Family travel is a beautiful opportunity to spend meaningful time together outside your and your kids’ daily routines. Children thrive, parents decompress, and everyone ultimately shares new experiences together. Field trips were probably my favorite memory as a child, which is why I’m suggesting the ultimate trip for the end of summer! But if you’ve never visited Belize before, it might be overwhelming to wade through the bountiful pick of kid-friendly activities to do. We’re here to help.
1. Take a horseback riding tour
Image via Ka’ana Resort
Saddle up for a jungle adventure with a horseback riding tour in Belize, perfect for animal-loving kiddos! Besides the fresh air and opportunity to stay active, riding horseback is a great way to sightsee confidently and comfortably. Head to the Cayo District and uniquely explore the Xunantunich Maya Site on horseback!
2. Visit a butterfly farm
Being enveloped in a swathe of iridescent color is one summer memory your kids won’t soon forget! Visit a butterfly farm, like Green Hills or Chaa Creek’s, to learn more about each fascinating step of a butterfly’s life cycle and see the Blue Morpho butterflies in all its glory.
3. Feed Tapirs at The Belize Zoo
Hand feed a tapir in Belize! Image by The Belize Zoo
With over 125 animals native to Belize inside, it’s easy to see why The Belize Zoo (TBZ) has been called the best little zoo in the world. As an NGO, your visit helps support TBZ along with all their experiences within, which include wildlife encounters like hand-feeding Belize’s national animal!
4. Snorkel Shark Ray Alley
Shark Ray Alley. Image courtesy ROEming Belize
Shark Ray Alley, in the Hol Chan Marine Reserve off Ambergris Caye, is perhaps the best place to introduce your kids to snorkeling and marine life! Don’t worry, the nurse sharks pictured are docile. And swimming with sharks makes the perfect ‘fun fact’ for that ice breaker on the first day of school.
5. Learn all about cacao in a chocolate class
Historic chocolate making at Sirenian Bay Resort & Villas. HENRY CHO
A fun way to learn about the history of cocoa and how beans are transformed into chocolate, this hands-on experience for kids in Belize teaches the origin of one of their favorite desserts and its cultural value. Plus, it’s one tasty tour!
6. Support the Green Iguana Conservation Project
Luis and a juvenile Green Iguana.
How many other kids in school can say they held an iguana in Belize during their summer break? The conservation program at San Ignacio Resort Hotel helps protect endangered iguanas in Belize by raising awareness and later, releasing them into the wild to help repopulate.
7. Drop a line Deep Sea Fishing
Fishing from the dock in San Pedro. Image by La Perla del Caribe
With supervision, toddlers as young as two can begin fishing! The most exciting part of deepsea fishing in Belize is not knowing what will be on the end of the line. Keep your kiddos curious with a fishing trip!
8. Explore Barton Creek Cave by canoe
Barton Creek Cave is one option particularly great for kids in Belize given it doesn’t require a long trek inside or any swimming skills. Outfitted with a life jacket and headlamp-rigged helmet in a slow-moving canoe, this tour is not only adrenaline-introducing but also educational as your guide transports you into the Maya underworld known as Xibalba.
9. Build sandcastles on the beach
Photo by Feri & Tasos on Unsplash
Belize’s beaches have been called perfect for peace and quiet, but what about sandcastles? If you’re on the mainland, the Southeastern Coast offers see-through shallows but the beaches are reminiscent of brown sugar, thanks to a composition of granitic sand. Meanwhile, with over 450 islands speckled off the coast, beaches on the cayes are made of coral sands. That sugary-white texture makes it perfect to build sandcastles on the beach in Belize!
10. Admire seahorses and stingrays at Caye Caulker
When you think of a fish, a seahorse might not be the first thing that comes to mind. But because they’re the slowest of all fish species, it makes them quite easy to point out to your child! Head to the seahorse reserve on the lee side at Iguana Reef Inn Hotel for a pleasant surprise; you’ll find seahorses hanging on to a submerged net alongside the seawall and at sunset, Southern Stingrays come ashore to join in the photo ops. And if your little one is positively fearless, they can also try their hand at tarpon feeding on the west side of Caye Caulker.
11. Plunge into the Maya King Waterfall
This waterfall option is great for kids in Belize because of how little effort it takes to enjoy Maya King. The site itself is fully clad with changing rooms and a seating area, which makes it perfect to have your own picnic. And because you essentially park at the base of the waterfall, feel free to bring along everything you’ll need for a family-friendly day.
12. Lounge poolside at the resort
I don’t know the science behind it, but kids absolutely love pools. For that reason, it doesn’t hurt to consider choosing a resort with one on property. Outfitted with six pools and direct beachfront access, Grand Caribe Resort is a great option on Ambergris Caye.
Header image via San Ignacio Resort Hotel. This article was published in July 2022.
