Insight Guides: Belize

How To Use This E-Book

Getting around the e-book

This Insight Guide e-book is designed to give you inspiration for your visit to Belize, as well as comprehensive planning advice to make sure you have the best travel experience. The guide begins with our selection of Top Attractions, as well as our Editors Choice categories of activities and experiences. Detailed features on history, people and culture paint a vivid portrait of contemporary life in Belize. The extensive Places chapters give a complete guide to all the sights and areas worth visiting. The Travel Tips provide full information on getting around, activities from culture to shopping to sport, plus a wealth of practical information to help you plan your trip.

In the Table of Contents and throughout this e-book you will see hyperlinked references. Just tap a hyperlink once to skip to the section you would like to read. Practical information and listings are also hyperlinked, so as long as you have an external connection to the internet, you can tap a link to go directly to the website for more information.

Maps

All key attractions and sights in Belize are numbered and cross-referenced to high-quality maps. Wherever you see the reference [map] just tap this to go straight to the related map. You can also double-tap any map for a zoom view.

Images

Youll find hundreds of beautiful high-resolution images that capture the essence of Belize. Simply double-tap on an image to see it full-screen.

About Insight Guides

Insight Guides have more than 40 years experience of publishing high-quality, visual travel guides. We produce 400 full-colour titles, in both print and digital form, covering more than 200 destinations across the globe, in a variety of formats to meet your different needs.

Insight Guides are written by local authors, whose expertise is evident in the extensive historical and cultural background features. Each destination is carefully researched by regional experts to ensure our guides provide the very latest information. All the reviews in Insight Guides are independent; we strive to maintain an impartial view. Our reviews are carefully selected to guide you to the best places to eat, go out and shop, so you can be confident that when we say a place is special, we really mean it.

2015 Apa Digital (CH) AG and Apa Publications (UK) Ltd

Belizes Top 10 Attractions

From idyllic islands and white-sand beaches to Mayan ruins and unique wildlife reserves, here at a glance are Belizes greatest attractions.

Top Attraction 1

Ambergris Caye . Soak up the rays and rum cocktails on this breezy island. Made famous by Madonna in her song La Isla Bonita, Ambergris is lined with sun-warmed beaches and offers superb off-shore snorkeling and diving. For more information, .

Corrie Wingate/Apa Publications

Top Attraction 2

Blue Hole Natural Monument . View the dizzying depths of the famous Blue Hole from the air or underwater. This karst-eroded sinkhole, which swirls with astonishingly deep-blue waters, includes tropical fish, swaying corals, and amazing drop-off walls. For more information, .

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Top Attraction 3

Caye Caulker . Go slow is the apt motto at Belizes sleepy little backpacker island, which has sandy lanes, excellent snorkeling and diving, the finest fresh-caught lobster in the country, and cheap beachfront accommodations. For more information, .

Corrie Wingate/Apa Publications

Top Attraction 4

Caracol . Named after the Spanish word for snail because a winding road leads to this impressive site, the largest in Belize Caracol features massive temples with sweeping views of the surrounding Chiquibul forest. For more information, .

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Top Attraction 5

Placencia Peninsula . The draw of this southern peninsula is simple: The best beaches in the country. Relax on long, white-sand strands and catch regular boats to snorkel and dive the Barrier Reef. For more information, .

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Top Attraction 6

Mountain Pine Ridge . Explore fragrant pine forests, thundering waterfalls, and ancient caves in the lush Mountain Pine Ridge in western Cayo, the largest of Belizes six districts. For more information, .

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Top Attraction 7

Punta Gorda . Known affectionately as PG, Belizes southernmost town is a charming base for exploring the Toledo District, which is an appealing mix of Maya villages, hidden caves, and marine reserves. For more information, .

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Top Attraction 8

Belize Zoo . Come face-to-face with Belizes iconic creatures, from screeching howler monkeys to bright scarlet macaws to slithery iguanas at one of the finest zoos in Central and South America. For more information, .

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Top Attraction 9

Cockscomb Basin Wildlife Sanctuary . The worlds only dedicated jaguar reserve, Cockscomb covers a sprawling 200 sq miles (500 sq km) of tropical forest, crisscrossed with hiking trails, waterfalls, and rocky pools. For more information, .

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Top Attraction 10