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In Belize, you’ll find white-sand beaches, jade forests teeming with wildlife, and prehistoric Maya cities. It’s a small country with a huge range of attractions, and you can choose to linger on powdery beaches, dive, or snorkel on the second longest barrier reef in the world, go canoeing, caving, or river tubing, or take boats trips to spot manatees, turtles, and sharks.

The biodiversity of Belize’s forests is astounding, and in its nature reserves and national parks you could spot black howler monkeys, crocodiles, and iguanas as well as bright scarlet macaws and toucans flitting through the trees.

If you’re more interested in history and culture, you can head for Belize’s many relics of ancient civilisations with Maya cities, ceremonial sites, and burial temples to explore.

In Belize, you can stay in luxury beachfront resorts, ecolodges in the heart of the forest, or family-run hotels with local character. Belize offers a great range of places to stay at all budget levels and you can opt for a luxury jungle lodge with pool and spa, a plantation house set in tropical gardens, beachfront villas, or simple self-catering suites.

For more ideas, browse our collection of places to stay in Belize.

In compact but diverse Belize, you should divide your time between the caye-strewn coastline and the lush, emerald forest of the interior. For relaxation, the atolls and cayes along the coast offer sugary sands and endless snorkel sites. For divers, the big lure is the Great Blue Hole, a giant underwater sinkhole.

Inland, you should make your way to the Cayo District and Caracol to explore subtropical forests and cave systems, and to see Belize’s largest archeological site, Caracol, an elaborate Maya city. Other archaeological sites worth seeking out include Actun Tunichil Muknal Cave and the ancient ceremonial site at Xunantunich.

For immersive wildlife experiences and glittering lagoons, head for the Orange Walk District, while in the little-visited Toledo District you can explore lowland cave systems and visit remote Maya communities and organic cacao producers.

It takes around five hours to fly from Toronto in Canada to Belize, and around six and a half hours from Vancouver.

The time zone in Belize is UTC-6 hours. Daylight Savings Time isn’t observed.

The best way to get around Belize is by car. The infrastructure is poor, and many roads are bumpy and unpaved, so we can arrange a local car and driver to take you to your next stop. For longer journeys, taking an internal flight or chartering an aircraft is an alternative option.

As well as a destination in its own right, a trip to Belize can easily be combined with a trip to Guatemala.

Use our travel tool to find up-to-date visa and passport requirements for Belize. Enter where you’re traveling to and from (including any stopover destinations en route or flight layovers), along with your intended travel dates and passport details, for a full list of requirements.

• Entry requirements travel tool

For vaccine advice for Belize, it’s best to speak to your doctor. You can check the suggested vaccinations on the  and it’s also a good idea to make sure you’re up to date with the recommended vaccinations at home.