©Lonely Planet Publications Pty Ltd Belize Northern Cayes p82 Northern Belize p127 Belize District p52 Tikal & Flores Cayo p233 District p151 Southern Belize p188 THIS EDITION WRITTEN AND RESEARCHED BY Alex Egerton, Paul Harding, Daniel C Schechter PLAN YOUR TRIP ON THE ROAD Welcome to Belize . 4 BELIZE DISTRICT . 52 Monkey Bay . 79 Belize Map . 6 Belize City . 54 Along the Coast Road . 80 Belize’s Top 22 . 8 Northwest of Gales Point . 80 Need to Know . 18 Belize City . 68 If You Like . 20 Burrell Boom . 68 NORTHERN Community Baboon CAYES . 82 Month by Month . 23 Sanctuary . 69 Itineraries . 26 Ambergris Caye Rancho Dolores . 71 & San Pedro . 84 Diving & Snorkeling . 31 Crooked Tree . 71 Caye Caulker . 108 Belize Outdoors . 38 Old Northern Highway . 73 Other Northern Cays . 122 Travel with Children . 44 West of Belize City . 75 Cayo Esperanto . 122 Regions at a Glance . 48 Old Belize . 75 Turneffe Atoll . 123 Hattieville . 76 Lighthouse Reef . 124 Belize Zoo . 77 Long Caye . 125 PATRICK ENDRES / DESIGN PICS / GETTY IMAGES © IMAGES GETTY / PICS DESIGN / ENDRES PATRICK IMAGES GETTY / WATTS RON ANCIENT MAYA RUINS, CARACOL P180 JEFF HUNTER / GETTY IMAGES © IMAGES GETTY / HUNTER JEFF DIVING, LIGHTHOUSE REEF HALF MOON CAYE NATURAL P124 MONUMENT P126 Contents UNDERSTAND NORTHERN SOUTHERN Belize Today . 254 BELIZE . 127 BELIZE . 188 History . 256 Orange Walk District . 129 Stann Creek District . 190 Ancient Maya . 266 Orange Walk Town . 129 Dangriga . 190 People of Belize . 273 Lamanai . 135 Mayflower Bocawina Rhythms of a Nation . 277 National Park . 195 Rí o Bravo Conservation Beyond Rice & Beans . 280 & Management Area . 139 Central Cayes . 195 Wild Things . 284 Corozal District . 140 Hopkins . 199 Land & Environment . 290 Corozal Town . 141 Sittee Point . 203 Cerro Maya & Sittee River . 205 Copper Bank . 147 Maya Center . 205 Sarteneja . 149 Cockscomb Basin Wildlife Sanctuary . 206 CAYO DISTRICT . 151 Placencia . 208 Belmopan . 154 Toledo District (The Deep South) . 217 Around Belmopan . 158 SURVIVAL Punta Gorda . 218 Hummingbird GUIDE Highway . 160 Around Punta Gorda . 225 West of Belmopan . 162 Around the Deep South . 227 Directory A–Z . 296 Actun Tunichil Muknal . 164 Transportation . 305 San Ignacio . 165 Index . 313 Southeast of TIKAL & FLORES, San Ignacio . 173 GUATEMALA . 233 Map Legend . 319 Cristo Rey & Tikal . 234 Chiquibul Roads . 174 Yaxhá . 240 Mountain Pine Uaxactun . 241 Ridge Area . 178 El Remate . 241 Caracol . 180 Flores & Northwest of Santa Elena . 243 San Ignacio . 182 Bullet Tree Falls . 182 Southwest of San Ignacio . 183 San José Succotz & Around . 185 Benque Viejo SPECIAL del Carmen . 186 FEATURES Diving & Snorkeling . 31 Outdoor Activities . 38 Ancient Maya . 266 Wildlife-Watching . .. 284 ©Lonely Planet Publications Pty Ltd 26 Itineraries San Miguel É •# GUATEMALA Lubaantun •# É É San Pedro San •# Columbia Santa Antonio •# Big Cruz •# É Falls •# É #÷ É Río Blanco •# Blue BELIZE National Belcampo Park Creek Belize •# É Cotton •# Tree Lodge É •# Punta Gorda C A R I B B E A N S E A 5 DAYS Deep South Exploring Belize’s Deep South can take just a couple of days, but to truly appreciate the village life, allow five days. Punta Gorda (PG) is a chilled-out, slightly ramshackle coastal town and a natural spot to begin your trek. There are budget digs in PG but if you’d like to experience some luxury, book yourself in at Cotton Tree Lodge, Belcampo Belize or Lodge at Big Falls within Big Falls among the finest ecolodges in Southern Belize. The true beauty is in exploring the villages, chocolate-making enterprises and cultural tours out of PG. One of the best circuits is from Big Falls, then head off the highway to San Miguel, where you can sleep cheap, then move on to San Pedro Columbia and use it as a base to explore nearby Lubaantun. Later, head further still to the small Maya village of San Antonio, detouring for a hike and a swim at beautiful Río Blanco National Park, or caving at Blue Creek. 27 Corozal Town •# Sarteneja É •# #÷ É Ambergris MEXICO Shipstern Caye Orange Walk Town •# É Nature Reserve É Crooked •# San Tree Wildlife É Sanctuary Pedro PLAN YOUR TRIP Lamanai •# #÷ É •# Caye Caulker É Community Baboon #÷ É Sanctuary •# É Belize City Barton •# Mountain É Creek Equestrian Trails Belize Zoo San Ignacio •# Ian Anderson's Caves •# •# •# •#•# Branch Jungle Lodge Mayflower Bocawina Xunantunich Actun É National Park Tunichil #÷ IT É É É •# I Muknal •# Glover's Reef NERAR #÷ Hopkins Caracol •# É Cockscomb Basin Wildlife GUATEMALA Sanctuary •# I ES É Placencia C A R I B B E A N S E A •# Punta Gorda 4 The Whole Enchilada: WEEKS Corozal Town to Punta Gorda Belize is small enough that you can see the whole country in a month at express pace. In two months you’re practically a resident! This itinerary leads the way, starting in the quaint mestizo town of Corozal Town, south of the Mexican border. Spend one day in Orange Walk Town to cruise the New River and explore the Maya ruins at Lamanai, then head east to the fishing village of Sarteneja for amazing wildlife watching at Shipstern Nature Reserve. From Sarteneja, catch the fast ferry to San Pedro. Stay on either Ambergris Caye or Caye Caulker, but allow yourself at least four days to chill out in a hammock, kayak out to the reef, frolic with the fish and feast on fresh seafood. When you head back to the main- land, don’t bypass the animal-lovers’ sights outside Belize City in the Belize District, including the Community Baboon Sanctuary and the Belize Zoo. If you’re into birds, spend a night or two around the Crooked Tree Wildlife Sanctuary. Further west in Cayo, base yourself in or around San Ignacio and take four or five days experiencing re- gional adventures, whether it be delving deep into the caves at Actun Tunichil Muknal or Barton Creek, horseback riding at Mountain Equestrian Trails, climbing the tall temples at Caracol or Xunantunich, or all of the above. Backtrack east to the beautiful Hummingbird Hwy, which carries you south across the thickly forested northern foot- hills of the Maya Mountains. Stop at Ian Anderson’s Caves Branch Jungle Lodge for some cave exploration, jungle expeditions and abseiling down bottomless sinkholes. By now you have been away from the Caribbean for way too long, so spend a few days in the coastal village of Hopkins to absorb some Garifuna rhythms. From here, you can hike the beautiful jungle trails at Mayflower Bocawina National Park or Cockscomb Basin Wildlife Sanctuary. If you’re still thirsting for sun and fun, head south to Placencia to enjoy lovely sandy beaches, lively bars and lots of water sports, or indulge your tropical-island fan- tasies at Glover’s Reef, which has an irresistible low-key vibe and brilliant diving and snorkeling. Finish up in Punta Gorda, the southernmost town in Belize from where you can explore the Deep South. 28 FITOPARDO.COM / GETTY IMAGES © IMAGES GETTY / FITOPARDO.COM PLAN YOUR TRIP IT I NERAR I ES LUIS DAVILLA / GETTY IMAGES © IMAGES GETTY / DAVILLA LUIS Above: San Pedro (p84) Left: Maya site of Xunantunich (p185) 29 MEXICO San Pedro •# É C A R R I B E A N S E A Altun •#Ha Caye Caulker Lamanai •# •# PLAN YOUR TRIP É A L É É A M E T Belize A É U Belize City G Zoo •# •# É É •# Turneffe Atoll IT I NERAR El Pilar Blue Hole Mahogany •# •# Nohoch Che'en Hall Actun É •# San Tunichil #÷ Caves Branch •#Ignacio Muknal Archaeological •# I •# É ES Ka'ana •# Reserve Lighthouse •# Resort & •# Reef Spa Barton Creek Cave & Calico Jack's •# Black Rock River Lodge & Xunantunich Lodge at Chaa Creek É Northern Lights É É Wild West •# Caracol 1 3 WEEK Northern Lights DAYS Wild West If you only have a week to spare, make a On day one head to traveler-oriented San base on one of the Northern Cayes, where Ignacio to get a feel for the town, and you have access to an impressive array of visit the Maya site of Cahal Pech and the activities on land and sea. green iguanas at San Ignacio Resort Ho- tel. San Ignacio has plenty of good budget Choose Caye Caulker or San Pedro, hotels and restaurants, so save your as they are closest to the mainland. (We money for a night at one of the excellent prefer Caye Caulker – not only for its easy- ecolodges in the region. going vibe, but also for its easy access to Belize City, which is only 45 minutes Arrange a tour to explore the amazing away by water taxi.) From here, you can ritual cave of Actun Tunichil Muknal, take snorkel or dive trips to Turneffe or the superb Maya ruins at Caracol, Atoll and Lighthouse Reef, the latter either of which will take up all of your home to the amazing Blue Hole. second day. A third option is canoeing through and zip- You can also use either of these islands Barton Creek Cave lining at . as a base for day trips to the mainland. Calico Jack’s Spend a day in the Belize District to On your third day, wake up early and visit Belize Zoo or the Maya ruins at do a half-day trip to either Xunantunich Altun Ha. or El Pilar before checking into one of the better hotels or ecolodges in western It’s also an easy trip to eastern Cayo Cayo: is closest to El District, where you can go cave-tubing Mahogany Hall Pilar, while the fabulous Ka’ana Resort in the Nohoch Che’en Caves Branch & Spa is closer to Xunantunich. Other Archaeological Reserve or zip-lining stand-outs include through the forest canopy.