Belize Holidays

San Pedro, Ambergris Caye: The largest island and busiest base, with the reef barely ten minutes offshore and dive shops, beach bars and golf-cart lanes lining the sandy streets. Carts are the main way to get around, and the whole island is easy to cover on foot or by a quick water taxi.

Caye Caulker: A smaller, slower island reached by water taxi, loved for its go-slow motto, cheap seafood and the swimming spot known as the Split.

San Ignacio: The jungle capital of the west, a lively market town within reach of waterfalls, cave trips and the Xunantunich and Cahal Pech ruins.

Placencia: A long, narrow peninsula on the southern coast with the best mainland beaches, a walkable village and boats out to the Silk Cayes. It is the natural base for the quieter southern reef and the whale-shark trips off Gladden Spit each spring.

Hopkins: A Garifuna village known for its drumming heritage, relaxed sands and easy access to the Cockscomb Basin jaguar reserve.

Lamanai: Reached by a river boat through crocodile country, this riverside temple complex is among the most atmospheric of all the Maya sites. It rewards an early start, when the birds are loud, the light is soft and the heat has not yet built.

Reef snorkelling: The protected Hol Chan reserve and nearby Shark Ray Alley off Ambergris Caye teem with rays, turtles and harmless nurse sharks in warm, shallow water. Both sites are shallow enough for complete beginners and children to enjoy from the surface.

The Great Blue Hole: The world's largest marine sinkhole, over 300 metres across and around 124 metres deep, makes a full-day boat trip reserved for experienced divers. Anyone not diving can still take a scenic light-aircraft flight over the sapphire circle, which is arguably the finer view of the two.

The ATM cave: A guided swim and hike into Actun Tunichil Muknal reaches Maya pottery and the calcified skeleton known as the Crystal Maiden, deep underground.

Maya temples: At Caracol, Xunantunich and Lamanai you can still climb the pyramids, with Caracol's Caana rising around 43 metres as the tallest structure in the country. Each site has its own character, from the remote scale of Caracol to the riverside drama of Lamanai reached by boat.

Underground rivers: Floating through the flooded Nohoch Che'en cave system on an inner tube is one of the country's signature half-day adventures.

Native wildlife: The Belize Zoo shelters rescued animals, from jaguars to tapirs, and the nearby Cockscomb Basin offers real jungle hiking.

Whale sharks: Around the full moons of late spring, these gentle giants gather at Gladden Spit off the southern reef for a rare snorkelling encounter.