Belize

MAP - http://www.lonelyplanet.com/maps/central-america/belize/

This link will give you access to a map of Belize as well as links to maps of Belize City, Caye Caulker and Ambergris Caye.

BELIZE CITY
Most ships port in Belize City. Belize is a very poor country and Belize City is not going to compare to a North American city for sights and cleanliness. The boards are full of people who did not feel safe walking around town but we did not have that experience, personally. You just need to know what to expect and go with the flow. Expect the vendors to be quite aggressive when you first exit the Fort Street Tourism Village near the tender dock. There will be lots of yelling to get your attention, etc. Just say “No, thanks” and keep on walking past. If you are not an experienced traveler then you may feel unsafe and opt to stay within the confines of the Tourist Village but having traveled all over the Caribbean, we did not find that Belize was much different than other, less prosperous, ports. It is a very poor area and you need to take some basic precautions if you choose to tour around town. The best advice is to not walk alone, be aware of your surroundings, avoid wandering into uncrowded areas of the city, don’t wear expensive watches/jewelry and don’t carry a lot of cash! This is good practice wherever you travel : - )

I would definitely recommend an excursion of some type, at this stop, as there is not much of anything close to the pier. Most attractions are at least a ½ hour drive or more away from Belize City. Bugs can be bad here, so take bug spray with you.

An important issue to be aware of is that you always keep your watch set on ship’s time. Ship’s time and local time can vary significantly and the ship will always arrive and depart based on ship’s time!!

TENDERING
This stop requires tendering into Belize City. Ships dock a few miles out as the country is very vigilant about protecting the coral reef that runs along their coast. You will take a tender boat into the city from the ship. Be aware that most cruise lines fill their first couple of tenders with passengers who are booked on ship’s tour excursions. Some cruise lines require printed confirmation of a private tour in order to get you prioritized on a subsequent ‘early’ tender. You usually are encouraged to make arrangements for an early tender on the night before you arrive at a port or, sometimes, early in the morning. The tenders run constantly throughout the day but you would not want to go in and out too many times as travel time can take a good chunk of your day (usually around 20 minutes a trip). Some excursions, offered through the ship, will actually pick you up at the ship instead of having to spend the time tendering in and back out again, which is a bonus.

EXCURSIONS/ATTRACTIONS
The most popular excursions in Belize are the Mayan ruins, ziplining, cave tubing and snorkel tours. I usually don’t recommend taking ship’s tours since the prices are always higher than making your own arrangements however, I would make an exception at this port of call. I would recommend a ship’s tour if you are planning to go anywhere that takes a significant amount of traveling time. You don’t want to be worrying all day about whether you will get back in time for the last tender of the day. More than other stops, I have read a lot of accounts of nearly missing the last tender…or having to get a private tender out to the ship.

A. Mayan Ruins/TemplesThe three most well-known Mayan sites are:

Altun Ha – this site is the closest to the pier but is still about an hour’s drive to get there. These are the smallest ruins and are generally more crowded with tourists as they are closer than the others. You can only climb selected temples. Some excursions also combine a river tour with visiting the ruins and this tour gets great reviews. We really enjoyed our visit to Altun Ha.

Xunantunich – this site is about a 2 hour drive away from town. It boasts 26 temples, some of which you can climb, and is much larger and more impressive than Altun Ha. You will need the entire day for this excursion as it takes so long to get there. I would recommend a ship’s tour if you want to visit this spot.

Lamanai – this site takes about an hour and a half of travel time to get there. Reviews say about 45 minutes on the bus and another 30-40 minutes by boat. Visitors love the boat ride along the river to access the site as there is lots of wildlife to see. It is the largest site but has fewer temples than Xunantunich. Howler monkeys can be seen around the site. It is in the jungle and not as open to the sun as Xunantunich.

Take good walking shoes, a hat, sunscreen and bug spray! Some visitors wear long pants and long-sleeved shirts but we were fine in shorts and T-shirts. If you are really sensitive to bug bites, then you may want to cover up if the bugs are bad. The temperatures can get really high so make sure you keep hydrated.

B. Beaches
There are not a lot of beaches near Belize City and most require some travel time to get there.

Bannister Island – this is a private island that offers a quiet beach break and great snorkeling. If you want lots of activity and a party atmosphere, this isn’t the spot to go. You cannot get to this island on your own so you should book a tour with one of the tour companies. The two tour operators that have great reviews for this excursion are Coral Breeze and Eco Tours (see below for websites).

Cucumber Beach – is a man-made beach located at an attraction called Old Belize Adventure (http://www.oldbelize.com/). It is about a 10 minute drive from the pier and tends to be where the locals go when they want to go to a beach that is nearby.

C. Caye Caulker – http://www.gocayecaulker.com/ - This is an island off the coast of Belize that is well known for great snorkeling and scuba diving. “The Split” is a snorkel area that can be walked to from the water taxi pier. You can book through a tour company or make your own way there via water taxi (see water taxi info below).

D. Ambergris Caye – is another island a bit further up the coast of Belize. It also is known for great snorkeling and scuba diving offshore. The main town is San Pedro, which can also be reached via the water taxi. The trip takes around an hour and a quarter each way. You can get more info on the water taxi site (see water taxi info below). If you are a new cruiser, I would probably recommend a ship’s excursion or a private excursion to this spot due to its distance from port. Some outfits will even fly you over to the island, which makes timing much less of a factor.

WATER TAXIS
There are two water taxis that operate near the tender pier. One is the San Pedro –Belize Express (see http://www.belizewatertaxi.com/ for fares and schedules) which also makes a stop at Caye Caulker before proceeding on to San Pedro. Take a left outside of the Tourism Village and it is pretty much next door. The trip to Caye Caulker takes about 45 minutes. The trip to San Pedro takes 1 ¼ hours.

The other water taxi is the Caye Caulker Water Taxi which is about a 5 minute walk beyond the San Pedro pier. For fares and schedules, see their website at: http://www.cayecaulkerwatertaxi.com/. Fares are quoted in Belize currency which usually is about 1 US dollar for 2 Belize dollars.

For both water taxi’s, timing is very important on your return trip to ensure that you get a spot as ferries tend to get very full on return trips later in the day. I would not wait to get the last ferry out!!

OTHER ATTRACTIONS
Belize Zoo - (http://www.belizezoo.com/)

City Tours - There are lots of local operators who can take you on a tour of Belize City, if that is your interest. You can find them just outside the pier area.

Syesue Adventures - Griffith Eusey (syesue_bz@yahoo.com) gets great recommendations for his tours.  One offering is a city tour that includes a visit to the zoo. Great for younger families as it isn’t a long outing. Contact him in advance to make arrangements. City tour price is around $50 per person.

Horse & Carriage Tours - You can also get a horse & carriage ride around the city. You can find the carriages just outside the Tourist Village and, with some bargaining, you should be able to get a tour for around $30 for an hour.

Horseback Riding – http://www.smugglersrunbelize.com/ – Smuggler’s Run Plantation is located about a ½ hour outside of Belize City.

TOUR OPERATORS
I have listed below, several tour operators that get good reviews on the discussion boards. This is not an exhaustive list of all tour operators…just the ones that appear most often and are recommended by other cruisers who have used them. They all offer a wide variety of excursions and all of their tours can be booked online in advance. Some operators also have a booth at the pier. I would encourage you to book in advance unless you are undecided and won’t be disappointed if a particular tour is already booked up when you get to the pier. The prices generally are the same on-line or at the pier.

NCQ Belize Adventure Tours - http://www.ncqadventuretours.com/ – husband and wife team, Nacho and Cynthia, are well recommended for their friendly service and personal attention to their guests.

Island Marketing - http://www.belizecruiseexcursions.com/ – this tour company operates at several destinations in the Caribbean and gets good reviews all over.

Fab Tours Ltd. - http://www.fabtoursbelize.com/ - tours can be booked online or at their bright yellow booth on the boardwalk by Terminal 3 at the Fort Street Tourist Village.

Coral Breeze Tours - http://www.coralbreezetours.com/ - tours can be booked online or at their booth at the pier, next to the Wet Lizard.

Ecological Tours & Services - http://www.ecotoursbelize.com/

Chukka Caribbean Adventures - http://www.chukkacaribbean.com/caves.php
This outfit runs a popular excursion called “Raiders of the Lost Mayan Cave”. It is getting great reviews from more adventurous cruisers but this outing is very active so you should be in relatively good shape to tackle it! It involves lots of hiking, crawling through caves, a suspension bridge, rapelling and a zipline segment. Visitors recommend long pants and bug spray!! It is about an hour’s bus ride and the last part of the ride is very bumpy. Sometimes this excursion may only be offered through the cruise lines so make sure to ask this question when inquiring.

QUESTIONS TO ASK WHEN BOOKING AN EXCURSION
To make your excursion the best experience it can be, it is always helpful to ask some key questions in advance. This helps you better select a tour operator/excursion that will meet your expectations. Some people prefer smaller, more intimate groups. Others don’t mind a big crowd. Some operators tend to overbook their tours which can create delays and cut short your tour in order to get back to the pier in time to tender back to the ship.

How many people will be on this tour?
Is there a cap on the number of people?
How long of a drive is it to get where we are going?
Will we travel by bus or boat?
Is the bus air conditioned?
Is there an advance deposit required? How much?
If we are unable to make the tour, will you refund our money?