Want to get out and experience another country with your kids without having to travel far? Belize is a great choice!
Why we chose Belize
We’ve heard good things about Belize from friends and travel websites. Belize had direct flights from Atlanta (only three hours) and plane tickets were relatively cheap. We were sold.
Acquaintance
We rented a car on the mainland. The rental company was at the airport and very friendly. We were also able to rent a car seat to minimize the amount of luggage we were carrying. The directions were very easy. It took us about two hours to reach our first hotel, which is located in the jungle, relatively far from the coast. The roads were narrower than we were used to, but well maintained. However, keep medicine handy if you or someone you’re traveling with is prone to motion sickness, as the roads can get rough. In addition, some of the more isolated temples and ruins require driving on dirt roads that can be treacherous, especially in the rain.
If you plan to go to one of the several islands in Belize, you can fly or take a boat. We chose the cheaper route which was 90 minutes by boat. No one got seasick, even with a car-sick child, but the boat was crowded and noisy. All passengers were crushed together. This was definitely the more adventurous route. We took the same boat back when it was time to go to the airport. We then took a local taxi to the airport.
What we did
We spent the first half of our trip on the mainland. We stayed in San Ignacio, which is about two hours from the capital, Belize City. We spent most of our time visiting the nearby Mayan ruins called Xunantunic. We even ventured out into the jungle on dirt roads to visit Caracol, another of the Mayan temples. When we arrived we were greeted by the sounds of howler monkeys screaming overhead. Both of the Mayan ruins we visited were guided tours with optional tours available at certain times. We were able to climb to the top of the temples and really explore the place at our own pace.
We also visited the Belize Zoo, which only has native species from Belize. The animals at the zoo are rescued and rehabilitated in their natural habitats while providing a unique educational experience for visitors. We thoroughly enjoyed our visit there.
The second half of our trip was spent in the beautiful Ambra Key of Belize. We stayed in San Pedro; if this sounds familiar, it’s probably because you’ve heard Madonna sing about it in her song “La Isla Bonita.” We rented a golf cart to drive around the island, which most people do. It was so much fun to drive. We visited the not-so-secret Secret Beach where we spent the day swimming in pristine blue tropical Caribbean waters. The restaurants on the beach serve you while you sit at tables in the water. It was a great experience to have fresh fruit juices delivered directly to the ocean. The water was the perfect depth for our kids—deep enough to dive under, but shallow enough to stand.
The highlight was snorkeling around Hol Chan Marine Reserve. We booked a snorkeling tour that took us to the reserve which is next to the Belize Barrier Reef (the second largest reef in the world). Our guide provided snorkeling gear and fins. My husband and I took turns hanging out with the baby while the others snorkeled. While snorkeling, we saw lots of coral, tropical fish (big and small), eels, stingrays, stingrays, sea turtles, and more. The tour also took us to Shark Ray Alley which is an area where fishermen used to clean their catch and now nurse sharks and stingrays inhabit the area. Our guide dropped a little friend in the water and nurse sharks came and we jumped in with them! It was really safe. Sharks and stingrays didn’t interest us at all.
For our last full day in Belize, we booked another snorkeling tour that took us to Caye Caulker, the next island where we hope to dive with manatees. We were really lucky and got to go snorkeling which was an experience we will never forget. We also got to feed some giant fish called tarpon and see seahorses and even pufferfish.
Our kids are still talking about this trip several years later! Have you visited Belize? I’d love to hear about your experience!
