Anytime is a good time to visit Belize, especially in the spring when temperatures are slowly beginning to rise as the country ends its dry season and prepares for the rainy season, which runs from June to November. It also happens to be when whale sharks are often spotted, typically during the full moons in April and May. The rainforest is filled with birdsong and color as the migratory birds have yet to leave before the rainy season arrives. Whether you’re scuba diving, snorkeling, birdwatching or wildlife spotting, here 10 reasons to make Belize your next destination.
1. Sea Turtles
Three varieties of sea turtles nest in Belize – green, hawksbill and loggerhead. Ideal feeding and nesting grounds draw sea turtles to Belize. Nesting season begins as early as April and end as late as November.
2. Bird Watching
In Belize there are over 500 different species of birds, 80 percent of which are classified as residents and 20 percent migrants from North America. The keel-billed Toucan is the national bird of Belize. They are very social birds and can often be seen in flocks of six or more.
3. Mayan Ruins
Considered part of the southern Maya lowlands of the Mesoamerican culture area, Belize is home to many historically important pre-Columbian Maya archaeological sites. What is historically considered the most important site, Caracol, or “the snail” in Spanish, was the center of one of the largest Maya kingdoms.
4. Mayan Caves
Touring the caves of Belize is a history lesson in itself. Caves are inextricable bound up with the history of Belize and were fundamental to the religion on the Maya. The Mayans believed that the vapor clouds forming at the mouth of caves were the origin of wind and clouds.
5. Butterflies
There are a total of approximately 700 butterfly species in Belize. In the Cayo district, you can visit Green Hills Butterfly Ranch where flocks of butterflies fly free in a 2,700 square foot area.
6. White Sandy Beaches
The soft white sand beaches that stretch along the coast are strikingly beautiful next to the sparkling blue water. Little cayes, or islands, with little clumps of palm trees are scattered in the ocean.
7. Big Cats
Belize is home to five native species of big cats that prowl the Belizean jungle – the jaguar, jaguarundi, margay, puma and ocelot. Only a very lucky few have ever caught glimpses of the jaguar in the wild.
8. Monkeys
The black howler monkey exists only in Belize, northern Guatemala and southern Mexico. This endangered species is commonly spotted swinging in the trees unlike the more elusive long-tailed spider monkeys.
9. Whale Sharks
The whale shark is known to grace the waters of Belize during the full moons in April and May when the black and cubera snappers come to release their eggs in the water. Other sharks comonly seen scuba diving in Belize are the hammerhead, black tip, bull shark, lemon shark, nurse shark, reef shark and tiger shark.
10. The Great Blue Hole
This large submarine sinkhole, which lies near the center of Lighthouse Reef, is over 300 meters (984 feet) across and 124 meters (407 feet deep). It is part of the larger Belize Barrier Reef Reserve System, a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
