Get to know Belize
by Mark Stratton
What's it all about?
Some years back, during a Central American road trip, I entered Belize with some relief at finding an English-speaking nation after weeks of butchering the Spanish language of neighbouring countries. I’d only planned to spend a week here, yet with Belize a microcosm of almost every adventure I’d planned in the region my stay became longer. With jaguars, coral reefs, Maya culture, and Caribbean sunshine, it’s little wonder that Belize’s current tagline is ‘Grab Life’.
This is a feature from Issue 18 of Charitable Traveller. Click to read more from this issue.
Big Cat diaries
In Cockscomb Basin I ended a long quest to see the elusive jaguar. The odds were good as Belize – the first country in the world to have a jaguar sanctuary – also has the world’s greatest density of jaguars; it’s a proud statistic that will endure. This is thanks in part to the country’s conservation ethos, which has led to the Maya Forest Corridor being created to link once separated populations and thus enhance their genetic diversity for generations to come.
Modern Maya
There’s a tendency to view Latin America’s ancient cultures as moribund, survived only by abandoned architecture. Belize does indeed possess sublime Maya archaeology pertaining to their apogee here between the 3rd and 9th centuries; not least Caracol, once home to 140,000 people. Yet Maya people today form 10 per cent of Belize’s population and their time-honoured culture persists. During a Maya living experience tour at Big Falls community, visitors can learn about their cooking, farming, and medicinal plant use.
Caye to Paradise
Pronounced ‘key’, Belize’s barrier reef’s 450 paradisiacal coral atolls’ white sand beaches and turquoise lagoons suit all visitors, whether it’s families, honeymooners, luxury-seekers, or backpackers. Accessed by resort transfers and water taxis, each caye varies in character. Ambergris Caye is popular with luxury resorts and golf courses. Quieter and more laid-back is Half Moon Caye, known for its protected frigate bird colony.
No Barrier to Finding Nemo
Belize’s 10,000-year-old barrier reef is a Utopian experience for divers and snorkellers. The second largest reef on Earth is redolent with bright corals and pretty fish – swim with manatees and sharks (look out for hammerheads) and explore the Great Blue Hole, a photogenic sinkhole within Lighthouse Reef. In keeping with a sustainable ethos, a 375-foot-long ship has been sunk at Blackbird Caye to create a world-class wreck dive to take visitor pressure off other natural reefs.
The 12,000-strong religious Mennonite Community are successful agriculturalists who speak Plautdietsch (low German), and generally shun modern technology
Creole Cooking
Stir Belize’s exotic produce and creole-infused cultures into a cooking pot and the inevitable outcome is a moreish cuisine. Start the day with Caribbean-style Johnny cakes – flour and coconut puffs. The staple is rice and beans eaten with meat or more lavishly, lobster. Cochinita pibil is a classic Maya dish of slow-roasted marinaded pork while abundant seafood ensures the ceviche is freshly divine. And do try the cashew wine.
the birds
SPECIES GALORE
No need to be a twitcher to appreciate Belize’s riotous birdlife. It’s not just eye-catching show-offs like toucans and scarlet macaws but coastal flamingos and myriad species of effervescent hummingbirds to spot, too.
WHY SO MANY?
The juxtaposition of sea, mountains, rainforest, and migratory routes ensures a rich mosaic of habitats attractive to the recorded 500 species.
WHERE TO SEE THEM?
Important Bird Areas (IBAs) delineated by the Audubon Society list hotspots including Cockscomb Basin and Guanacaste National Park, while at sea, Half Moon Caye and the Great Blue Hole are top of the list.
Ready to Grab Life in Belize?
Speak to our team of expert travel agents to plan your perfect Belizean break, and remember, you can donate 5% of your holiday price to the charity of your choice at no extra cost to you!
This is a feature from Issue 18 of Charitable Traveller.
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