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The Great Blue Hole from the air

Travel guide · Reef, cayes and Maya ruins

Travelling to Belize

The Great Blue Hole, the second-largest barrier reef in the world, the cayes of Caye Caulker and San Pedro, Maya ruins in the jungle and the Garifuna culture of Hopkins. We tell you when to go, what to see and what to eat.

Updated 18 October 2026 · How we make our guides

  • Best time: from December to May
  • Where to eat: a beach stall or a Creole restaurant
Photo: The TerraMar Project · CC BY 2.0

Belize in 30 seconds

  • The months with the fewest warnings to travel to Belize are from December to May. If you can, avoid from August to October (hurricane season).
  • To eat like a local: a beach stall or a Creole restaurant. Don’t leave without trying: Rice and beans, Hudut, Fry jacks.

Belize in November

You can go, with a few caveats: hurricane season, rainy season. Book with free cancellation, take out travel insurance that covers weather events and check the National Hurricane Center’s forecasts a few days before you go.

  • November

    Hurricane season

    Hurricanes can form from June to November; August, September and October are the riskiest months. There are almost always days of heavy rain and humid heat.

    What to do: Book with free cancellation, take out travel insurance that covers weather events and check the National Hurricane Center’s forecasts a few days before you go.

  • November

    Rainy season

    It rains more, especially in the south, and it’s hurricane season.

    What to do: The dry season, from December to May, is the best.

More destinations for November

When to travel to Belize

The months with the fewest warnings to travel to Belize are from December to May. If you can, avoid from August to October (hurricane season).

  1. Jan no warnings
  2. Feb no warnings
  3. Mar no warnings
  4. Apr no warnings
  5. May no warnings
  6. Jun with warnings
  7. Jul with warnings
  8. Aug with strong warnings
  9. Sep with strong warnings
  10. Oct with strong warnings
  11. Nov with warnings
  12. Dec no warnings

More destinations for those dates: where to travel in January · where to travel in February · where to travel in March · where to travel in April

  • from June to November

    Hurricane season

    Hurricanes can form from June to November; August, September and October are the riskiest months. There are almost always days of heavy rain and humid heat.

    What to do: Book with free cancellation, take out travel insurance that covers weather events and check the National Hurricane Center’s forecasts a few days before you go.

    Best time: December to April

  • from June to November

    Rainy season

    It rains more, especially in the south, and it’s hurricane season.

    What to do: The dry season, from December to May, is the best.

What to see in Belize

The cities and areas most worth your time, with their highlights. Open each one for all the places, where to stay and its day trips.

  • Caye Caulker

    Caye Caulker

    A small, laid-back caye whose motto is “go slow”, with sandy streets and the reef just offshore.

    • The Split
    • Marine reserve
    • Sandy streets
    • Piers
    Caye Caulker guide
  • San Pedro

    San Pedro

    The town on Ambergris Caye, the largest caye, with golf carts and the reef a stone’s throw away.

    • Hol Chan Marine Reserve
    • Shark Ray Alley
    • Northern beaches
    • Golf carts
    San Pedro guide
  • Great Blue Hole

    Great Blue Hole

    A circular marine sinkhole 300 metres across in the Lighthouse Reef atoll.

    • Dive
    • Scenic flight
    • Half Moon Caye
    • Lighthouse Reef Atoll
    Great Blue Hole guide
  • San Ignacio

    San Ignacio

    The base for the jungle and the Maya ruins of the west, beside the Macal River.

    • Xunantunich
    • ATM Cave
    • Cahal Pech
    • Mountain Pine Ridge
    San Ignacio guide
  • Placencia

    Placencia

    A peninsula of long beaches and a colourful village with a walkway running through it.

    • The footbridge
    • Beaches
    • Nearby cayes
    • Whale sharks
    Placencia guide
  • Hopkins

    Hopkins

    A Garifuna village by the sea, with drums, hudut and the jaguar reserve nearby.

    • Garifuna drums
    • Beach
    • Cockscomb Basin Wildlife Sanctuary
    • Garifuna cooking
    Hopkins guide

Day trips and activities

What’s most worth booking from each city. We take you straight to the best-rated tour on GetYourGuide, with its reviews and dates.

From Caye Caulker

From San Pedro

From the Great Blue Hole

From San Ignacio

From Placencia

From Hopkins

Some links are affiliate links: if you book through them, Bagintravel may earn a commission at no extra cost to you.

What to eat in Belize

To eat like a local: a beach stall or a Creole restaurant, and order rice and beans or hudut. And don’t leave without trying:

  • Rice and beans

    Cooked in coconut milk.

  • Hudut

    Garifuna fish in coconut broth with mashed plantain.

  • Fry jacks

    Fried dough for breakfast.

  • Conch ceviche

    With lime and coriander.

  • Salbutes

    Fried tortillas with chicken.

  • Lobster

    From June to February.

The typical dish of Belize, at home

Rice and beans with stewed chicken
Photo: satanoid from Austin, TX, USA · CC BY 2.0

Rice and beans with stewed chicken

Belize’s everyday meal: rice cooked with red beans and coconut milk, served with chicken stewed in recado rojo, potato salad and fried plantain.

  • Serves 4
  • 1 h 30 min

Ingredients

  • 300 g rice
  • 250 g cooked red beans
  • 400 ml coconut milk
  • 2 onions
  • 3 garlic cloves
  • Thyme and salt
  • 1 kg chicken thighs
  • 1 tablespoon of annatto paste (recado rojo)
  • 1 tablespoon of Worcestershire sauce
  • 1 pepper
  • Oil and a tablespoon of sugar

How to make it at home

  1. Marinate the chicken with the annatto paste, Worcestershire sauce, a garlic clove and salt for at least 30 minutes.
  2. Caramelise the sugar in a little oil, brown the chicken, add one onion and the pepper in strips and a glass of water, and stew for 40 minutes.
  3. Meanwhile, fry the other onion with the garlic, add the beans with their liquid, the coconut milk and the thyme, and bring to the boil.
  4. Add the washed rice, season with salt, cover and cook over a low heat for 20 minutes, until it absorbs the liquid.
  5. Serve the rice with the chicken and its sauce.

The trick: In Belize there’s always potato salad and fried ripe plantain on the side.

The typical food of each city, with a recipe

Curious facts about Belize

What guidebooks don’t tell you and will help you understand the country better.

  • It’s the only country in Central America with English as its official language.
  • Its barrier reef is the second-largest in the world.
  • From the air, the Great Blue Hole is a perfect circle.
  • It has the world’s first jaguar reserve, Cockscomb.
  • Garifuna language, dance and music are part of UNESCO’s Intangible Cultural Heritage.
  • There are hardly any cars on the cayes: people get around by golf cart or bike.

Traditions of Belize

Customs and celebrations that will help you experience the country like a local.

  • 19 November Garifuna Settlement Day

    Drums and a re-enactment of the arrival by boat.

  • June and July Lobsterfest

    On the cayes and in Placencia.

  • 21 September Independence Day

    A national holiday.

  • 10 September Battle of St. George’s Caye

    Parades.

What not to do in Belize

First-trip mistakes that are easy to avoid.

  • Don’t go to the border with Guatemala or to the rough neighbourhoods of Belize City.
  • Don’t touch the coral or feed the fish.
  • Don’t drive at night.
  • Don’t walk alone at night in quiet areas.
  • Don’t buy coral or protected shells.
  • Don’t forget travel insurance that covers repatriation.

Before you go

Entry requirements depend on your passport and change: always check them with official sources before travelling.

Frequently asked questions about Belize

What people search for most before travelling to Belize.

What’s the best time to travel to Belize?

The months with the fewest warnings to travel to Belize are from December to May. If you can, avoid from August to October (hurricane season).

What to see in Belize in a week?

The essentials of Belize: Caye Caulker, San Pedro, Great Blue Hole, San Ignacio and Placencia. How many places fit into your days, and in what order, depends on your dates and how you get around: the Bagintravel app plans your trip day by day in a minute.

What to eat in Belize?

Rice and beans, Hudut, Fry jacks, Conch ceviche, Salbutes, Lobster. To eat like a local: a beach stall or a Creole restaurant.

What is the typical dish of Belize?

Rice and beans with stewed chicken. Belize’s everyday meal: rice cooked with red beans and coconut milk, served with chicken stewed in recado rojo, potato salad and fried plantain.

What should you not do in Belize?

Don’t go to the border with Guatemala or to the rough neighbourhoods of Belize City. Don’t touch the coral or feed the fish. Don’t drive at night.

Is it worth travelling to Belize in November?

You can go, with a few caveats: hurricane season, rainy season. Book with free cancellation, take out travel insurance that covers weather events and check the National Hurricane Center’s forecasts a few days before you go.

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More guides

Guide reviewed 18 October 2026. Seasonal data, places and areas: the same ones the Bagintravel app uses. Sources and method.

Photos: cover, The TerraMar Project (CC BY 2.0). Caye Caulker, P199 (CC BY 2.5). San Pedro, Hevan Chan from NYC, USA (CC BY 2.0). Great Blue Hole, U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) (Public domain). San Ignacio, Haakon S. Krohn (CC BY-SA 3.0). Placencia, Nagyman (CC BY-SA 2.0). Hopkins, Flickr user Walter Rodriguez (CC BY 2.0).