belize, the code is: 00

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