The little known country of Belize has a wealth of activities to offer every traveller. The sun is hot, the beaches beautiful and the sea warm. The reef is teeming with sea life, the land is awash in jungle and colourful wildlife. You can choose to sit back and relax with a cold beer, feel a breeze against your skin while sailing, jump into a cool pool during a hot hike, head underground for some cave tubing, wander around Mayan ruins, and so much more. Belize may be small, nestled by Mexico and Guatemala, but it sure is a country that packs a lot in!
1. Diving/Snorkeling
This is definitely the reason most people visit Belize, and why not. With such unusual dive sites, such as the Blue Hole, which regularly makes it onto lists of top dive sites, and the notoriously inhabited Shark and Ray Alley proving to be the main draws. Admittedly I did neither, but I did learn to dive while staying in Caye Caulker, and decided against the Blue Hole due to my lack of inexperience as this is a deep dive. However, even while learning to dive at the local reef we saw plenty of fish, coral, and a few Moray Eels. With warm waters a short wetsuit is all that’s required. The reef is the second largest in the world, after Australia’s Great Barrier Reef, and there are a multitude of Caye and Island Atolls which are teeming with underwater wildlife. Many people venture to Utilla to learn to dive, as it’s slightly cheaper, but I think it’s better to pay a little bit more for a much better dive experience. Without a doubt Belize is one of the best places to dive or snorkel in Central America, and there are opportunities for both all along the coast. All I need now is a go pro to photograph my next dive and snorkel adventures!
2. The Jungle
Belize is popular for it’s sealife, but it’s land life is also pretty diverse and interesting. There are plenty of places to explore the jungle on short day hikes, plenty of which you can hike on your own, and I did. The forests of Belize are alive with the sound of crickets, birds, and monkeys. The trees are impressive, ranging from the ‘tourist tree’ with it’s red peeling bark to Strangler Fig trees, slowly growing around another tree for support, until it kills it, and Tarantula trees with their giant roots. There are waterfalls, pools with fish that nibble you feet (it certainly made me jump when I felt a slight pinching/ scratching of my toes) and cool pools to wash away the sweat and grime of a hike. There is a wealth of serene places, and you are unlikely to see anyone else while you’re exploring.
Read more: http://gemmajaneadventures.com/2015/04/05/7-awesome-reasons-why-you-should-visit-belize-now/