Qué hacer en Belice

Belize lies between Mexico and Guatemala, and its coast is lined by a long barrier reef that forms part of a UNESCO-listed system. Offshore, Ambergris Caye is the largest of the cays, its town of San Pedro a place of sandy streets and diving boats, and the Great Blue Hole is a vast circular sinkhole in the reef. Belize City, the former capital, is the main port, set around a swing bridge.

Inland, San Ignacio is the base for the Cayo district, with Maya sites like Xunantunich and Cahal Pech, caves, jungle rivers and the Mountain Pine Ridge. On the southern coast, Placencia stretches along a narrow peninsula, Dangriga and Hopkins are centres of Garifuna culture with drumming and cassava bread, and Punta Gorda is the gateway to Maya villages and cacao farms.

Rice and beans with stewed chicken is the Sunday plate, fry jacks are breakfast, and hudut, a Garifuna fish stew in coconut milk served with mashed plantain, is a speciality of the south. Creole, Maya, Garifuna, Mennonite and Mestizo communities share the country. February to May is the driest stretch, and the rains come between June and November.