As a former British colony, Belize is the only country in Central America where English is the official language. The vast majority of people in Belize speak standard English, but a variety of dialects and other languages are often spoken at home.
These include:
Creole/Kriol
Traditionally spelled Creole, the Kriol dialect (preferred modern spelling) is not a different language than English but a distinct dialect that can be difficult for non-speakers to understand. Many Kriol speakers “code switch,” speaking the Kriol dialect with friends and family and standard English in public.
Approximately one-third of the population speaks the Kriol dialect as their first language.
Spanish
Located in Central America, Belize has been strongly influenced by Spanish, including groups of self-styled Mestizos (literally “mixed race”) who emigrated in the early 19th century following a civil war in neighboring Mexico.
Today, many people in Belize speak Spanish as a native language, particularly near the Mexican and Guatemalan borders. In addition, some Belizeans speak a “kitchen Spanish,” a simplified version of the language used by people whose first language is English.
Mayan
The descendants of the ancient Maya that built the impressive pyramids, palaces, and ceremonial sites that dot the Belizean landscape, the Maya in Belize speak three different dialects: Kekchi (various spellings), Mopan, and the increasingly rare Yucatec.
Maya communities tend to be located in rural areas, but most Maya speakers are bilingual in either English or Spanish.
Garifuna
An Afro-Caribbean tongue, Garifuna is a unique language spoken by approximately 4% of the population. The Garifuna tongue is a blend of indigenous Caribbean languages and West African languages and was recognized in 2001 by the United Nations as a valued contribution to the intangible heritage of humanity.
German
Different than standard high German (Hochdeutsch), the German spoken in Belize is predominantly the Plautdietsch or Mennonite Low German variety similar to the Pennsylvania Dutch spoken by Amish communities in the United States. Belize has a well-established Mennonite community consisting of several villages and towns.
Most German-speaking Mennonites in Belize are also bilingual in English.
Chinese and Arabic
Belize has a small but well-established community of Chinese communities located primarily in urban areas. Originally brought into the country as an unskilled labor force, the Chinese community of Belize soon expanded into more entrepreneurial activities.
Predominantly hailing from Lebanon, there is also a small Arabic-speaking community in Belize.
For more information about 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.
Most visitors to Belize will want to experience the white sand beaches and the warm Caribbean water before returning home. But there is so much more to Belize than you may realize. Did you know that Belize is home to the world’s only jaguar preserve? It has become the best place to learn about the Western hemisphere’s largest big cat and the third largest in the world.
Jaguars once roamed freely in an area stretching from the southwest United States to the grasslands of central Argentina. Over the years, their range has been greatly reduced. This is mainly due to road development through crucial parts of the jungle and the burning forests by farmers to plant crops. The species has also decreased significantly in numbers because of its popularity with hunters for its teeth and skin. In addition, farmers will kill jaguars if they believe they are responsible for killing their livestock. Belize has outlawed the hunting of jaguars and has become one of the few countries that has a healthy and thriving jaguar population.
Once fairly common in mangroves, savannas, and lowland forests, jaguars in Belize are now typically found only in the protected preserves. They mostly hunt at night and are known to feast on peccaries, howler monkeys, deer, turtles, birds, lizards, and fish. Jaguars have the most powerful jaws of any big cat and can take down their prey with a single bite to the skull. They are stealthy and are not commonly seen by humans during the day, although paw prints, animal carcasses, and loud nighttime roars are evidence of their presence.
Solitary by nature, jaguars only come together to mate. Jaguar cubs reach maturity by age three and adults can weigh between 100 and 250 pounds, measure up to 6 feet and have a tail up to 30 inches long. Jaguars can be born black with inconspicuous spots beneath their fur or with the more well-known yellow with black-spot coloring.
A trip to the world-renowned Cockscomb Basin Wildlife Preserve is an opportunity to explore the jaguar’s habitat. This 150 square-mile sanctuary was established as a jaguar preserve in 1984 and is home to approximately 200 wild jaguars. The preserve’s main purposes are to provide a safe haven for this endangered animal, conserve the jaguar’s natural habitat, and educate the public.
If you’re looking for accommodations during your visit to Cockscomb Basin Wildlife Preserve, Chabil Mar in Placencia is close and convenient. Our award-winning full-service resort has luxury suites and villas surrounded by lush tropical gardens, beach views, and fine dining options.
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.
Do you have to be a kid to develop a fascination with primates? Not if you like being entertained. While the globe’s primate population may be declining, “New World Monkey” species making their homes from Mexico to Argentina are thriving.
Just ask editors at Nature.com. Their roster of monkey types begins with the one and only howler monkey, a mammal that can be heard from a distance of half a mile away.
Howlers are the most audaciously outspoken critters in Belize. They’re most likely to make themselves known when anything or anyone—-human or animal—-attempts to invade their neighborhoods. Don’t believe us? Check out this YouTube video for a sampling of their howls:
Howler monkeys inhabiting Belize’s forests and jungles rarely search for sustenance because it’s all around them. Though classified as omnivores, howler diets tend to be vegetarians, always on the lookout for raw fruits and vegetables that keep energy levels high enough to race from branch to branch over forest and jungle canopies.
Belize’s howlers are quite happy to be living in a nation that offers so much dietary variety that it’s easy to maintain an average weight of between 15 and 22 pounds. Are there overweight howler monkeys? Not really. They move around too much and so much activity results in an average lifespan of from 15 to 20 years.
It’s unusual to find a howler hanging out alone. These creatures stay in family groups that can number up to 20 kin. Like most primate groups, an older male is likely the head of the household, but everyone in the clan has a unique personality.
Despite the danger indigenous jaguars present, howler monkeys love to “irritate” these big cats on the ground by pelting them with branches and sticks for fun. Far from reach on distant tree branches, howlers are smart enough to know that if they get closer, they could become lunch.
Howler monkeys have excellent vision and they are enthusiastic swimmers. They love to hang out along the Monkey River. Wouldn’t you like if someone named a body of water in your honor?
What’s the best way to see these entertaining creatures? Come to Belize for a visit and take in Belize’s Monkey River Tour, not far from Placencia Village. Once there, feel free call these howlers by their Latin name Alouatta pigra or use the Creole word Baboon to get their attention.
About The Monkey River Howler Tour *
You will never forget a trip to Monkey River. Your trip begins dockside from Chabil Mar Resort, where your guide picks you up by boat, for your adventure. Prepare to weave your way through the mangroves, where it’s not uncommon to see a peaceful manatee lumbering by. Continue along the coastline where you will reach the mouth of the river at the Village of Monkey River. From there you will travel upstream through the Belize rainforest. Along the way you may witness exotic bird life, crocodiles and howler monkeys feeding in the shoreline trees of this tropical jungle paradise. You will then take a jungle hike and see amazing plant and animal life as you search for troops of exotic howler monkeys. Back at Monkey River Town, you’ll enjoy a traditional Belizean lunch and an optional walkabout in the idyllic Belizean village. Then it’s back onboard your skiff for the return trip back up the coast and through the mangroves to Chabil Mar Resort, with a stop to view the manatees lumbering at a nearby island favorite of theirs.
Advance reservations are currently being snapped up so take advantage of Chabil Mar deals while you can. Just imagining yourself at Chabil Mar is likely to buoy your spirits and make your current situation more tolerable!
Caracol is one of the most interesting and well-preserved ancient Maya sites in Belize. Previously known as Uxwitza (“Three Water Hill”) to the ancient Maya, the current name of the site was coined in 1938 when the local British head archeologist dubbed it Caracol (Spanish for “Snail Shell”) on account of the curving access road that leads to the site.
Far bigger than even Belize City, Caracol once housed up to 180,000 people at the height of the city’s power. Caracol dominated the ancient Maya geopolitical world, variously allying or fighting against other city-states, including Naranjo and the UNESCO World Heritage Site of Tikal that is currently located just across the border in neighboring Guatemala.
The most famous building in Caracol is the Canaa (“Sky Palace). An enormous period that contains four palaces and three temples, Canaa is still the tallest building in the country at 141 feet (43 meters) high. Other important buildings and items discovered in Caracol include 24 religious altars, three large ball court, five big plazas, 24 carved stelae, reservoirs, causeways, and a very advanced astronomical observatory. A total of 35,000 lesser buildings have also been identified in Caracol along with more than 100 tombs.
Due to its enormous footprint (some 75 square miles), much of Caracol is still awaiting further excavation. A 2009 aerial survey was used to create a 3D map of how the city stands, including large sections of causeway and agricultural terraces that still lie buried in the jungle. The remote location of Caracol in the foothills of the Maya Mountains in southwest Belize also add to the difficulty of performing large-scale archeological work.
Caracol rose to the height of its power during the Maya classic period but the city seems to have been abandoned around the year 1050 for unknown reasons relating to the wide scale collapse of Maya civilization in the area. Once reclaimed by the jungle, the city was accidentally rediscovered in 1938 by a local logger named Rosa Mai who was in the area searching for mahogany trees.
Today, Caracol is located approximately 25 miles south of San Ignacio in the western Cayo District of Belize. The site of Caracol is within the Chiquibul Forest Reserve and is surrounded by both primary and secondary tropical rain forest. The abundance of carved stelae, altars, markers in ball courts, walls, and capstones have allowed archaeologists to accurately document the history of the city, including a monumental military victory of Tikal in the year 562 AD.
Chabil Mar in Placencia Belize & Caracol Mayan Ruins
Chabil Mar resort on the Placencia Peninsula is close to all of the most exciting mainland destinations in Belize. Guests of the resort can include a visit to Caracol Mayan Ruins as part of one of Chabil Mar’s fantastic Belize Reef & Jungle vacation packages.
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.
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.
Visit our website Chabilmarvillas.com for more information on Belize and Chabil Mar, and don’t hesitate to send us an email, or call & chat with us via WhatsApp Free Worldwide: +501-633-7547, Local: (011-501) 523-3606, if you have questions or need help in planning a Belize vacation.
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