Paradize Villas Belize

 

Tourism in Belize

Belize has yet to fully realize its incredible tourist potential.  The only English speaking country in Central America, with vast swaths of virgin rainforest, a Caribbean shoreline dotted with islands, friendly, hospitable people, Belize is ideal for people looking to visit a country just ahead of the curve.

Located on the Caribbean coast immediately south of Mexico’s Mayan Riviera, Belize has endless white sand beaches lining the turquoise sea, fantastic snorkeling and diving on the world’s second largest barrier reef, great fishing, spectacular Mayan ruins and pristine rainforest.  With it’s small population – there are only 300,000 people in the country which is the size of Wales or Massachusetts – only 30% of the land has been settled.  There are vast swaths of virgin jungle, teeming with Black Howler Monkeys, Spider Monkeys, Giant Anteaters, Baird’s Tapirs, Raccoon-like Coatimundi’s, Tayra Bushdogs, as well as elusive Jaguars. 

Nestled in the jungles at Lamanai, Altun Ha, Caracol, Xunantunich and Che Chem Ha are ancient Mayan cities that were built between 100 BC and 1500 AD but were mysteriously abandoned before the Spanish arrived.  The sites have been excavated and offer a glimpse of a magnificent civilization that flourished and created pyramids, archways and circular columns independently of European and African influence.

The Mayan people still live in Belize and make up 10% of the population.  Most of the rest of Belizeans are mixed Mestizo 49% (Amerindian and European), Creole 25% (Afro-European), Garifuna 6% (African Amerindian) and a smattering of other people from around the world who have chosen to make Belize their home.

 In the Caribbean Sea on the eastern shore of Belize are West Indian Manatees, a large gentle walrus-like sea mammal that weighs up to 1000 pounds, hawksbill, leatherback and loggerhead sea turtles, whale sharks and over 600 species of fish, sponges and coral.  Among the fish species are Blue Marlin, Bonefish, Angelfish, Barracuda, Parrotfish, Butterfly fish and Clownfish (Nemo).  Belize is truly a snorkeller’s, diver’s and angler’s paradise.

Where it is

A small Central American country, Belize is just south of Mexico’s Mayan Riviera on the Caribbean Sea.  It is a 2 hour or less flight from connection hubs in Houston, Dallas, Miami and North Carolina.  See Getting There for more information

Ambergris Caye

Ambergris Caye, Belize’s largest Caribbean island, is one of the most popular destinations in Belize.  Made famous by the Madonna song, La Isla Bonita, Ambergris Caye has 23 miles of white sand beach facing the Caribbean, only 1/3rd  of which has been developed. 

Life on Ambergris Caye is focused around the town of San Pedro which was once an obscure Caribbean fishing village, but which is slowly being transformed into a vibrant beach town.  With some of its roads made of sand, and golf carts as a major mode of transportation, San Pedro still has a feeling of being slightly off the beaten track.  The Caribbean shoreline in town is dotted with restaurants, and piers reaching out into the water.  Along the shore you can hear the surf breaking on the Great Mayan Reef just ½ mile away.  The Blue Hole, Hol Chan Marine Reserve and  Shark Ray Alley are just a few of the world famous diving and snorkeling sites on the reef .

Most of the people on Ambergris Caye are Mestizo, whose Mexican ancestors escaped the War of Castes in 1820s.  Spanish is heard in local conversations as often as English.  The people of Ambergris Caye are a tight-knit community of 7500.  If you take a day trip snorkeling or diving on the barrier reef, you will often find that the driver ofyour boat will stop and get some fish from a local fisherman who is his brother or cousin.

San Pedro
San Pedro is a small town with gift shops, restaurants and nightclubs along its three main roads.  With the Caribbean Sea on one side and the lagoon on the other, San Pedro has everything you need within a short walk. 

Originally a hideaway used  by British, French and Dutch pirates to launch attacks on Spanish Galleons, San Pedro was settled by Mestizo and Mayan people in the mid-1800s.  The British converted much of the island to a cocoanut plantation when Belize was known as the British Honduras.  Lobster became the next main export, and San Pedro still holds Lobsterfest in the first week of July to celebrate the opening of lobster season.  

Fishing & Angling

Whether it’s deep sea fishing for Blue Marlin, or solitary fly fishing along inland rivers, Belize is a fisherman’s paradise.  Here’s a sample of some of the species available in Belize:

• Rivers:  Tarpon, Jacks & Snooks
• Lagoons & Flats: Bonefish, Great Barracuda & Permit
• Reef:  Grouper, Jacks & Snapper
• Deep Sea: Marlin Sailfish, Tuna (Blackfin, Skipjack, Yellowfin)

Diving and Snorkelling
With the Great Maya Reef running the full 150 miles of Belize’s Caribbean shoreline, and such famous snorkelling and dive sites as the Blue Hole, Hol Chan Marine Reserve and Shark Ray Alley, Belize is one of the world’s great Diving and Snorkelling destinations. 

The Great Maya Reef lies just a half mile (1 km) off the shore of Belize’s Ambergris Caye and Caye Caulker. Angelfish, Butterfly Fish, Clown Fish (Nemo), Mantarays, Stingrays, Sponges and many varieties of Coral create a colourful feast for the eyes.
As well as the Great Maya Reef, many of Belize’s 450 Caribbean Cayes (islands) and Atolls have their own protective reefs.  There are also sea walls and of course the Blue Hole, which is over 300 feet wide and over 400 feet deep.  Although there is an incredible variety of sites, diving and snorkelling in Belize has not grown as quickly as it has elsewhere in the Caribbean, so there are many opportunities to explore sites that are rarely visited.   

Because of the country’s small size, almost all of Belize’s dive and snorkelling sites can be reached on day trips from central locations in the Cayes or along the mainland shore. 
Anytime of year offers spectacular diving and snorkelling, but for those who want to swim with whale sharks, which grow up to 40 feet long and weigh up to 47,000 pounds, the best time is the three or four days before and after the full moons in April and May. 

Our Story

The first time we went, my family and I fell in love with Belize.  It seemed to have everything that other Central American and Caribbean destinations have, all within a country small enough to reach most destinations on day trips:  ancient Mayan cities, pristine rainforests, spectacular snorkeling and diving destinations, turquoise water and white sand beaches.  It’s possible to be as adventurous or as laid back on any day as the mood strikes you. 

All of this with the ease of getting around in an English-speaking country, but with the cultural, musical and linguistic richness of Belize’s Mestizo, Creole, Mayan and Garifuna cultures. 

We decided that Belize, and especially Ambergris Caye was a place we wanted to come back to again and again, and we hope that you will fall in love with it too.

-Chris Glover, Paradise Villas