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Belize

Where the world's second-largest barrier reef meets ancient Maya jungle. Belize is regenerative travel made real — wild, welcoming, and genuinely world-changing.

  • Currency $ Belize Dollar ($)
  • Language Belizean Creole, English, Spanish
  • Best time December – May
  • Visa Visa-free (up to 30 days)

The FCDO has no advisory against travel to Belize.

Still current at: 12 June 2026 Updated: 12 June 2026

Source: UK Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office — the definitive source. Check it close to your travel dates.

Why visit

Why Belize

Where the world's second-largest barrier reef meets ancient Maya jungle. Belize is regenerative travel made real — wild, welcoming, and genuinely world-changing.

  • The Great Blue Hole
  • Barrier Reef, Ambergris Caye and Caye Caulker
  • Maya ruins — Caracol, Xunantunich, Lamanai
  • The ATM cave ritual site
Read more

Belize punches far above its size. This small Central American nation is a global pioneer in regenerative tourism, actively restoring its barrier reef and empowering Garifuna and Maya communities to lead — not just benefit from — the visitor economy. It isn't greenwashing; it's a country rewriting the rulebook.

For families and soft adventurers, the combination is hard to beat: world-class dive sites, atmospheric Maya ruins, and jungle river expeditions, all designed to be low-impact and deeply authentic. Beat the crowds by reaching the Blue Hole or Caracol before 9 AM and you'll have one of the world's great experiences almost to yourself.

Beyond the reef, Belize's multicultural gastronomy — a vivid blend of Creole, Garifuna, Maya and Mestizo flavours — tells the country's story better than any guidebook. Come for the reef; stay for everything else.

A pillar, not a footnote

Eat your way through Belize

The single reason many travellers come back — the food culture worth reshaping a trip around, and the dishes to seek out region by region.

Belize

Rice-and-beans in coconut milk, Garífuna coconut fish, and Marie Sharp's on every table.

In Belize, get the terms right: rice & beans is one pot, red beans cooked into the rice with coconut milk, while beans & rice keeps them separate. Either way it arrives with stew chicken, browned deep-red with annatto recado — the everyday national plate. This is the only English-speaking country in Central America, and its food layers five living traditions: Creole, Garífuna, Maya, Mestizo and Mennonite, the last supplying much of the dairy and produce.

Down the southern Garífuna coast around Dangriga and Hopkins, the signature is hudut: mashed plantain with fish in a fresh coconut-milk broth. Out on the cayes, it's conch ceviche and grilled snapper. Breakfast means puffed fry jacks with honey. And whatever you order, a bottle of Marie Sharp's habanero sauce, made in the Stann Creek hills, will be within arm's reach.

Dishes to seek out
  • Rice & beans (with stew chicken)
  • Fry jacks (fried dough)
  • Hudut (Garífuna plantain and coconut fish)
  • Sere (coconut fish soup)
  • Garnaches (topped fried tortillas)
  • Conch ceviche
  • Ereba (cassava bread)
Things to do

Nature, culture & hidden gems

Editorial content coming soon

We're hand-picking the standout places, hidden gems and can't-miss activities in Belize. Meanwhile, the cities above are a great starting point.

Plan your trip

Curated Belize itineraries

Browse all Belize trips →
When to go

Weather & timing in Belize RIGHT NOW 29° mostly clear

Best Feb–Apr · Shoulder Dec–Jan, May

  1. Jan 27.3° / 20.2°
  2. Feb 28.4° / 20°
  3. Mar 31° / 21.7°
  4. Apr 33.4° / 23.1°
  5. May 33.5° / 24.2°
  6. Jun 32° / 24°
  7. Jul 31° / 23.6°
  8. Aug 31.5° / 23.6°
  9. Sep 31.7° / 23.6°
  10. Oct 30.7° / 22.9°
  11. Nov 28.4° / 21.2°
  12. Dec 27° / 20.1°

Best time to visit

December – May

Best for
  • Barrier Reef
  • Jungle
  • Mayan Ruins
  • Cayes
At a glance
Sunshine 9.8 hr/day
Rain days 8 days/mo (est.)
Wettest November · 308.5mm
Driest April · 49.4mm
Part of Central America →
By season
Spring (Mar–May)

What to expect — Daytime highs average about 33°C with overnight lows near 23°C.

What's best — Mar and Apr are among the best time to visit — good weather with manageable crowds. May also works well.

Summer (Jun–Aug)

What to expect — Daytime highs average about 32°C with overnight lows near 24°C — the wettest stretch of the year.

What's best — Peak heat and the biggest crowds — many travellers prefer spring or autumn.

Autumn (Sep–Nov)

What to expect — Daytime highs average about 30°C with overnight lows near 23°C — the wettest stretch of the year.

What's best — Peak heat and the biggest crowds — many travellers prefer spring or autumn.

Winter (Dec–Feb)

What to expect — Daytime highs average about 28°C with overnight lows near 20°C — the wettest stretch of the year.

What's best — Feb is among the best time to visit — good weather with manageable crowds. Dec and Jan also work well.

A little context

A little history

To read what you're looking at — the empires and eras that shaped Belize's food, art and streets.

Belize sits in the Maya heartland — Caracol, Xunantunich and Lamanai were major cities, and Maya communities remain
British buccaneers cut logwood and mahogany from the mid-1600s using enslaved Africans, shaping the Creole coast
Garífuna arrived from Honduras around 1802, marked each 19 November
a crown colony as British Honduras from 1862, it kept English and became independent Belize in 1981
Before you book

Know before you go

The practical back-matter — safety, drones and the essentials, in one place.

Safety

No FCDO advisory against travel FCDO advice →

Official UK Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office guidance is the definitive source — check it close to your travel dates.

Drone rules (sub-250g)

  • Belize
    Effectively no recreational flying — all flights need prior written DCA authorisation, and temporary import of drones for personal use is currently prohibited, with permits granted mainly to commercial operators commissioned by a Belize-based company. ⚠ International operators must supply a local commissioning letter, ID, a Belize Film Commission approval and the DCA form, collected in person at the airport. Barrier Reef World Heritage sites and marine reserves need separate park-authority permission on top of any DCA permit. Rules checked: Jul 2026

National parks, protected sites and religious/heritage venues often have their own rules and permits — always check the specific site before you fly.

The essentials

Plug & voltage Type A/B/G · 110/220V
Daily budget Mid-range to expensive
Region Central America