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Laminai Belize

Laminai (northern Belize) — Perhaps the most fascinating Maya site in northern Belize, Lamanai lies 24 miles south of Orange Walk Town up the New River (or 36 miles by unpaved road). The ruins are known both for their impressive architecture and marvelous setting, surrounded by dense jungle overlooking the New River Lagoon.

Most visitors approach Lamanai by guided river trip from Orange Walk not just to avoid the long and bumpy road, but to take advantage of the river trip itself, which goes deep into the home of the countless colorful and unusual birds that live in the area. Most guides who do the 1½-hour river trip are experts in both archaeology and the area’s wildlife, making it an especially worthwhile experience. The river voyage passes through some of the most beautiful jungle and lagoon country in northern Belize, and the Mennonite community of Shipyard, before reaching Lamanai itself. There are a number of excellent tour guides in Orange Walk who specialize in the journey.

Image Factory Belize

Image Factory (91 North Front Street, Belize City) — Belize’s most innovative and exciting art gallery, near the Caye Caulker Water Taxi Terminal, stages new exhibitions most months, usually of work by local artists. New exhibits are usually held early in the month; cocktails are served on the Image Factory’s deck, which looks out on Haulover Creek. The adjoining shop sells art, gifts and the country’s best range of books.

Gulisi Garifuna Museum

Gulisi Garifuna Museum (Stann Creek Valley Road, Chuluhadiwa Park, central Belize) — This museum, operated by the National Garifuna Council (NGC), is a must for anyone interested in the vibrant Garifuna people. The museum is 2 miles out of town, on Stann Creek Valley Rd, but is easily reached by bicycle. It brings together artifacts, pictures and documents on Garifuna history and culture, including film of the original punta rockers, Pen Cayetano and the Turtle Shell Band, in Dangriga back in 1983. The museum is currently hosting an exhibit on the life and music of the late Garifuna musician Andy Palacio, who passed away in 2009. Admission: BZ$10.

Government House

Government House (Regent Street, Belize City) — Fronting the sea down at the end of Regent St, this handsome two-story wooden colonial mansion served as the residence of Britain’s superintendents and governors of Belize from the building’s construction in 1814 until 1996. The house, one of the oldest in Belize, is now a cultural center and museum – worth a visit for its historical exhibits, colorful displays of modern Belizean art, spacious colonial ambience and grassy gardens. It was here, at midnight on September 21, 1981, that the Union Jack was ceremonially replaced with the Belizean flag to mark the birth of independent Belize. Displayed in the gardens is the tender from Baron Bliss’ yacht. Admission: BZ$10.

Crooked Tree Wildlife Sanctuary Belize

Crooked Tree Wildlife Sanctuary (Crooked Tree Village, midway between Belize City and Orange Walk) – located in south central Belize, this sanctuary is home to over 250 resident bird species. The area’s bird population swells during the winter months, when species from northern lands show up to escape the harsher weather in North America. A nearby Creole village goes back to English and Scottish longwood cutters who made this area home during the early 1800s, creating a mixed-race creole community. Visitors eventually make their way to Carrie’s Kitchen (a local restaurant) for home-cooked meals.

Corozal Museum Belize

Corozal Museum (129 South End, Corozal, northern Belize) — Called ‘A Window to the Past’, the exhibit at this little museum focuses on the experience of the East Indian population, who arrived around 1838 as indentured servants working on the sugar plantations. The museum is located about a half-mile south of town right on the Northern Hwy. Free admission.

Coastal Zone Museum Belize

Coastal Zone Museum (North Front Street, Belize City) — Next door to, and entered from, the Caye Caulker Water Taxi Terminal, this small museum has a limited number of pictures, models and carapaces of Belizean aquatic life, plus summary information on the Belize Barrier Reef World Heritage sites and a few dioramas of marine ecosystems. The museum merits a peek if you’re in the area. Admission: Adult (BZ$4), Students & Children (BZ$2)

Caracol Belize

Caracol (Cayo District, Belize) – located 52 miles south of San Ignacio (western Belize), Caracol, as this site is known, was once one of the most powerful cities in the entire Maya world. This area now lies enshrouded by thick jungle near the Guatemalan border, a two-hour drive from San Ignacio. Sitting high on the Vaca Plateau, 1650 ft above sea level, this is the largest Maya site in Belize, having stretched over possibly 70 sq miles at its peak around AD 650. Nearly 40 miles of internal causeways radiate from the center to large outlying plazas and residential areas, and connect parts of the city.

At its height, the city’s population may have approached 150,000, more than twice as many people as Belize City has today. Though they had no natural water source, the people of Caracol dug artificial reservoirs to catch rainwater and grew food on extensive agricultural terraces. Its central area was a bustling place of temples, palaces, busy thoroughfares, craft workshops and markets. Caracol is not only the preeminent archaeological site in Belize but also exciting for its jungle setting and prolific bird life. At the ticket office, a small visitors center outlines Caracol’s history and has a helpful scale model. A museum under construction will house much of the sculpture found at Caracol. There are toilets, picnic tables and a small gift shop. Be sure to bring food, water and, if you’re driving, a spare tire. Overnight stays are not permitted. Admission: BZ$30.

Cahal Pech Belize

Cahal Pech (1 mile south of San Ignacio, western Belize) — High atop a hill on the southern outskirts of San Ignacio, Cahal Pech is the oldest-known Maya site in the Belize River valley, having been first settled between 1500 and 1000 BC. Less impressive than Xunantunich and Caracol, it’s still a fascinating example of Preclassic Maya architecture. It was a significant Maya settlement for 2000 years or more.

Cahal Pech (kah-hahl pech) is Mopan and Yucatec Mayan for ‘Place of Ticks,’ a nickname earned in the 1950s when the site was surrounded by pastures grazed by tick-infested cattle. Today it’s a pleasantly shady site with plenty of trees and few tourists. Its core area of seven interconnected plazas has been excavated and restored since the late 1980s.

The earliest monumental religious architecture in Belize was built here between 600 and 400 BC, though most of what we see today dates from AD 600 to 800, when Cahal Pech and its peripheral farming settlements had an estimated population of between 10,000 and 20,000. The place was abandoned around AD 850.
A small visitors center explains some of the history of Cahal Pech. Sometimes independent guides hang around here offering tours. Otherwise, walk about 150yd to the area of excavated and restored plazas and temples. Plaza B is the largest and most impressive complex; Structure A-1, near plaza A, is the site’s tallest temple. Two ballcourts lie at either end of the restored area.