Sophie and I had a Delta companion ticket about to expire in February, valid for any destination in the US, Caribbean, Mexico, or Central America. Delta had a new direct flight to Belize City at a great price, so off we went!
Belize is a former British colony once called British Honduras. While nearby countries gained independence from Spain in the 1820s, Belize did not become fully independent until 1981. A major reason for the delay was its unresolved border dispute with Guatemala, which is still being decided in the UN court system today. People in Belize speak English, drive on the right side of the road, use miles, and in many ways feel more similar to the US than to Great Britain. The Belizean dollar is fixed at 2 BZ to 1 USD. Both currencies are accepted everywhere, and it is common to use Belizean and US dollars in the same transaction.
Our flight to Belize City landed just before noon, and within minutes we exited the plane, passed through immigration and crossed the small parking lot to pick up our rental at Avis. They didn’t have the car we booked so they upgraded us to a small pickup truck (Hyundai Santa Cruz) for no charge. Sweet! The airport was outside the city, so we immediately got on George Prince Highway (one of three main highways that cross the country) and headed inland.
Our first impressions were that Belize was not as developed as we had expected. We were probably biased after visiting Bermuda (another British colony) that was way more posh. Some of the roads here were pretty rough, with a lot of speed bumps nicknamed “sleeping policemen” by the locals. Quite a few homes and buildings were dilapidated and it wasn’t unusual to see old cars blocked up in front yards. Our initial unease, however, was quickly melted away by the friendliness of the people and the beauty of the nature.
About thirty minutes outside of town, we stopped at the Belize Zoo where we tried our first Belizean foods since it was lunch time. We had stewed chicken with rice and beans, and fry jacks (a filled puffed up flour dough – ours were filled with eggs, beans, and cheese). After lunch, we explored the zoo to learn more about Belizean animals.
The Baird’s tapir is the national animal of Belize, affectionately called “mountain cow” by the locals. Despite its nickname, the tapir is not a cow: it is a herbivorous mammal most closely related to the horse and rhinoceros. As the countryside becomes more developed, its habitat is threatened and it is now an endangered species. While driving, we saw lots of tapir crossing signs. On a side note, we also encountered many signs for jaguar crossings, but never spotted one in the wild.
Belize is a big birder’s destination, with over 600 species of birds, including the keel-billed toucan (the national bird of Belize), which looks like the Fruit Loops mascot. Despite being a small country, (roughly the size of New Jersey), its diverse range of habitats—from mangrove-lined barrier islands to tropical rainforests—allows Belize to host a high concentration of avian life (80% are permanent residents, and 20% North American migrants that overwinter in Belize).
We unfortunately didn’t see a toucan in the wild, but we heard their call which resembles a frog croaking. We admired the Jabiru stork, happy to pose for us. Touring the zoo was very pleasant and we also enjoyed discovering all sorts of tropical plants and our first termite mounds.
Our next stop was San Ignacio, about an hour inland. We spent 4 nights at Crystal Paradise Resort, a Belizean family-owned and operated eco-lodge located in Cristo Rey Village. It was a secluded nature-filled place along the Macal River and our cabana had a lovely palm roof. It was fun but loud, as we woke up to sounds from howler monkeys, birds, and other wildlife during the night. The beautiful grounds drew many birds early in the morning.
After an early traditional home cooked breakfast at our lodge the next morning, we started our day by driving to the Mayan ruins of Xunantunich (pronounced shoo-nan-too-nich) – meaning “Stone Woman” or “Maiden of the rocks” in Yucatec Maya. To reach the ruins, we had to ferry our truck across a river on a traditional hand-cranked ferry in the village of Benque Viejo. It was a small platform for four cars and passengers, connected to a cable over the river. The operator cranked the platform across to the other side. I moved my truck to the back of the ferry when we were halfway, to tilt its nose up as we docked. We hired a guide who joined us for the drive up the hill to the site.
Xunantunich actually got its start late in the Mayan era – around 600 AD. The elite built a settlement at the top of the hill to project power over the Mopan River trade routes below. They built a causeway up from the river into a plateau-like plaza surrounded by royal residences and temples. On our way up the causeway our guide pointed out some of the trees, like the Mahogany (National tree of Belize) and the Spanish cedar. She also pointed out the black poison tree, which has an oil much stronger than poison ivy. It had black spots on its leaves and roots – and we made sure to stay well away! She also mentioned that next to the black poison tree, you can usually find another tree, its antidote.
It was still early in the morning and quite cloudy when we started our visit, and we were enjoying the cooler temperatures before the sun peaked out. In one structure, we were surprised to find something resembling the lingas we previously saw in Cambodia.
Around 800 AD, a new group took over the site and built the impressive El Castillo structure – standing 130 feet tall. This massive pyramid wasn’t just a temple, it was a multi-use complex of administrative hubs and royal shrines. It was originally adorned with intricate stucco friezes representing the Sun God and celestial spirits. Some of these have been restored. The layout of the temples, particularly El Castillo, suggests the site served as an astronomical observatory used to track the sun, moon, and Venus to guide agricultural and religious cycles.
It was very cool to climb up to the top of the pyramid and see into some of the old rooms. Once at the top, our views were pretty incredible and we could see nearby Guatemala, as we were close to the border.
To reinforce their power, the new elites constructed a massive mound between their new pyramid and the old one, intentionally blocking the view between the old and new buildings.
After our tour, we crossed the river back to the town where we did a little souvenir shopping from the local craftspeople, eager to pose for some pictures. We ended up buying a hand-carved Mayan calendar that was made by our guide’s dad. He explained the process to us and told us he had to go quite far into the jungle to collect the stones he would later carve.
Next we drove to the nearby Belize Botanical Gardens, where we enjoyed a leisurely self-guided tour of the extensive grounds. There were so many trees, palms, bamboos and other plants we didn’t know. We were a little early to see a lot of the flowers, though, as it was only February.
Our next stop was the smaller Mayan site of Cahal Pech, located on a hill above San Ignacio. It had been well restored and, since we arrived late in the day, we had it to ourselves. The place was peaceful and beautiful, with rooms and hallways clearly visible. We could imagine people living there, and it reminded Sophie of old forts or castles in Europe. It was one of our favorite sites.
Featuring 34 structures, including temples, palaces, and two ball courts dating back to 1200 AD, it was nicknamed “Place of Ticks”. This hilltop site served as a royal palace for elite rulers. We enjoyed exploring the maze of rooms and climbing the steep temples for great views. Some areas were still covered by jungle trees, which made us think of the Cambodian temples we visited last year. There was also a small museum at the entrance showing what the temples might have looked like when originally covered in plaster and paint. Amazing!
We ended the day with a tasty dinner at the Guava Limb Café in San Ignacio. We sampled some tostones (fried plantains), with a dash of the local Marie Sharp’s habanero pepper sauce, and some birria tacos, washed down with local beer. It was a great first day in Belize!
The following day we would take a day trip to Guatemala to see the large Mayan site of Tikal.
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