A Week in Belize
Belize is a small country filled with lush rain forests, Caribbean culture, and beautiful coral reefs off the coastline. We explored ancient Mayan Caves, snorkeled with (harmless) nurse sharks, and ate more lobster than one can imagine. It’s a great place for adventurers, and also a great place to relax on a white sand beach with a rum punch in hand. In this post I’ll give you a great week long itinerary for visiting this amazing country.
Day 1: Caves Branch Resort
go Cave Tubing at Caves Branch Resort
Caves Branch Resort is located in the rain forest of Belize, an hour an a half drive from Belize City airport. It’s a resort where you can get all inclusive packages with food and drink included at the restaurant every night. It’s the kind of place where you'd get to know other guests and staff within no time. Unfortunately when we booked there was only one night left, but we made the most of it. We stayed in a beautiful “treehouse” overlooking the river and jungle. This treehouse was really more like a multi-room casita complete with outdoor shower and bath.
We rented a car, but there are also airport shuttle transfers that the hotel can arrange for you.
Tip: Book in advance, this place is popular!
Caves Branch has loads of adventures to choose from. There are Mayan Ruins, zip lining, horseback riding, jungle tours… and on and on. We went specifically to go on the River Cave Expedition. On this trip we tubed into an ancient cave. With headlamps on, we entered the underworld of stalactites, minerals, ancient Mayan artifacts, and a long river system to hike and float through. There are tons of bats inside too!
We wandered through the dark cave, at times floating and at times hiking up rock formations seeping water. Some rocks hung down from the ceiling like they were dripping down, while others protruded up in organic bulbous shapes. At one point our guide had us sit down and turn off our headlamps. With eyes wide open, you couldn’t see a thing, and the silence was pure and relaxing. It’s a surreal feeling being void sight and sound. It was meditative. Towards the end of our journey we had a picnic inside the cave by candlelight, then floated our way back out.
Tip: Bring water shoes with good grip
Drive or take a shuttle 2 hours to Placencia
After tubing we drove 2 hours to Placencia, and checked into our airbnb. We had trouble checking in because we didn't realize you have to cross a small channel of water to get to it. We had to press a buzzer, then wait for a boat to come get us. For the remainder of the trip we took a small dingy across every time we left our place, it was very Dawson’s Creek (cue Paula Cole song).
Some other options for lodging include:
Dolce Cabana Waterfront Suites
Caribbean Beach Cabanas - A PUR Hotel
Dinner at Rick’s Cafe
We walked into town and had a nice dinner at Rick’s Cafe, a restaurant in the middle of town. No major frills here, but good food, good service, and a clean and bustling restaurant.
Drinks at Afrodite
After dinner, we walked down the beachside and came across the cutest little bar there ever was. Afrodite is a small bar with a jazz vibes and a local rum called “Big Titty Rum.” The entire bar was lit with florescent pink lighting. The place had a voodoo influence with snakes and dolls, and the bar top looks like a massive piano. The bartender let us try all the different types of rum, like vanilla, banana, and habanero before deciding which drink to order. The bar looks like piano keys, and the drinks are delish! It was truly a gem to find this little place. It has personality out the wazoo! Don’t miss it.
Day 2: Placencia
Explores the Beaches of Placencia
Our first full day in Placencia we ate breakfast at Wendy’s. The lobster quesadilla is yummy. They have a killer rum punch, but then again, so do most restaurants in Belize. After breakfast we spent the rest of the day wandering down the beach bar hopping along the way.
Grab a tropical drink at Blue Parrot
First stop was Blue Parrot for a drink, a swim, and of course, some hammocking.
Drinks at Tipsy Tuna and Barefoot Bar
Next stop was Tipsy Tuna and Barefoot Bar, the most popular bars in town. They remind me of those good ol’ days when I drank well drinks and took lots of shots. (insert weird face emoji)… after many drinks relaxing beachside here we managed to woof down some nachos.
Eat Pizza at Chachi’s
On any given night, it’s easy to grab pizza at Chachi’s. We did before heading back to the house for an early night. Chachi’s also has live music most nights upstairs.
Day 3: Placencia
Go on a Snorkeling Tour to the Silk Cayes
Snorkeling off the coast of Placencia was my favorite adventure of the trip. It was a gorgeous day outside, the sun was shining and we got picked up in Da Ragga Dat, a rasta colored speedboat.
First stop was Rum Caye, a tiny local fisherman island. The island itself was dirty from use, but the water surrounding it was stunning and clean. Belize works hard to preserve it’s reefs. The water here was crystal clear. We went snorkeling around the perimeter of the island spotting all kinds of fish and a massive sting ray. The string ray must’ve had around a 12 foot wing span.
Our guide cooked us up a barbecue after the snorkel. Chicken, pasta salad, and cheesy potatoes. It was hearty and delicious. Also we were literally the only people on the island, basking in the sunshine and landscapes of this amazing place.
Next stop on our ocean tour was King Lewey Island. This small island is like a little playground with cabanas, a bar, a water trampoline, games, hammocks, and resident nurse sharks that like to find shade in the pool. This is basically the complete opposite of Rum Caye, more commercial with it’s vibrant well kept buildings.
We snorkeled some more…
Later in the evening, we had an underwhelming meal at Omar’s Creole Grub (skip it), then went to bed early after all the sun and heat.
Day 4: Placencia
Take the Monkey River Tour
We liked the boat trip so much that we booked another tour for the next day to Monkey River to see howler monkeys, the second loudest animal on the planet. Little did we know it’d be pouring buckets of rain. We got on the boat and got soaked within 10min. We decided to go back in and try to wait it out. We left a few hours later, there was light rain, but it was better.
We went through lots of mangroves on the way to Monkey River. Once on the river, it started raining again as we scouted for animals. There were a lot of cool birds and iguanas, and a few howlers way up in the trees. We finally docked the boat and went on foot into the rainforest to try and get a closer look. It was back to raining buckets at this point, so we got to see rainforest in it’s natural state. It was lush with plants like large stalks of bamboo and massive tropical leaves that had fallen from the trees high above. We finally reached a place where we could see the howler’s up closer, which was amazing, despite knowing all our bug spray had disappeared by that point and we were being feasted on.
After the ride, we also feasted back in town. Fresh caught snook and chicken made locally right there in the very tiny town.
Dinner at Rumfish y Vino
We had made reservations a few days before for Rumfish y Vino for New Year’s Eve dinner. I had the lobster risotto. It was flavorful and creamy, the best dinner of the entire trip with a casual elegance to go along with it. Rumfish also has a sister restaurant in my hometown of Ventura, California.
The whole town, locals and tourists alike, gathered at the two most popular bars, Tipsy Tuna and Barefoot Bistro for the NYE festivities. The two bars battled it out with wedding hits and early 2000’s club remixes. We danced the night away and then watched the fireworks at midnight with a mass amount of people along the ocean counting down to midnight.
Day 5: Caye Caulker
Grab a brew at The Coffee House and Travel to Caye Caulker
We woke up on the 1st of the year to a travel day. Bagels and coffee from The Coffee House then we split town to drive to Belize City and catch a water taxi to Caye Caulker. Water taxis run about every 30min so it’s easy to play it by ear.
We arrived in Caye Caulker to find out that the electricity and water weren’t working for the entire island. Apparently the entire tiny island is run on generators. It was a little daunting, but we managed to find a little restaurant run on generators and candlelight. Roy’s is delish! They saved the day. We went to bed and around 3am we woke up to lights and fans. The electricity was back on! Whew!
Day 6: Caye Caulker
Dive at The Cathedral or Snorkel Shark Ray Alley (we split up)
If you are a snorkeler you MUST go snorkel Shark Ray Alley. I did this trip in 2012 and was amazed at the amount of nurse sharks, sea turtles, and rays swimming all around in the crystal clear blue water. We split up this day and while my two friends did this snorkel, my husband and I opted to go diving instead.
Book a 3.5 snorkel to a Marine Reserve.
Shark Ray Alley
We went diving with Scuba Sensation to The Cathedral. It was a windy day so getting off the boat into the water was daunting with massive rolling waves swaying the boat from side to side. Once we went down it was much better, feeling weightless in the ocean abyss. The reefs in Belize are well cared for, since the entire island is reliant on tourism as the major pillar of their economy. We saw many different types of fish, yellow and purple neon coral, and a couple of massive nurse sharks trying to nap under the shade of the towering reef systems. We were really hoping to see manatees, but we didn’t get so lucky this time around.
After our morning tours, we hopped on bikes to tour around. We found the Pelican Sunset Bar along the way and drank some cocktails while the sun dipped down below the horizon.
Next stop was Margarita Mike’s. When we arrived we were the only customers at this cute little beachside bar, but the time we left it was full and we had made many friends!
Margarita Mikes
Day 7: Caye Caulker
Visit Koko King Island
When I visited Belize in 2012, the north island was mostly uninhabited. Now it’s home to a new resort called Koko King. A boat takes passengers back and forth all day to little island paradise with a restaurant, white sand beach, water volleyball, a water trampoline, swings and sunshine!
Go on a Sunset Cruise with Raggamuffin Tours
I love a good booze cruise, and I’m not sure you can get better than Raggamuffin Tours. The tours starts about 30min before sunset. They basically load you up on rum punch the second you get on board, and the second you’re half done with your cup, the glass get poured full again. You make friends with everyone on the boat by the time you’re done, and the sunset is amazing while cruising on a boat with drink in hand. If you like to drink and socialize, you’ll love this sunset cruise. I know we did!
After the cruise, we were ready to party some more. After a brief intermission at our hotel tp freshen up, we headed to The Lazy Lizard for karaoke. When we arrived around 8:30pm there were only a handful of people there. When we left at midnight the bar was full.
Day 8: Caye Caulker
Eat Breakfast at Paradise Cafe
Breakfast our last morning at Paradise Cafe was great, ice cold blended caffecino and a breakfast panini. Yum. They also had live music while we were there enjoying our meals.
Relax at the split & Lazy Lizard’s
We spent our remaining hours with a bucket of beer at The Split, where most of the island congregates to relax near the water, or in the water. The Split is home to the bar Lazy Lizard, a volleyball court, white sand and cabanas. It’s a great place to relax and soak in the sun.
We flew back on a quick 15min flight to the airport. We got screwed over by Maya Air and had to book a new flight with Tropic Air in order to make our international flight. We found out later that Maya Air is unreliable so don’t book with them! We still don’t even know if we’re getting a refund even though they had no idea where they’re planes were or when they were coming. Luckily we were able to quickly book with Tropic Air and they got us back in time.
Small plane from Caye Caulker to Belize City
View of islands from the plane
I hope this posts helps you discover Belize! It is truly a great place to travel to.
Are you planning a trip soon? These are some of my favorite sites for finding places to stay, book tours, and more:
Booking.com for the best hotel deals
Get Your Guide to book a variety of tours and activities
Expedia for flights, hotels, rental cars and more.
Herschel for nice luggage that’s made to last
