Where to go in Belize

Just a few hours flying time from the United States, Belize is a lovely tropical destination with gorgeous beaches, exotic wildlife, a stunning coral reef, jungles, ancient Mayan cities, and a friendly Caribbean atmosphere.

Below are some of our favorite places and points of interest in Belize.

Placencia Peninsula – A sparkling 16-mile long expanse of beach along the Caribbean, the peninsula is one of the most popular tourist destinations in Belize. The mangrove-lined lagoon on the mainland side is an ideal spot to enjoy fishing.

Placencia Village – A laid-back fishing village, Placencia is a great place to get a drink in a cafe or bar, enjoy a delicious meal in a restaurant, or find an outfitter for a trip to the Belize Barrier Reef. The village is famous for holding the Guinness Book of World Records title for smallest main street in the world, a 4,000-foot long sidewalk too narrow to admit cars.

San Ignacio Town – The cultural and entertainment capital of the west, San Ignacio is close to many of the country’s finest Maya ruins. The resort of Chabil Mar offers comprehensive jungle and sea packages that combine the best of Placencia Peninsula with an expedition to San Ignacio and its environs.

Hopkins – A small village in the southeast, Hopkins is the cultural heart of the unique Garifuna culture.

Caye Caulker – A small, unspoiled island, Caye Caulker is the picture postcard definition of a tropical island, complete with sparkling blue water, white sands, and palm trees.

Toledo District – The heart of Belize’s cacao (chocolate) growing region, Toledo is the gateway to the unspoiled south of the country.

Ambergris Caye – The largest island in Belize, Ambergris Caye is an easygoing mix of beaches, bars and some of the best food in the country.

Belize Barrier Reef – The second largest coral reef system in the world, the Belize Barrier Reef offers spectacular diving, swimming, snorkeling and sailing opportunities.

Cockscomb Basin Wildlife Sanctuary – Perfect for day trips or longer hiking expeditions, the sanctuary provides a protected habitat for tapirs, monkeys, jaguars and hundreds of species of birds.

Great Blue Hole – Regularly voted as one of the top natural wonders in the world, the Blue Hole offers experienced divers a unique opportunity to explore a system of underwater caverns.

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.

Belize is still a rural country that hasn’t yet been overrun by tourists, but if you want a truly authentic Belize travel experience, you should check out some of the more remote and undiscovered places.

Fodors, one of the most popular and widely-respected travel publications in the world, recently published an article about Belize adventures that are truly off the beaten path. Written by Kristine Hansen, one of Fodors’ most experienced authors, the article regaled readers with exciting things to do during Belize vacations, including learning how to make chocolate according to millennia Maya recipes, visiting the legendary Marie Sharp’s hot sauce factory, and dancing with the Afro-Caribbean Garifuna people in Placencia Village, Dangriga, and Hopkins.

There are no shopping malls, high-rise office buildings, or fast food outlets in Belize, so pretty much the entire country offers something interesting and eclectic to explore. And despite having a small population of just around 400,000 people, Belize is a true melting pot society composed of very different cultures, including Spanish-speaking Mestizos, three tribes of Mayans, festive Creole people, conservative German-speaking Mennonite farmers, and the Garifuna people who have been recognized by the United Nations for their intangible contributions to the heritage of humanity.

One of the best places to experience Garifuna culture is Dangriga on the southeastern coast. A vibrant port town where karaoke bars blast Belizean musical genres like punta all night long, Dangriga is also where you’ll find the Marie Sharp’s hot sauce factory. Using locally-grown hot peppers mixed according to her family’s traditional recipes, Marie Sharp’s hot sauces grace every table in Belize and are imported around the world, yet the factory only employs a dozen people.

Other off the beaten path recommendations from Fodors include visiting the open-air fish market in the southern town of Punta Gorda where you’ll find crab, octopus, lobster, shrimp, and dozens of different kinds of fish, all of which are caught by local fishermen, usually on the same day that they’re sold. Fodors also recommended visiting a Mennonite farm to try the handmade cheeses or visiting a Maya village for weaving lessons.

If you want to explore parts of Belize that are well off the beaten path, be sure to book your vacation with Chabil Mar, one of the finest luxury Belize resorts in the country. An upscale resort located on the Placencia Peninsula, Chabil Mar offers Belize vacation packages that include authentic Belizean experiences.

Every year on November 19, Belize commemorates Garifuna Settlement Day in remembrance of the epic journey of the Garifuna people to the shores of Belize. Originally descended from imported African slaves who intermarried with local Carib and Arawak peoples in the Caribbean, primarily on the island of St. Vincent, the Garifuna rose up against the British at the end of the 18th century. Britain, after winning several wars against France, began putting down the Garifuna rebellion, only succeeding in 1796.

Hounded by the British, the Garifuna made their way westward through the Caribbean Sea, stopping on the island of Roatan in what is now Honduras. Using dugout canoes, the Garifuna pushed on to avoid British maritime forces, eventually arriving in Belize on November 19, 1802. Their contributions to Belizean society were formally recognized in 1975 when Garifuna Settlement Day first became a national holiday.

Garifuna Settlement Day is a chance for visitors and locals throughout the country to taste Garifuna food favorites like cassava bread, hudut (a fish stew made with bananas) and darasa (similar to tamales but with green bananas and coconut milk), watch traditional dances like the Jankanu Dance, and listen to both traditional and Garifuna music.

See also: 6 Things to Know about the Garifuna people of Belize

The Garifuna have made substantial contributions to the musical scene in Belize, creating and shaping popular genres like punta and punta rock. Garifuna drumming, using instruments made from locally-sourced hardwoods and animal skins, is one of the most iconic features with its steady percussion of African rhythms and beats. In 2001, UNESCO proclaimed that the dance, music, and language of the Garifuna was a Masterpiece of the Oral and Intangible Heritage of Humanity.

In towns with a significant Garifuna population, the holiday begins at dawn with a re-enactment of the epic voyage across the water in dugout canoes, followed by dancing, music, drumming, parades, games, and lots and lots of food. Look for the Garifuna flag with black, white, and yellow horizontal stripes that represent the sun, peace, and pride.

Chabil Mar is an award-winning luxury resort located on the Placencia Peninsula and is near some of the best Garifuna towns to celebrate Garifuna Settlement Day like Seine Bight, Dangriga, Punta Gorda, and Hopkins. With elegantly appointed villas, a lush tropical garden, and Cafe Mar, one of the country’s finest restaurants, on-site, Chabil Mar is the epitome of Beauty by Belize, Luxury by Design.

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Here are some reasons why you should spend your 2022 Spring Break in Belize:

1. The beaches are beyond spectacular with white sand and crystal clear Caribbean water
2. English is the official language
3. It’s not that far from the U.S. – about a two-hour flight from Houston or Miami
4. There are some really fantastic Belize all-inclusive resorts offering specials
5. Plenty of fun, relaxation, and adventure, all included in your Belize vacation

One of the hotspots to visit is Placencia Village located in Southern Belize. With eighteen miles of pristine beaches and the beautiful Caribbean Sea, there’s plenty of room to gather, snorkel, canoe, scuba dive the great barrier reef, kayak, zip-line, and sunbathe. Hiking in the rainforests or deep-sea fishing is also readily available.

There are private shuttles that can transfer you from Belize’s International Airport to Placencia Village, rental cars are available, or short flights via Tropic Air or Maya Island Air can connect you easily to the peninsula.

Chabil Mar is the place to stay in Placencia! Not only is it a luxury resort but also an award-winning establishment with all the amenities of a five-star resort. With its close proximity to the village of Placencia, it’s the perfect resort to stay in for your spring break! If you were to ask anyone in the world where the best beaches in Belize are, they would tell you, Placencia!

Chabil Mar offers an unbelievable variety of Jungle and Sea Belize Vacation packages so you’ll get the best of both worlds! Spend three or four nights inland enjoying adventures like the jaw-dropping ATM Cave, ancient Maya city of Caracol, canoeing in jungle rivers, and hiking in rainforest trails.

Then spend the other three or four nights at the first-class resort of Chabil Mar where your package includes: a Monkey River tour,  snorkeling in the great Belize barrier reef, golf cart rental for two days, massage, and round trip transfers. You’ll also receive water, coffee, and soft drinks, along with all your meals. Oh, and did we forget to mention that Chabil Mar has two infinity pools with its own private pier?

Why not have a Belize spring break you’ll always remember? Belize luxury vacations are affordable and filled with fun for everyone! Why consider going anywhere else but fabulous Belize?

For more information about visiting Belize and Chabil Mar, 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.

Every year, thousands of professional divers from around the world come to Belize to plum the biodiverse waters of the Caribbean. Belize is blessed to have more than 200 miles of offshore reef, part of the second-largest barrier reef system in the world and a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Although coral reefs form just 1% of the ocean, they are home to a staggering 25% of all marine life, and Belize is home to a wide variety of fish, shark, ray, sea turtle, and dolphin species who use the reef as a nursery and feeding ground.

Some of the top dive spots in Belize include:

The Great Blue Hole

Sometimes known as the Belize Blue Hole, this natural phenomenon is a perfectly circular stretch of deep azure water measuring over 300 meters (984 feet) across and 108 meters (350 feet) deep.

Nestled on the inner side of Lighthouse Reef, the Great Blue Hole was known only to local fisherman until famed French marine biologist and documentarian Jacques Cousteau visited the area in 1971 and declared that the Great Blue Hole was one of his top 10 dive sits in the entire world.

Turneffe Atoll

Located approximately 32 kilometers (20 miles) offshore of Belize City, Turneffe Atoll is just one of three coral atolls in the Western Hemisphere. Using the coral and thick vegetation for cover, thousands of aquatic species spawn here, making it a natural feeding ground for predators. The shallow waters, bright white seafloor, and thick density of marine life make this one of the best places to enjoy a “color” dive in Belize.

Hol Chan Marine Reserve

Located just offshore from the tourist island of Ambergris Caye, the Hol Chan Marine Reserve contains a natural cut in the reef that many different species use to transit between the outer and inner portion of the reef. As a result of all this “traffic,” the area is a diver’s paradise where it is easy to find large schools of nurse sharks and rays on the hunt for prey.

Gladden Spit

One of the furthest points of the reef from the mainland of Belize, Gladden Spit is part of a larger marine reserve that also contains the three Silk Islands. The islands plus the spit itself contain a gentle underwater slope that gives divers a chance to explore every layer of the active biosphere that contains more than 25 different species of fish.

Chabil Mar has a complete set of scuba diving vacations that include expeditions to all of the locations listed above.

For more information about diving in 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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