The Adventurer’s guide to Belize: cities and ruins

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In many ways, Belize is the typical former British West Indies colony, where English is spoken by most of the population,  which is made up o a mix of ethnicities. It is the only Central American country which doesn’t have a coast at the Pacific Ocean, but this lack is compensated by Belize’s miles and miles of beaches at the Caribbean Sea.

While the beaches of Belize are on the small size, they are a scuba diving paradise. In addition to this, the lush jungles of the mainland hide tons of archeological treasures, and the ever-surprising towns and cities of Belize are a constant source of excitement for those who decide to visit them.

Cities

In many countries, the capital is representative for the country’s culture and people, but in Belize things are a bit different. Belmopan, the capital, is only a few decades old, which is obvious judging by its too stark, artificial looking lines. Belmopan doesn’t feel like a city that’s been lived in, no surprise seeing as its the smallest capital in the world, with a mere 16,000 population.

Despite its small size and almost unnerving quiet, Belmopan is pretty enough, full of vegetation and new buildings, and it almost looks more like a park than a city. Belize City, which used to be the capital before it was destroyed by a hurricane in 1961, is larger and livelier than Belmopan, but except a few museums, there’s not much to do here except hitch a ride to your next destination.

The smaller towns of Belize are much more interesting: for example San Ignacio, which makes the perfect base of operations for lots of amazing daytrips; Crooked Tree, where you can visit the animal sanctuary; Punta Gorda, a ‘genuine’ Belize town surrounded by some great natural attractions and Maya ruins.

Maya ruins

There are so many Maya ruins in Belize that it’s impossible to see all of them during one trip. If you are in Belize City, you can easily take a trip to the ruins of Altun Ha, an ancient Maya city located at about 30km away. The site sprawls over 8 square km, and there are about 500 more or less intact structures just in the main square. Caracol, a large site, is quite close to San Ignacio, and its ‘sky-palace’ is the largest man-made structure in Belize.

The ancient ruins at Lamanai are spectacular, and so is the trip there – 26 miles on boat through the dense jungle. Some of the ruins at Lamanai are still waiting to be excavated, and the area is teeming with wildlife. The temples rise over the jungle top, and if you are brave (or crazy) enough to climb the very narrow,  steep steps to the top of El Castillo, you’ll be rewarded with a spectacular view.
Xunantunich, in the Cayo region, has some impressive 9th century Maya ruins, scattered over a hill overlooking Mopan River.

The ruins of Lubaantun, located at the foothills of the Maya Mountains, are some of the most beautiful you’ll see in Belize, and they are famous for their whistle figurines, stepped architecture, and its three ballcourts.

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Belize Trip wrote on August 25, 2010:

What beautiful photos, Belize is so full of nice things with so much history and you can move from ruins to the natural beauty that country or the beach so pretty, greetings and blessings

 

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