Introduction
Central America travel: Belize is one of the most ecologically diverse and environmentally protected countries in the world. Famous for its barrier reef, Belize might be the only spot on the globe where you can snorkel over coral, birdwatch in a cloud forest, and then take a jungle trek to archaeological wonders, all in the brief time of a week-long getaway. This diverse Caribbean nation embraces a cultural mix of Maya groups, Afro-Caribbean Creoles, refugees from Mexico and Guatemala, and British expatriates. From white-sand beaches to the Maya Mountains, Belize’s topography and ecology surpass its human diversity. Cruise to Central America and explore Mayan ruins cloaked in rainforests that teem with howler monkeys, rufous-tailed jacamars, blue-crowned motmots, and more jaguars than anywhere else in Central America. The excellent diving includes the renowned Blue Hole, once explored by Jacques Cousteau.

Dense tropical forests reveal over 700 kinds of trees and more than 500 species of birds, including the emerald toucanet and the Yucatan flycatcher. Wild orchids, bromeliads, and spiraling lianas twirl around the forest canopy and offer a glimpse into the magical realism of botany. The abundance of ruins and uninvestigated archaeological sites evokes a sense of exploration and mystery. Archaeological remains rival Guatemala’s Tikal with the likes of Xunantunich and its 130-foot-tall pyramid. The government, along with private conservation groups, has created an exemplary system of protected areas that includes over 35 percent of the land. Central America cruises offer an exciting wildlife, cultural, and historical adventure!
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Natural History
Tucked into the northern edge of the Caribbean, snug against the Yucatan Peninsula, Belize claims the world’s second largest barrier reef, after the Great Barrier Reef in Australia. Nearly 60 coral species live throughout the reef system. Polyps, tiny invertebrates of little more than mouths encircled by tentacles to feed them, secrete limestone, forming a kind of skeleton in which they live. They rapidly reproduce and interconnect, over hundreds of years, with the remains of other polyps to create the white substructure of a coral reef. The reef shelters a wide array of sea life, including over 350 species of mollusks and more than 500 species of fish.

Divers and snorkelers will delight at the queen angelfish, bluehead wrasse, queen triggerfish, and a rainbow of other denizens of the reef. Several species of dolphin, including bottlenose, spotted, and rough-toothed, inhabit the waters around Belize’s many keys. These keys and mangrove islands provide optimum habitats for cormorants, egrets, and ospreys. Secluded inlets found throughout the keys offer a relatively safe haven to the largest populations of manatees, a critically endangered species. The Maya and the early European settlers hunted the manatee for food. Now these gentle, 1,000-pound sea mammals are protected against hunting by enforced legislation. Belize, in fact, rises above many tropical countries as a pioneer in wildlife protection and conservation.

Though dense forest still blankets most of the mainland, pre-colonial and colonial loggers thoroughly stripped Belize of all but a few large hardwood and mahogany trees. Britain created large forest reserves during the colonial period. These reserves permitted mostly selective logging, which allowed woodlands to mimic the complexities of old-growth forests. The British also established Crown Reserves, regarded as protected areas to remain pristine.

When the British finally handed over the political reins in 1981, the new Belize government quickly passed a Wildlife Protection Bill and a National Parks Bill, and the toucan and the tapir were selected as the national animals. Today, the bird life of Belize is world-renowned, and people come from all over the world to search for the red-footed booby, brown pelican, sooty, tern, brown noddy, and the magnificent frigate bird. The largest member of the oropendola family, the Montezuma oropendola, lives in ceiba trees in plantations and along the edges of humid forests. Its funny song, like water glugging out of a bottle, amuses birdwatchers of all ages.

Although very elusive, jaguars still roam Belize’s Cockscomb Basin. On the east side of Victoria Peak, Belize’s highest mountain, thin granitic soils and voluminous rainfalls create a thick and wet rainforest perfect for the world’s first jaguar sanctuary. Belize set aside 250 hectares of the Cockscomb Basin in 1986 to protect jaguar habitat and then enlarged the area by another 41,457 hectares in 1990. Today, an estimated 25 to 30 jaguars live in the sanctuary, as do puma, ocelot, maragy, jaguarundi, brocket deer, coati, otter, white-lipped and collared peccary, and several troops of reintroduced black howler monkeys. More than 250 different species of birds inhabit the basin, including the great curassow and the tropical flagship species, the scarlet macaw.

For more information on the natural history of Central America, see book selections below.
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History
At least 7,500 years ago, hunter-gatherer peoples rambled over the hills, forests, and swamps of the region now called Belize, but little is known about them from the sparse and wildly dispersed spearheads and campsites they left behind.

Around 2,000 years ago, Mayan societies covered much of Belize; Lamanai and other cities controlled the Caribbean coast. The region flourished as part of the massive Classic Period of the Mayan Empire between the 300s and the 800s A.D. During this time the Maya moved inland and developed highly elaborate raised-bed agriculture and large city-states. The Maya constructed many of these complex rainforest societies in the Guatemala Peten, but Caracol in eastern, interior Belize matches Tikal for absolute awe-inspiring beauty and mystery. The Maya of the Classic Period left other noteworthy ruins behind in Belize Their names echo of long-gone civilizations: Altun Ha, La Milpa, Lúbaatun, and Xunantunich.

The Maya abandoned most of these cities by 1,000 A.D. Lamanai and other coastal cities remained Mayan strongholds until the arrival of the Spanish in the early 1500s.

By the late 1600s the reefs, mangroves, and swamps of Belize, rejected by the Spanish, concealed English-speaking pirates who plied the Caribbean and preyed on Spanish ships.

British woodcutters first scouted the region as early as 1638. Settlers arrived. They cut logwood, used for inks and dyes, and mahogany, used for furniture and fine woodwork. The English hacked Belize City out of the woodlands during the mid-1600s and, Belize City eventually grew to be known as the world’s biggest shipping port for mahogany and logwood. British settlers fought off the Spanish and shipped in African slaves to help with the heavy labor. Spain signed a treaty with Britain which permitted the “Bay Colony” to remain in the hands of Great Britain in exchange for commitments against piracy. The British defended the colony through the last Spanish attack in 1798. They brushed aside Guatemalan and Mexican claims to the territory, declaring it the Colony of British Honduras in 1840.

Logging remained the chief economic activity even after slavery was abolished. Former slaves, however, could not receive Crown land grants. Immigration grew. Britain largely ignored the happenings in her only colony in Central America. By 1930, the colony was calling for independence. Around the same time, Guatemala re-ignited its land claims. The political air grew tense.

By the 1950s, the independence movement had enough momentum to gain recognition from home soil. In 1961, Britain agreed to independence but the country remained a British dependency, in part due to complications brought on by Guatemala, until full independence in 1981. The British Army continued to defend the borders until 1992, when Guatemala acknowledged Belizean sovereignty. By 1994, a Belizean Defense Force began to phase out the need for a British military presence.

Nowadays, the presence Belize welcomes is the presence of visitors and adventurers. From reefs and keys to tapirs and toucans to white water rafting and archaeological digs, Belize offers some of the most extraordinary sensory experiences in the Western Hemisphere.

For more information on the history of Central America, see book selections below.
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Culture
You will find an interesting mix of cultures here, ranging from the three distinct Maya groups, Afro-Caribbean Creoles, and Spanish-speaking refugees from Mexico and Guatemala, to Mennonites and British expatriates. The human diversity of the country reflects a long social evolution that began with the great Mayan Empire of the 300s A.D. Trade winds stirred European explorers, settlers, political refugees, and immigrants into this proverbial melting pot. Britain tucked Belize in its collection of colonies for over 100 years, and English remains the official language. But don’t be fooled; many Belizeans speak Creole (an Afro-English dialect), Spanish, or Mayan idioms as their first language. Those who speak English often speak local dialects that barely sound like the Queen’s English. Whatever the language barriers, you are likely to receive a warm welcome from the locals.

Belize, as a whole, finds its identity more closely tied to the Caribbean than with Central America. About forty percent of Belizeans are descendants of African slaves brought over by the British as logging labor. Over the years, their rich traditions, music, and dance have blended with those of the Maya, the Spanish, the British, and other Caribbean cultures.

Many people in rural Belize practice subsistence farming, growing sugar, citrus fruits, corn, and other crops. Farmers may also work on larger farms to cultivate the economically important grapefruit and orange groves. The chicleros harvest chicle, a substance tapped from trees and used to make chewing gum. In these hinterlands, many families live in one-room, circular houses with dirt floors. Nowadays, electricity reaches many of these areas, powering the ubiquitous jungle radio’s blare of reggae, salsa, and upbeat punta rock.

The American passion for multi-sport adventure travel and ecotourism has penetrated Belize. Young international entrepreneurs have teamed up with local guides and catapulted Belize into the forefront of the action-oriented and nature-based tourism.

Belize takes pride in its natural heritage and biological diversity, and approaches the adventures of science with an enthusiasm reserved in most countries for sports. In the rugged and remote Maya Mountains, the La Sierra Field Station, a new and innovative research site, offers on-site investigation tools and resources for archaeologists, biologists, and geologists. This multi-disciplinary field station opens new links across disciplines and cultures at a place that has uncovered dozens of previously unknown ruins, unusual minerals, animals, and plants once used by the Maya. Such field stations and eco-adventures connect the past with the present and add the culture of exploration to the complex stew that is Belize.

For more information on the culture of Central America, see book selections below.
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Dos and Don'ts
Central America Travel Tips:

Don’t expect to find your own way. Follow the advice and instruction of expert guides. They’ll show you the tropical wonders of Belize, the amazing reef system, the maze of lagoons and winding streams, the interior’s limestone, Maya Mountains, and the pre-Columbian art and archaeology carved deep into the country’s past.

Don’t underestimate the forces of nature. Bring rain gear to cover you from head to toe and plenty of sun block, a hat, and lightweight clothes to protect you from the hot, tropical sun.

Be safe when diving.

To best view birds and other wildlife, take along powerful binoculars and remember to ask your guides if they carry spotting scopes.

Don’t feed or handle any wild animals.

Before you go, read up on the regions you plan to visit.

Be conscious that quiet villages are living communities. Listen to fishermen, divers, artisans, boat captains, indigenous healers, guides, and shopkeepers you meet, and appreciate their traditions and customs.

Observe, respect, and reflect. Take pictures. Let Belize envelop you until you feel the wholeness of the country from the outer edges of the barrier reef to the interior’s wildlife sanctuaries.
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Weather
Belize is hot and humid year-round, but tends to be drier between December and May. From July to November, the annual hurricane season brings plenty of rain. Respite from the heat can be found in the cooler mountains or from the tropical breezes on the coast.
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Best Time to Go
December – May

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Temperature Range
80° – 95ºF

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Books
The New Key to Belize, by by Stacy Ritz
Guide Book
A comprehensive guide to the rich natural and cultural history of Belize, its Mayan ruins, coral reefs, and tropical forests. Extensive and up-to-date information on sights, food, and lodging.

Snorkeling Guide to Marine Life, by Paul Humann
Field Guide
Fantastic underwater field guides by Humann. The book illustrates all the fish, corals, invertebrates, and plants you are most likely to see in the Caribbean. Great photos and the perfect size for the field.

Inside Belize, by Tom Barry
Guide Book
A great introduction to the history, culture, and economics of Belize.

Tropical Nature, by Adrian Forsyth and Ken Miyata
Natural History
A lively portrait of the rain forest. Marvelous essays that introduce the habitats, ecology, plants, and animals of the Central and South American rain forest. Plenty of practical advice for the tropical traveler.

Belize and Northern Guatemala: The Ecotraveller's Wildlife Guide, by Les Beletsky
Field Guide
A general field guide for the curious traveler. This book features color illustrations of over 200 birds, 50 mammals, 150 coral reef creatures, and 80 species of reptiles and amphibians.

An Archaeological Guide to Northern Central America, by Joyce Kelly
Archaeology
Site plans, maps, and photographs for 38 archaeological sites and 25 museums.

Reef Fish Identification, by Paul Humann (2nd edition)
Field Guide
A specialized 400-page reference guide with 670 color photographs.

A Brief History of Central America, by Hector Perez-Brignoli
History
A good overview of the economic, political, and social history of the region through the 1980s.

Breaking Out of Beginner's Spanish, by Joseph Keenan, by LANGUAGE & PHRASEBOOKS
Language and Phrasebook
Idioms, common mistakes in word usage, and other helpful advice on tackling spoken Spanish.

The Maya, by Michael Coe
Archaeology
A clear, concise, and up-to-date introduction to Mayan archaeology and culture.

A Neotropical Companion, by J.C. Kricher
Natural History
An introduction to the animals, plants, and ecosystems of the New World tropics.

Rainforest Home Remedies: One Hundred Healing Herbs of Belize, by Michael J. Balick and Rosita Arvigo
Natural History
One hundred traditional herbs of Belize along with the culture and lore surrounding their use.

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