1. The Obvious - and the Not So Obvious
The obvious? Scuba diving the barrier reef system. Great diving with reasonable boat rides, good visibility, warm water, reefs in great condition and lots of sea life.
The not so obvious? Belize is an exciting place for non-divers, too.
There are adventures for everyone! You can float downriver on an inner tube through amazing cave systems, explore Mayan ruins or hike through the world’s only Jaguar preserve. You can snorkel the barrier reef with stingrays and sharks or sample creamy, dark chocolate after watching it being ground and blended by Belizean natives. You can quietly search out manatees in their habitat among the mangroves or visit a nightclub where the entrance is through the open mouth of a gigantic jaguar head. You can stay in a thatched roof cabana or a five star jungle lodge complete with day spa. You can canoe a jungle river or visit a zoo where the people are in protected enclosures but the animals run free. It’s all possible in Belize.
2. Getting There – A short order. Living on the West Coast, not all tropical dive destinations are easy to get to, and frankly most of them are a considerable trek, requiring red eye flights, crummy schedules and nasty layovers. Belize is serviced by many major airlines and was a breeze to get to. We left San Francisco at 6am and arrived in Belize at 3:30pm with a short layover enroute in Houston that was just long enough for a quick lunch and stretching our legs.
3. Language Barrier – NONE. The official language of Belize is English. I love the neighboring Spanish speaking countries too, but it is so much easier traveling where you aren’t trying to remember how to say “I would like a taxi,” from your 6th grade Spanish class.
4. Time Zone – Mountain time zone.
Only one hour ahead of the West Coast and two hours behind the East coast. No insomnia or sleeping at your desk when you get home.
5. Money, Money, Money –
for people who don’t like math in their heads. It’s easy, $2 Belize, equals $1 US. Even I could figure it out on the fly. Bonus points – the US dollar is relatively strong in Belize, so your money goes a lot further. It is a simple matter to find many resorts offering accommodations that include transfers, meals, diving and/or jungle adventures for about the same price as other Caribbean island resorts would charge for just a room.
6. The People – genuine and warm.
The Belizeans we met were friendly, sincere and welcoming to their visitors. From our dive masters, to the girls who joined me in singing at the Karaoke bar, they embraced us with open arms.
7. The Places –
so much to see and do.
After ten days touring the country, I was disappointed to leave because there was so much I still wanted to see and do. Belize is an eco-adventure paradise for divers and non-divers alike. We missed out on many land adventures and barely scratched the surface of the countless dive sites.
8. The Great Blue Hole – A must do on the scuba diver’s bucket list.I had heard divers report everything from “boring” to “awesome,” so I was prepared for whatever the Blue Hole had to offer.
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But, after descending 130 feet through circling reef sharks and huge groupers to reach 40 foot stalagtites, “average” or “boring” were not words that came to mind. After swimming around and through the giant formations, words like “amazing,” “underwater cathedral” and “awestruck” came to mind, but “ho-hum average” was never even on the semantic radar.So, now you want to go to Belize?? You know what to do… email me for info AtalantisWWT@yahoo.com. You better Belize it!
More info about specific locations, resorts and dive operators coming soon!
