Left: Large coral hemispheres at Mexico Rocks on the Belize Barrier Reef, the world's second longest coral reef (nearly 200 miles). Belize offers some of the world's best snorkeling and diving.

A coral-eating parrot fish.

I relax in a deck hammock at Cahal Pech Cabins, San Ignacio, Belize.

        The compact country of Belize makes a great destination for ecotourism. English is the official language, making communication easy for independent travelers. Amongst themselves, locals speak Creole, a pleasantly lilting but fast dialect of Spanish, African, Carib, and English. I don't recommend spending much time in Belize City -- go straight to a forest lodge or the Cayes, which are beautiful white coral sand islands on the Belize Barrier Reef.

Click to enlarge Belize map.

Wild cormorant. San Pedro, Ambergris Caye, Belize.

Tropical Forest, San Ignacio:

        I visited Belize from January 25 to February 3, 1997 with a friend, Nancy R. We took a first class express bus from Belize City to San Ignacio (booked on Venus Bus Lines one day ahead, at their bus station). San Ignacio is a great center for ecotourism: experiencing Maya ruins, exploring tropical & mountain ecosystems, watching birds, and inner tubing through river caves. For only US$3, the bus ride included lunch, assigned seats, movie video, air conditioning, foot rest, curtains. Using the toilet was best advised only while the bus moved outside of town, because it emptied directly onto the street! In San Ignacio, Eva's Restaurant provided good local tour information, plus internet services so I could e-mail my fiancé, Carol, who was back in Seattle working. Many of the tourist businesses in the area seemed to be establishing web sites on the internet.

A rare King Vulture, Belize Zoo.

Jabiru stork, largest flying bird in the Americas, 4-5 feet tall, wingspan 9-12 feet. Belize Zoo.

Parrot. Belize Zoo.

        On our second day in Belize, we plunged (almost literally) into an adventurous day trip by canoe. Our guide Henry poled us up the Macal River to Chaa Creek Resort for lunch, and paddled back down (US$12.50 each for a full day, 14 miles). Weather ranged from bright sun to pelting rain showers.  I enjoyed the Chaa Creek Natural History Museum, and even better, the walk-in butterfly house, part of a breeding facility for the big and colorful Blue Morpho butterfly. Along the Macal River we admired a host of wildlife:  bowling-ball shaped ant nests high in trees where big iguanas climbed; roosting snowy white egrets (with black beaks, yellow feet); cattle egrets (with yellow beaks, black feet); night herons; vultures; little blue herons; bats; and pretty spotted wood rails skulking along the river edge. Apparently storms blew cattle egrets here from Africa in historic times.
 

Small crocodile and palms in the Belize Zoo.

Blue Morpho butterflies. Chaa Creek Butterfly Breeding Center. Belize.

        For future reference, I spotted an attractive getaway: a Chaa Creek town house apartment with kitchen for only $50 per day (cabins were more expensive). Back in the activity hub of San Ignacio, the Cahal Pech Cabins (run by friendly Caesar, who calls it "Caesar's Palace") where we stayed for four nights were very quiet, secure, & enjoyable atop a hill. As a natural alarm clock, every morning at sunrise 20 wild parrots swooped and chattered in rising crescendos to greet the new day!
        From San Ignacio, we booked a day trip to explore Mountain Pine Ridge, Rio On Pools, Rio Frio Cave, and 1000-foot Hidden Valley Falls. Our van climbed about three thousand feet out of the tropical jungle into a refreshingly cool, pine cloud forest ecosystem. I had a grand time swapping stories with 9 fellow international tourists, including German newlyweds, Canadian, Austrian, and English travelers.

A male iguana (above left) has a spiked crest, and the female (below) does not.

        At the Chaa Creek Blue Morpho butterfly hatchery, we had met a charming couple, Judy a sculptor, & Murray a retired psychiatrist, who had rented a Suzuki four-wheel-drive car in Mexico and driven here. They warned us of bandits extracting cash from half the vehicles driving the 2.5-hours-long road to Tikal, Guatemala, where we had wanted to visit. Just one week earlier, Guatemalans had signed a civil peace accord ending 36 years of civil war, but ironically a Guatemalan policeman had been shot on the border road to Tikal. Apparently no tourists had ever been injured by the illicit toll takers, but the possible threat decided the four of us not to go. We heard that flying to Tikal was the safest bet. I would love to see the spectacular Maya ruins at Tikal the next time I'm in the area. By now civil order should be returning to Guatemala since my visit in 1997, and better policing may have discouraged the bandits. Belize itself felt very safe (outside of Belize City, which suffers from the usual urban crime problems found in most cities of the world).

Me in Rio Frio Cave, Mountain Pine Ridge, Maya Mountains.

A river cascades into Rio On Pools. We took a day tour from San Ignacio with a small group of travelers to explore the refreshing pine forests and waterfalls of Mountain Pine Ridge.

        Instead of visiting Tikal the next day, Judy and Murray drove the rough road to Caracol, which the Maya built from 300-600 AD. It was discovered in 1938, and in 1986 was determined to be the supreme and largest Maya city. In fact, the ruin's 143-foot central tower still reigns as the tallest building in Belize! In the time of Jesus, 3 to 4 times as many Mayans lived in Belize than the current population of 200,000. Most of the huge site of Caracol is now covered by dirt mounds and jungle. Our friends said Caracol was most interesting for its isolation, and for the chance to meet archeologists at work (but unfortunately none were present). After meeting Judy and Murray in the small town of San Ignacio several times by chance, and then by plan, the four of us piled into the little Suzuki "jeep" to enjoy the Belize Zoo for a day.
        Located on the Western Highway between Belize City and the mountain hub of San Ignacio, the naturalistic Belize Zoo is the best place to see the most wildlife in the shortest time. Belize requires all of its children to visit this national pride. Outside of the zoo, you would have to be very lucky to see rarer animals such as a jaguar or king vulture.
        We drove a rough gravel road 7 miles to Jaguar Paw Jungle Resort (newly opened), where we to walked to a river cave. Jaguar Paw offers a unique and exciting adventure where you float in an inner tube through an underground river cave system! Headlamps are provided, but bring water shoes, drinking water, and bathing suit. You walk 1.5 hours, and tube 1.5 hours ($US40). I would like to do this on my next trip to Belize. Several outfits in San Ignacio offer above or underground tubing from a few hours to all day.

Exploring inside a limestone cavern carved by the Caves Branch River, I can see light at the end of the tunnel! Below right: The Caves Branch River emerges from the same cave. Near Jaguar Paw Jungle Resort, Belize.

Conch shell.

Ambergris Caye, Belize Barrier Reef:

        We flew in a small plane from Belize City to San Pedro on Ambergris Caye, which is part of Belize's Barrier Reef, the largest reef in the world after Australia's Great Barrier Reef. You can also take a ferry, but you see the beautiful reef better from the air. San Pedro lodging is cheaper when your hotel is at least one row back from the beautiful white sand beach (basic Hotel San Pedrano, $15 double per night). Instead of cars, most people drive silent electric golf carts in San Pedro, some packed with whole families! Everything is within walking distance, so you don't need a car.
        For dinner one night I ate delicious Caribbean style grilled conch, with baked potato, coleslaw, lime, orange slices, and Belikan beer, the Belizeans' favorite. Another night I ate my favorite meal in Belize: yucca fried chicken, rice & beans, fancy coleslaw, & pineapple crunch a la mode, at Fido's Restaurant. Nearby a live band played Jimmy Buffet tunes from the 1970's and 80's.

Conch Shell Hotel, San Pedro, Ambergris Caye, Belize.
 
 

Left: Golf cart ferry. Golf carts are the preferred family vehicle in San Pedro, Ambergris Caye, Belize.

Docks at sunrise. San Pedro, Ambergris Caye, Belize.
 
 

Crepuscular rays of sunrise burst through a cloud, over the calm Caribbean Sea. Ambergris Caye, Belize.

National flags at sunset. San Pedro, Ambergris Caye, Belize.

        With fascination I watched graceful herons fishing next to shore, while overhead flew Magnificent Frigate Birds with scissor-shaped tails, just like I saw in the Galapagos Islands. A pleasant sea breeze cooled the otherwise hot days. I saw senior citizen tourists swimming in a rope-bouyed area which reminded me of the movie "Cocoon", where the pool makes old people young.
        We hired a powerboat and guide, and snorkeled on the beautiful turquoise Belize Barrier Reef, seeing beautiful undersea coral gardens, colorful tropical fish, and harmless rays & nurse sharks. At Mexico Rocks, I was very impressed by dozens of big coral hemispheres scattered across several acres, providing world-class snorkeling in turquoise water!

Fascinating large underwater coral spheres at Mexico Rocks, on the Belize Barrier Reef, world's second longest coral reef (nearly 200 miles).

A harmless nurse shark swims at Shark & Ray Alley in the beautiful turquoise Hol Chan Marine Reserve, in the Caribbean Sea.  The Belize Barrier Reef Reserve System is the second longest coral reef in the world, and was declared a World Heritage Site by UNESCO in 1996.
 
 

A ray in Shark & Ray Alley, Hol Chan Marine Reserve, Belize Barrier Reef.

Sea fan, and tropical fish.

Weather & When to Go to Belize:

• December - May is the dry season, with good weather. Prices are highest for accomodations during this time.
• June - November is the rainy season. Hurricane season runs from late summer to November.
• Health: For malaria prevention, I took a Chloroquine prescription.

Recommended fun in Maya country:
My 10 days in warm Belize were a great break from Seattle's cool & cloudy winter. I recommend all the activities described above, plus when I return, I would add the following experiences:

• In Belize:
• Float through river caves on inner tube, near San Ignacio, or Jaguar Paw Resort.
• Hike & swim Blue Hole National Park on the Hummingbird Highway.
• Stay at Manatee Lodge, Gales Point (25 miles south of Belize City): watch manatees, canoe, hike trails, explore Maya Cave.
• Hike & swim Cockscomb Basin Wildlife Sanctuary, one of the wildest & most beautiful areas in Belize.
• Visit red footed booby rookery, on Half Moon Caye, the southeast corner of Lighthouse Reef Atoll.
• Snorkel Laughing Bird Caye, 13 miles southeast of Placencia.
• In Guatamala: Explore Tikal for 2 days (recommended guide: Antonio Ortiz; ask at Jungle Lodge). More options: Antigua, Lake Atitlán, hiking volcanic peaks, Copan, and Spanish language courses in small villages.
• See also: Yucatan Peninsula, Mexico: Summary , Touring Tips for Maya Country in Mexico , Tulum, Quintana Roo , Yucatan ( Chichen Itza , Uxmal ) , Palenque, Chiapas , How Risky is World Travel?
  

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