Belize travel guides

EU, UK, US, Canadian, Australian and Commonwealth passport holders do not need a visa and receive 30 days on arrival, extendable in-country for a monthly fee. You will need a passport valid for six months, proof of onward travel and sufficient funds. Note that Belize charges a departure tax when leaving by air, which is usually included in ticket prices, and a separate border fee if you exit overland to Guatemala or Mexico.

Late November to April is the dry season and best overall, with calm seas, good diving visibility and comfortable inland conditions for ruins and caves. Whale shark sightings near Gladden Spit peak around the full moons of March to June. June to November is the wet season and overlaps hurricane season, bringing afternoon downpours and rougher water, but also lower prices and greener jungle. Sargassum seaweed can affect Caribbean-facing beaches from spring into summer.

It depends what you want from a dive. The Blue Hole is a deep sinkhole with dramatic stalactites at around 40 metres, but marine life is sparse and the dive is short, deep and requires advanced certification. Many divers rate the accompanying dives at Half Moon Caye and the Lighthouse Reef wall more highly. It is a full-day trip of two to three hours each way by boat from Ambergris Caye or Caye Caulker. For a cheaper look, scenic flights over the hole are spectacular and take about an hour.

The tourist areas of Ambergris Caye, Caye Caulker, Placencia and the Cayo district are generally safe and well accustomed to visitors. Belize City has a considerably higher crime rate, particularly in the south side, and most travellers pass straight through rather than staying. Check your government's current advisory before booking. Petty theft is the most common issue elsewhere; use hotel safes and avoid walking on unlit beaches at night.

Seven to ten days lets you combine reef and jungle, which is the whole point of Belize. A common split is three or four nights on Ambergris Caye or Caye Caulker for diving and snorkelling, then three or four inland in the Cayo district for Maya ruins, cave tubing and Actun Tunichil Muknal. Add days for Placencia, the southern cayes or a Tikal day trip across the Guatemalan border. Internal hops are quick on Tropic Air's small planes.

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