Lace up your sneakers and get ready to run where the road meets the sea—because the 14th Annual End of the World Marathon is back on December 7, 2025! Held on the breathtaking Placencia Peninsula, this one-of-a-kind marathon isn’t just about crossing the finish line—it’s about soaking in the beauty of Belize while supporting an incredible cause.
The End of the World Marathon is more than just a race. It’s a movement. All proceeds go toward funding scholarships for Belizean youth in high school, university, and trade programs. So every step you take helps a student get closer to their dreams. And with early bird registration offering a 15% discount from June 1–30, 2025, now is the perfect time to commit to a run with purpose.
Our villas are private, spacious, and ideal for recharging post-race. Enjoy gourmet meals, tropical drinks, and our signature barefoot luxury service—because after you’ve conquered 13.1 or 26.2 miles, you deserve to be pampered. Take a dip in our sea-facing infinity pools, stroll along the beach, or toast your achievement with dinner on the pier as the sun sets over the Caribbean.
Plus, Chabil Mar’s location puts you just minutes from the start line and the post-race celebrations. Whether you’re here to run, cheer, or simply soak up the energy of this unforgettable event, we’ll make sure your stay is as memorable as your marathon.
So, runners and race fans alike: register early, pack your gear, and book your stay at Chabil Mar. This December, the end of the world is just the beginning of an incredible Belize adventure.
Learn more about the event or register/donate at runbelize.org
In Spanish, the term “Mestizo” means “mixed” as in mixed race, but this is not a very apt description for the Mestizo people of Belize. In reality, the Mestizos were originally immigrants that began arriving in Belize after fleeing from a race-based civil war in neighboring Mexico in the 19th century called the Caste War.
Initially, the Mestizos brought much of their original culture with them, including the Catholic faith and the Spanish language. Over time, however, the Mestizos have integrated into the wider Belizean society, many having adopted other Christian faiths as well as being bilingual in both English and Spanish.
Today, the Mestizos are primarily located in the two northernmost districts of Belize, Corozal and Orange Walk, as these border regions were largely uninhabited in the mid-19th century. The Mestizos were instrumental in Belize’s burgeoning agricultural sector, especially sugarcane production. The Mestizos now form the second-largest cultural group in Belize after the Creoles.
Mestizo culture is rich with a blend of Catholic and indigenous traditions. Perhaps their most well-known story tells a tale of Xtabai (pronounced ish-ta-buy) who was a powerful spirit that lives in the jungle. According to legend, the Xtabai waits at night on the edge of town for an intoxicated or lost man to wander by. The Xtabai then lures the man into the jungle, sometimes just to taunt them, but sometimes to hurt or even kill them. During the day, however, the Xtabai takes the form of a tree or a snake.
Mestizo music is heavily influenced by Spanish traditions. No Mestizo gathering would be complete without some guitar music, especially a song called the Serenata (Serenade) that was traditionally sung by young men outside the bedroom window of their beloved. Mestizo music often recalls the rollicking rhythms of flamenco, rumbia, and salsa with lyrics that tell stories of rural life, love, and death. Other typical Mestizo musical instruments include harps, trumpets, and violins.
Mestizo cooking is similar but distinctly different than Mexican food. Mestizo villages often have a large communal kitchen where tasty treats are made such as tortillas, tacos, and tamales. Mestizos are also renowned for their textile work and handicrafts that feature simple yet elegant floral designs.
The lovely beach resort of Chabil Mar on the Placencia Peninsula in southeastern Belize is a great place to stay for visitors who want to learn more about Belizean culture and people, including the Mestizos.
Belize is a rather unique Central American country in that its official language is English. This means that more and more North American people are considering it a premier vacation spot. Whether you are a family, planning your honeymoon, looking for some solo adventure, or want to plan a getaway with your spouse, Belize is sure to have something for you.
Below are 7 things Belize is best known for.
Belize is a popular vacation destination
Belize is world-renowned as a popular tourism destination. It has five different environments to satisfy any sort of vacation spot. It is also a tropical paradise that does not require fluency in Spanish to truly enjoy.
Belize is the heartland of the ancient Maya empire
Belize is known for being the heartland of the Maya empire. The carbon dating of relics and sites indicates that the Maya are as old as 2,600 BCE. Belize is also home to the most number of Maya ruins in the region.
Belize is the least populated country in Central America
Belize is known for having the least population in Central America and having a potpourri of cultures. Despite being the home to less than 390,000 people in this country, you can encounter people directly descended from the Ancient Maya, the Afro-Indian Garifuna, Latinos, Chinese, and even Mennonites.
Belize is known for having the only jaguar preserve in the world
Belize is known for having the only jaguar preserve in the world. Cockscomb Basin Wildlife Sanctuary is a picturesque conservation center in the middle of gorgeous forests and waterfalls. It has also served as the planet’s only nature preserve for jaguars, the smallest of the big cats.
Belize is known for having one of the largest sinkholes in the world
Belize is known for having one of the largest sinkholes in the world. The Great Blue Hole is a giant underwater sinkhole that spans 1,043 feet across and 407 feet deep. This happens to be one of the country’s more iconic landmarks due to its distinct coloring when contrasted to the waters of the Caribbean Sea and as a regular tourist spot for divers and fans of sea life.
Belize is known for its pristine jungles and rainforests
Belize is known for pristine jungles and rainforests. Roughly half of the entire country is covered in jungle and 80% of Belize’s rainforests are protected by the government. These moist, forested regions serve as the home of jaguars, tapirs, crocodiles, ocelots, more than 500 species of birds, and thousands of flowers.
Belize is known for having the second-largest barrier reef in the world
Belize is known for having the largest barrier reef in the northern hemisphere. While everyone knows Australia’s Great Barrier Reef, the Belize Barrier Reef is the second largest barrier reef on the planet and attracts over 260,000 people a year to dive and fish.
If any of these many activities and sites grab your interest you will need somewhere to stay. If you happen to be vacationing in Placencia, Belize, may we recommend Chabil Mar Villas? Chabil Mar can provide you with the top amenities and accommodations so that your relaxation is just as excellent as your thrilling moments.
Visit our website chabilmarvillas.com for more information on Belize, and don’t hesitate to send us an email, or call US/CAN Toll Free: 1-866-417-2377, Local: (011-501) 523-3606, if you have questions or need help in planning a Belize vacation.
With so many interesting and exotic animals living in Belize, choosing to see the Baird’s Tapir (Tapirus bairdii) may seem a little unusual. Baird’s tapirs are the national animals of the country and are rarely seen in the rainforests and jungles of Belize primarily because they are only active at nighttime and spend most of their lives completely alone.
But there’s a lot to appreciate about these creatures, the largest indigenous land mammal in Belize. Baird’s tapirs are named for Spencer Fullerton Baird, an American naturalist who first observed the animals in Mexico in 1843 but are known as “mountain cows” by Belizeans.
These mammals can grow up to six feet long (two meters) and weigh up to 500 pounds (225 kilograms). Baird’s tapirs are entirely vegetarian, usually feeding on fruits, leaves, grasses, and aquatic vegetation but they are happy to snack on corn and other crops when they get a chance. But don’t let their size fool you. Despite their big size and ungainly appearance, they are fantastic swimmers. In Belize, Baird’s tapirs range across vast territories, often having to cross rivers, creeks, and wetlands. These land mammals are also excellent at climbing steep terrain even in the thickest jungle.
It takes approximately 13 months for a Baird’s tapir to gestate and three years to grow to full maturity. During those three years, young tapirs will stay close to their mothers, the only time in their lives when they will live in proximity to their parents. It is estimated that they can live 30 or more years in the wild.
Baird’s tapirs don’t actually look like a cow. Their appearance is more of a big, gray anteater or elephant due to their long, prehensile nose. These mammals are actually most closely related to horses and rhinoceroses. Although it’s hard to spot a tapir in the wild, the tracks they leave behind are easily identifiable, a deep, splayed hoofmark with four toes in front and three in the rear.
Baird’s tapirs were once found all throughout Central and South America, but their numbers have dwindled due to poaching and the encroachment of human developments. Today, Belize is home to some of the biggest populations of these mammals. Baird’s tapirs don’t pose any risk to humans. When surprised, they usually like to flee to the nearest body of water, but on occasion, they will emit a loud whistle and stamp their feet.
If you’re interested in seeing a Baird’s tapir up close and personal, be sure to book your visit to the Belize Zoo with Chabil Mar.
Easily recognizable from space, the Belize Blue Hole, sometimes known as the Great Blue Hole, is one of the most iconic dive spots in Belize.
Here are 10 fascinating facts about the Belize Blue Hole:
1 – Size and Dimensions
The Belize Blue Hole is almost perfectly circular in shape, measuring 300 meters (984 feet) across and 108 meters (354 feet) deep.
2 – The Largest Sea Hole in the World
The Belize Blue Hole is the largest sea hole in the world. Sea holes refer to caves that were submerged when rising waters covered them. Most sea holes, just like the Belize Blue Hole, were submerged at the end of the last great Ice Age some 10,000 years ago.
3 – Location
The Belize Blue Hole is located approximately 100 kilometers (62 miles) offshore of Belize City. The perimeter of the Blue Hole is Lighthouse Reef, a natural coral atoll.
4 – Stalactites and Stalagmites
Divers can explore thousands of stalactites and stalagmites that were formed when the Blue Hole was an aboveground series of caverns.
5 – Jacques Cousteau
Legendary French documentarian and marine biologist Jacques Cousteau visited the Blue Hole in 1971. He later described the Blue Hole as one of his top favorite 10 dive sites in the world.
6 – The Name
The name “Great Blue Hole” comes from British diver Ned Middleton who wrote a book about his career as a diver in 1988 named “Ten Years Underwater”. Although the Blue Hole was charted by the Spanish, no one is sure what name they gave for the region.
7 – Discovery Channel
In 2012, the Discovery Channel ranked the Belize Blue Hole as the #1 most amazing place on Earth.
8 – UNESCO World Heritage Site
The Belize Blue Hole is a UNESCO World Heritage Site, part of a vast barrier reef that is the second-largest barrier reef in the world after Australia’s Great Barrier Reef.
9 – Charles Darwin
In 1836, on his around the world voyage aboard the HMS Beagle, Charles Darwin visited the Belize Barrier Reef and declared it the “most remarkable coral reefs” in the entire Caribbean.
10 – Experienced Divers Only
Due to the challenges of diving the Belize Blue Hole, only divers who have completed at least 24 divers are allowed to explore the Belize Blue Hole.
About The Belize Blue Hole
Long a secret known only to Belizean fisherman, the Belize Blue Hole became famous in 1971 when legendary marine biologist and undersea explorer Jacques Cousteau visited the site.
Cousteau and his crew aboard the Calypso explored the depths of the Blue Hole, confirming that it had been created thousands of years ago when rising tides flooded a network of caves. Declared by Cousteau as one of the top 10 best diving spots on the planet, the Belize Blue Hole is located approximately 60 miles (100 km) from the coast of Belize.
A nearly perfectly circular body of water, the Belize Blue Hole is surrounded by the Lighthouse Reef Atoll. Divers can use the shallow waters of the atoll’s lagoon to begin their descent to the now-flooded cave that contains stalactites and stalagmites up to 40 feet (12 meters) in length.The coral atoll surrounding the Belize Blue Hole has an inner ring of shallow, lighter colored water that forms a natural ring around the deeper sapphire waters of the flooded cave.
Thousands of years ago when the cave flooded, the Belize Blue Hole was formed, a vertical entrance over 980 feet (300 meters) across with a bottom more than 400 feet (125 meters) below the sea’s surface today.As divers descend into the Great Blue Hole, the dark waters start to become more clear, allowing for an impressive view of the flooded cave network that is home to a variety of marine life, including a few elusive hammerhead sharks.
Due to the complexity and depth of the dive, only experienced divers are permitted to explore the majestic underwater formations that make the Belize Blue Hole such a unique dive site.
The Blue Hole is located along the Belize Barrier Reef, a UNESCO World Heritage Site part of the second-largest barrier reef system in the world.
An almost perfectly circular area of dark topaz water encircled by the Lighthouse Atoll on the Belize Barrier reef, the Great Blue Hole is one of the most intriguing and popular places to dive anywhere on Planet Earth.
Facts About The Belize Blue Hole
1.) The Blue Hole measures about 1,000 feet in circumference and is more than 400 feet deep. It is the largest natural formation of this type found anywhere in the world.
2.) The Blue Hole was formed at the end of the last Ice Age when rising seawaters flooded a series of enormous caverns. Geologists have determined that the caves first formed about 153,000 years ago and were completely submerged approximately 15,000 years ago.
3.) The Blue Hole is approximately 60 miles offshore from Belize City and is part of the Belize Barrier Reef, a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
4.) In 1971, famed French marine biologist Jacques Cousteau visited the Blue Hole with his boat Calypso, declaring it one of the top 10 diving spots on the planet.
5.) The underwater caves of the Blue Hole are filled with giant stalactites, proof that it once existed above water.
6.) The Blue Hole is home to several species of sharks, including bull sharks, Caribbean reef sharks, and the elusive hammerhead shark.
7.) In 2012, the Discovery Channel ranked the Blue Hole as #1 on its list of 10 Most Amazing Places on Earth.
8.) The Blue Hole is visible from space, easily identifiable by its unique circular formation and location within the midst of the greater Belize Barrier Reef.
9.) The name “Blue Hole” was coined by the British diver Ned Middleton in his book “10 Years Underwater” published in 1988.
10.) Due to the complexity of diving required, the Blue Hole is restricted to experienced divers only with a minimum of 24 completed dives.
What It’s Really Like To Dive The Great Blue Hole
The Mysterious Belize Great Blue Hole is a large underwater hole off the coast of Belize. It lies near the center of Lighthouse Reef, a small atoll 100 kilometers (62 mi) from the mainland and Belize City. The hole is perfectly circular in shape, over 300 meters (1000 ft) across, 3140 feet circumference and 125 meters (410 ft) deep.
It was formed as a limestone cave system during the last glacial period when the sea level was 400 to 500 feet below present time and was dry land. Last glacial period began about 120,000 years ago and end about 15,000 years ago. Reaching the maximum extension 26,500 years ago. At the end the ocean began to rise, the caves flooded, and the roof collapsed.
Believed to be the world’s largest feature of its kind, the Great Blue Hole is part of the larger Belize Barrier Reef Reserve System, a World Heritage site of the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO).
The hole itself is the opening to a system of caves and passageway that penetrate this undersea mountain. In various places, massive limestone stalactites hang down from what was once the ceiling of air-filled caves thousand of years before the end of the last Ice Age 15,000 years ago. When the ice melted the sea level rose, flooding the caves. This process occurred in stages. Evidence for this are the shelves and ledges, carved into the limestone by the sea, which run the complete interior circumference of the Blue Hole at various depths.
The Blue Hole is a “karst- eroded sinkhole.” It was once a cave at the center of an underground tunnel complex whose ceiling collapsed. Some of the tunnels are thought to be linked right through to the mainland, though this has never been conclusively proved. Notable are the large population of sharks such as lemon, black tip, reef, hammerhead, and bull sharks.
Mysterious and legends always have been around the Belize Blue Hole.
This was the entrance to Xibalba?. It’s the kind of underwater geology that inspires speculation about aliens creating geometrically perfect anomalies, mermaids and monsters living in darkness.
I explored the bottom of the Blue Hole perimeter (3,140 feet circumference). To do this I dove down twice, reaching the depth of 375′ feet which took 4 to 5 hours of diving each day.
Video Music:
Start to 2:18 min. “Dawn From Four Sea Interludes” by Benjamin Britten 2:18 to 4:37 min. “300 Violin Orchestra” by Jorge Quintero 4:37 to End “Groove Armada” from Tomb Raider Soundtrack
Video and Blog courtesy of Ramon Llaneza
If you would like to explore the wonders of the Belize Blue Hole, the resort of Chabil Mar has a comprehensive scuba diving vacation package that includes a guided trip to the Blue Hole.
For more information about the Blue Hole or Belize, feel free to chat with our Concierge at: concierge@chabilmarvillas.com or contact our Reservations Manager at: reservations@chabilmarvillas.com. Or perhaps you would like to call toll free from the US or Canada: 1-866-417-2377.
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