Belize Travel and Tourism

Though it’s quite small, just 8,800 square miles, Belize has an abundance of fantastic natural wonders to explore. Conservation is a key element to Belizean tourism and with more than 1,000 offshore cayes and approximately 37 percent of its land under protection, Belize is a favorite vacation destination for fishermen, trekkers, scuba divers, bird watchers, and kayakers. Thanks to incredibly diverse natural geography and wildlife, Conservation International has named Belize a biodiversity hotspot.

Looking for a coastal destination? The former fishing village of Placencia offers guests a great base camp for day trips to lagoons and nature reserves. Excellent fishing and snorkeling adventures can also be taken from Placencia. Or, you can stay in town and relax on the beach.

Inland, there’s the Cayo district, which draws many tourists for its numerous eco-lodges and Mayan ruins. The district is nestled within Belize’s Maya Mountain massif, one of the largest, most biodiverse and pristine wilderness areas remaining in Central America. Totaling more than 1.25 million acres, the Massif encompasses 14 protected areas that boast a diverse mosaic of tropical rainforests and upland pine savannas. The Massif is linked to the coral reefs of the Mesoamerican Barrier Reef via the Maya Mountains Marine Corridor -- an area of private and protected lands sloping down through lowland pine savannas into coastal mangroves and offshore cayes. The Maya Mountains provide critical habitat to endangered species such as the jaguar (Panthera onca), ocelot (Felis pardalis), Baird's tapir (Tapirus bairdii), and the scarlet macaw (Ara macao).

Belize has the lowest population density in the Central America, so peace and quiet is not hard to find. While Spanish is commonly spoken in Belize, it’s the only nation in Central America where English in the official language. Belize is bordered by Mexico to the north and Guatemala to the south. The climate is tropical, though the temperature changes as you travel inland and to higher elevations.

Just offshore, scuba divers and snorkelers will marvel at the Mesoamerican Barrier Reef, the second longest in the world, after Australia’s Great Barrier Reef. Another spectacular site is the Belize’s Blue Hole, a 400-foot deep, circular hole near Ambergris Caye that’s famous among divers.

Your Sustainable Vacation to Belize

Belize is a small country with a number of sustainable options for accommodations. You can find secluded eco-lodges tucked into the rainforest, larger resorts, and no shortage of quiet bungalows along the ocean. You can also find sustainable tour operators, who use their insider knowledge to help you plan activities and get the most out of your Belizean vacation while supporting local communities.

Plan your Sustainable Trip to Belize

SustainableTrip.org features businesses in Belize that are certified by Green Globe and verified by the Rainforest Alliance.

Learn more about ecotourism and sustainable tourism in Belize on the Rainforest Alliance’s Eco-Index Web site.