You’ve heard about Belize and perhaps even wondered why the former nation of British Honduras is getting so much buzz, Lately, it’s hard to find a travel magazine that doesn’t include an article about this Central American nation on the publication’s table of contents. Curious? Eager to find out for yourself what awaits you now that you can plan a summer holiday that doesn’t require you to take extra travel precautions because you’ve been vaccinated? Add these facts to your list of reasons why spending your summer holiday anywhere else would be crazy!
Traveling to Belize has never been faster or easier

Photo courtesy BTB
Major airlines are finally returning to their regular routes, the 2+ hour flight from the U.S. won’t give you much time to make progress on the book you’re reading, the government, resorts, hotels and attractions are still maintaining COVID standards to protect travelers health and summer price reductions at resorts and hotels won’t disappoint.
Summer in Belize is a festival of Caribbean cuisine

Lobster on deck! Asha’s Culture Kitchen boasts at a Lobster Fest. Photo by BTB
Tourists love the fact that Belizean dishes represent so many exotic cultures, eating a meal is like dining at a United Nations buffet! Try fry jack, salbutes, chimole, cochinita pibil, plus empanadas and rice and beans served with stew chicken or beef during your summer vacation. Even if you don’t like hot sauce, snag a bottle of any Marie Sharp’s product and bring it home to the hot sauce lover in your life. Since summer is lobster season, eating your fair share of lobster is mandatory.
Belize’s animal kingdom loves summer as much as you do

Manatee spotting at Monkey River. © Duarte Dellarole
It’s easy to spend the entirety of a summer vacation in Belize immersed in all things winged, clawed and beautiful by checking out the nation’s wildlife preserves and conservatories and exploring Belize’s birding scene, called the best in the hemisphere by avid birdwatchers. Don’t ignore critters whose homes are the sea. From an underwater world filled with fish, turtles and whale sharks (in season) to encounters with gentle manatees, Belize competes with Noah’s Ark for variety, only there are more than two of each creature within the nation’s boundaries!
If you’re intrigued by mystery and history…

Lamanai Maya Site. Photo by Duarte Dellarole
…there are 900 ancient Maya ruins scattered throughout less than 9,000 square miles that represent Belize’s geographic boundaries. Climb vast pyramids. Inspect architecturally-unique palaces, ball parks, temples and see how many intellectual advances these prescient people produced before they vanished. Don’t limit your explorations to those above ground. Touring caves is one of the most exciting activities you can experience – especially those used as secret ceremonial places.
Get lost (in Belize’s natural wonders)

Big Rock Falls in Mountain Pine Ridge. Image courtesy Duarte Dellarole
That desire is easy to do if you’re the sort who would love nothing more than roaming lush jungles, breathing in the fragrance of a pine forest filled with waterfalls and pools and investing your soul in time alone with Mother Nature’s wonders. An admirable 80-percent of this nation is undeveloped, which is why it’s easy to find medicinal trails, lazy rivers where wildlife come to water and natural gardens that may be tamed by landscape experts or left to maintain their naturally wild beauty.
Save money, thrifty traveler

The Farmer’s Market in San Ignacio. Photo by Duarte Dellarole
Your summer holiday doesn’t have to come with the huge bill North American resorts hand over to guests at the conclusion of their stays. Summer is low season so you enjoy affordability and an absence of crowds. Shop local markets. Book fishing expeditions, snorkeling and diving adventures and find out how it feels not to have to queue up or make advance reservations to be accommodated on a tour taking you to see an urban iguana station or a visit to cacao farms where the raw ingredient for chocolate is grown. Try your hand at chocolate making during your visit.
Get to know the people of Belize

All smiles in paradise at Tobacco Caye. Photo courtesy Duarte Dellarole
We come from around the world: Africa, India, Germany, Asia and especially the Caribbean region where harrowing tales of slavery, shipwrecks, pirates and colonization have produced a fascinatingly unique cultural mix. Make it a point to meet members of the Garifuna society and delve into this culture’s fascinating lifestyle so you learn how much these people have impacted Belize’s culinary, music, art and religious scenes.
Declare at least one summer challenge for yourself…

The Great Blue Hole in Belize. Photo courtesy Belize Tourism Board
…something you’ve been reticent to do but it feels right to celebrate the return of summer vacation after having missed an entire year due to the pandemic! Whether your pleasure is to helicopter over The Blue Hole (a part of Belize’s world heritage site), swim with whale sharks or skydive to experience aerial views of the second longest barrier reef on Planet Earth, every challenge you take on is guaranteed to make your Belize summer vacation the most memorable one you can recall.