Adventure Awaits in Belize

Belize flies under the radar of Central American destinations; however, it’s a pocket-sized powerhouse when it comes to adventure pursuits.

Bordered by Mexico to the north, Guatemala to the west, and the Caribbean Sea to the east, Belize is the odd one out in Central America – the only nation where English is the official language. Despite this, it boasts a melting pot of cultures spanning Maya, Mestizo, and Garifuna. Off-shore, you’ll find the world’s second-largest barrier reef (after Australia’s Great Barrier Reef), while inland, you’ll discover jungle-strewn Maya ruins, remote treks, and some of the craziest caves in the Americas.

Diving

There are few diving destinations in the world as magnetic as the Blue Hole on Belize’s Lighthouse Reef. Seen from the sky, this deep-blue 300m-diameter watery pupil, rimmed by a shallower aquamarine iris, is the visual icon of diving in Belize. The descent into the sinkhole is relatively deep – up to 40m – and inky dark, despite the clarity of the water. The nerve-racking but exhilarating part involves gliding beneath the limestone overhang and along the underwater walls. Most dives are under 10 minutes, but it’s an otherworldly underwater experience not to be missed.

Sea Kayaking

Kayaking around the reefs and cayes off the coast of Belize is sensational. For a real adventure, head to the far-flung Glover’s Reef Atoll, a string of islands a two- or three-hour boat ride from the mainland. Formed by a submerged mountain ridge, the reefs and lagoons here are an unsurpassed paradise for kayakers, divers, and snorkelers, while the chilled island lodges exude the ultimate castaway feel.

Caving

The 4.8km-long Actun Tunichil Muknal (ATM) Cave of the Stone Sepulchre offers a breathtaking subterranean experience, taking you deep into the underworld that the ancient Maya knew as Xibalba. An obligatory guided tour, best organized in San Ignacio, leads you through freezing rivers, dark holes, and past walls of calcite flowstone and Maya artifacts until you reach the spine-chilling calcified skeleton of the cave’s namesake ‘Crystal Maiden’ – a centuries-old crystallized sacrificial offering of a young girl. It’s tough going, and you will get very wet, but you’ll be equipped with a hard hat and headlamp, led by an experienced guide into a world that leaves many humbled.

Cave Tubing

The Caves Branch River floods another underground network, Nohoch Che’en Caves, providing ideal conditions for cave tubing. After a short jungle trek, you climb into a rubber tube and float through darkened caves, where stalactites and unusual Maya paintings on the cave walls are illuminated by your headlight. For a more extreme adventure, a guide will take you on a full-day spelunking trip deep into the system, wading through streams and scrambling over rocks, eventually emerging into the extraordinary Crystal Cave.

Ziplining

Flying through the jungle canopy on a zipline (or flying fox) is a thrilling experience that Belize does exceptionally well, with at least six setups scattered throughout the country. Hooked to a safety harness, you zoom from tower platform to platform, crossing rivers and canyons while climbing ever higher. Locations such as Calico Jack’s in Cayo feature a canyon swing and a cable walk, while at Mayflower Bocawina, you can fly down Belize’s longest zipline and then rappel down a waterfall. The most remote zipline is located at Blue Creek in the Toledo District (Deep South), accessible by a 40km 4WD drive followed by a jungle trek.