Backpacking Belize Itinerary
Welcome to this backpacking Belize itinerary.
If you’re planning on backpacking Belize, today we bring you a fun itinerary you can follow to visit the most interesting spots in the country.
Belize Itinerary
Belize is a small country in Central America and it’s becoming a popular tourist destination for people who want variety.
You can enjoy the beaches, have world-class snorkeling or scuba diving experiences on the Belize Barrier Reef, explore the jungle, or visit interesting spots such as Ancient Mayan ruins, and more!
Is Belize Worth Visiting?
There really isn’t another country like Belize.
The only English-speaking country in Central America (with only Guyana the other in all of Latin America), this small nation is famed for its incredible beaches, Caribbean culture and a very laid-back way of life.
Belize is also home to some impressive Mayan ruins as well as some of the most stunning caves you’ll find in Central America.
BLATAM backpacking data:
- 💰 Currency: Belize Dollar
- 🇧🇿 Language: English, Creole
- 🌎 Population Size: 400,000
- 📍 Best Secret: San Ignacio
- 🍴 Eat: Johnny Cakesa
- 🥛 Drink: Belikin Beer
- 💸 Average Daily Budget: $20-25
Belize 7 day itinerary Map
See our Belize travel tip section below for more useful information.
Is Belize Safe?
Belize is quite a popular destination among backpackers, so many people wonder about the safety of the country.
You’ll be happy to know that Belize is relatively safe to visit, but gangs are still an issue.
While this is not great, tourists are not targeted, so you can have a safe and fun trip. In fact one of the best ways to immerse onself to the beautiful country of Belize is by getting to know the locals!
Some of our Belize safety tips include:
- Don’t explore secluded urban areas. You want to be around people because there’s more safety in numbers.
- Mugging is an issue everywhere, so if you find yourself in that situation, hand over your things. Don’t fight it, it’s not worth it.
- Belize is home to some of the best places to visit in Central America so be sure to take more time to discover them here.
- Avoid looking like you don’t know what you’re doing. Plan ahead and do your research so you can explore with confidence.
- Don’t carry more cash than you’ll need and be discrete whenever you’re paying for something (especially in the street).
Of course, you must follow safety advice and be smart about your trip, but taking precautions is an essential part of traveling, no matter where you go.
Safety facts about Belize
- In most of the major tourist destinations, such as Caye Caulker and San Ignacio, safety is quite good. This is even more so along the coastal destinations and cayes.
- Pick-pocketing can still happen (like anywhere), so just use caution and take preventative measures where possible. Belize City is a lot more dangerous and as a result is often left out of itineraries heading to Belize.
- You’ll most likely head here if arriving by plane or entering via the south of the country. Here muggings and scams are more common, although the former is rarely targeted towards tourists. If heading here just take extra caution and avoid going out alone after dark.
See this guide on safety in Belize for more detailed tips on staying safe.
However, travelers are not particularly targeted, so you can enjoy your trip if you take precautions. We’ll provide more safety tips later on in the article!
Backpacking Belize Itinerary
You can read this in conjunction with our more popular backpacking Central America travel guide which shows you even more place to see in Belize.
Cayo District
You will land at the Philip Goldson International Airport in Belize City. Once you do, you want to head to Cayo District where you’ll find a ton of adventure.
History buffs will have a great time here because they can visit different Mayan ruins and learn a lot.
There are also caves you can explore, rivers, and many opportunities for wildlife spotting where you’ll be able to see toucans, jaguars, howler monkeys, and crocodiles.
We recommend taking the Actin Tunichil Muknal cave tour, visiting the Tikal Mayan ruins, and more.
Ambergris Caye
Ambergris Caye is one of the most popular destinations in Belize. This group of islands is located off the east coast of Belize and San Pedro is one of the main tourist hubs.
This town is bustling with activity and there’s so much to do here. You can visit the Great Blue Hole, one of the most popular landmarks, which is a huge underwater sinkhole and one of the best dive sites in the world.
Caye Caulker
Caye Caulker is another must-visit and you can get there by ferry or by plane from San Pedro. This is the perfect place for an island experience.
You’ll be able to relax in the sun, paddle along the shoreline, enjoy drinks at a beach bar, and so much more. This island is very small, so you can explore it on foot and it won’t take you much time at all.
You’ll want to jump on this awesome snorkeling day tour, where you’ll visit some of the very best spots including Shark Ray Alley and the Hol Chan Marine Reserve.
Belize Barrier Reef
You can’t visit Belize without visiting the Belize Barrier Reef System.
It runs 190 miles or 300 km along the Caribbean coastline of Belize and it’s home to a great variety of marine like, including eels sea turtles, dolphins, rays, nurse sharks, and more.
It has a diverse ecosystem of animals and plants you’ll have fun exploring. You’ll be able to snorkel, go scuba diving, sailing, and even fishing.
Hol Chan Marine Reserve
If you’re a big fan of snorkeling, you can’t overlook the Hol Chan Marine Reserve.
You’ll be able to visit coral reefs, explore the rich aquatic life and see sharks, stingrays, pufferfish, turtles, and so much more. We recommend you get a guide because it will add a lot of value to your experience.
Hopkins
Last but not least on this Belize backpacking itinerary, we have Hopkins. It has grown from a small fishing village but it has kept the seaside charm that has made so many people love this place.
You will meet the Garifuna people, have many opportunities for snorkeling and diving on some of the best sites in the country, and you’ll have many nature adventures as well.
Backpacking Belize Itinerary (1 Week)
Here we’ll now cover our very best itinerary of Belize. As well as keeping an eye on time, it’s also been designed to keep things fresh and exciting too for you.
Orange Walk Town (Days 1-3)
We’ll first kick off with the lesser known town of Orange Walk.
To get here you can either fly into Belize City and take the two hour bus north, or go with the more popular option which is to arrive from the Riviera Maya region of Mexico.
This town is great for getting a more authentic outlook on Belizean life, which is best represented in its cuisine. Be sure to try Rolled Tacos and also the local Rum.
The rum here is some of the best in the country (Orange Walk is one of the biggest sugarcane producers in the country – even walking around you’ll have this incredibly sweet aroma hitting your senses every now and then).
The absolute best thing to see here is the ruins of Lamanai, one of the top archaeological sites in the country.
In Lamanai you can explore its temples, and also its famed human-sized masks carved into the ruins which are unlike any other Mayan site in Latin America. The best way to explore these mysterious temples is with this combined tour, where you’ll also have a boat cruise as well as an authentic Belizean lunch included
You can also head to the other ancient site of Nohmul, which towers over the region and gives the best panoramic views over town.
Caye Caulker (Days 4-7)
Next up we’ll be heading to the beach paradise island of Caye Caulker. To get here we’ll take the two-hour bus from Orange Town to Belize City, and then the ferry over.
This island truly is the place to wind down and kick back from your busy life, and this is apparent as soon as you arrive as there’s no cars on the island (golf carts rule the roost here).
As well as chilling on its numerous picturesque beaches, you’ll also want to sample the local favourites too such as the prized Lobster.
Caye Caulker is located along the Belize Barrier Reef, which is the second largest reef system in the World.
As such it’s a popular place for snorkelling and diving, where you can see a tonne of exotic marine life and species such as Manta Rays, Parrotfish and Sharks.
The Blue Hole is the ultimate diving site in Central America, and here you can get up and close with the infamous Caribbean Reef Shark and elusive Hammerhead Shark, among turtles and much much more.
San Ignacio (Days 8-10)
Last but not least we head to the iconic backpacking destination of San Ignacio. To get here, we’ll take the ferry back to the capital, and then board the two hour bus to get to the town.
San Ignacio truly is one of those gems that’s hard to leave, with a tonne of things to see and do.
The Actun Tunichil Muknal Cave Tour is one the highlights, where after hiking through the dense jungle you’ll arrive at the cave.
Here you’ll find the remains of locals that were sacrificed. Another awesome experience is in the cave of Nohoch Che’en, where you can cave tube through the cavern, see sparkling crystal formations as well as more human remains.
The town is also home to some stunning Mayan ruins too. Xunantunich is the highlight, where you can climb the sprawling pyramids for some incredible views over the ancient site and the important Macal River.
We recommend going with this professional guided tour. Speaking of which, you can then hire a canoe to explore Macal, where you’ll see lots of wildlife such as Orange Falcons, Iguanas and even Crocodiles if you’re lucky!
From here you can then either head back to Belize City, or continue your Central American journey into Guatemala, which is only a short 12km bus ride away.
And there we have our 1 week Belize itinerary. Now let’s move on to our most important tips, so you can have the best experience possible here.
Belize: Travel Safety Tips
As mentioned earlier, Belize is a relatively safe place to visit but it’s smart to follow safety recommendations, no matter what your destination is.
⬇️Dan & George’s tips: To help you, here are some helpful safety tips
- As a Caribbean nation, most of the food includes the staples of rice and beans, with a side of seafood or meat to go with it. We recommend trying Salbutes and Chimole.
- Avoid ATMs that are outside.
- World Nomads offers simple and flexible travel insurance. Buy at home or while traveling and claim online from anywhere in the world.
- San Ignacio has some of the best nightlife in the country, and we recommend starting off at Serendib and then heading to Blue Angel. In Caye Caulker, head to The Lazy Lizard.
- Look out for the top rated hostels in Belize for the most comfortable rooms and meeting like minded people etc.
- Keep the fancy clothes, jewelry, and expensive accessories at home.
- Don’t flaunt your mobile devices, step into a cafe or a business whenever you need to use it just to be safe.
- Belize is arguably the best place to dive in all of Latin America. The best time for water visibility and spotting exotic marine wildlife is between the months of November and April.
- Never leave your things unattended.
- The Blue Hole, Actun Tunichil (San Ignacio), Caye Caulker. See this list of top rated tours in Belize.
- Avoid being out at night, especially not when if you’re traveling alone.
- Don’t be afraid to ask for help. If something doesn’t feel right and you sense that someone is following you or your feel uncomfortable, step into a cafe or a business and ask for help. People are friendly!
Follow these tips if you want to stay out of trouble and lower the risk of anything bad happening. Be smart and trust your instincts!
Traveling Around Belize
If you want to save money while you’re traveling around Belize, buses are your best option.
They are inexpensive and they also provide great opportunities to connect with locals and have a more authentic experience.
The bus system in Belize is fairly organized, but the buses are often jam-packed, which can make them quite slow. To purchase your tickets, you have to go to the bus and pay the money collector.
Ask at the bus station all the questions you need because they provide more updated information than the schedules you’ll find online.
Don’t worry about water or food because vendors will board the bus and sell whatever you need, and always go for an express bus because they save time.
Some of our favourite hostels in Belize include:
Go Slow Hostel (Caye Caulker) Bella’s Backpackers (San Ignacio), Casa Ricky’s (Orange Walk).
Best Time to Visit Belize
We’ve spoken a lot about the best time to visit Central America on this blog (George is absolutely obsessed with checking the weather when we travel).
Overall the best time to visit Belize is during the dry season, which runs from January until May. This time of year is characterized by clear skies and hot weather, although the tropical region of Placencia will have rain regardless.
Caye Caulker has temperatures that range from 83-90°F during this time of year (gradually getting hotter towards May).
Rainfall is lower here than the rest of the year, although January and May still receive a fair amount with around 150mm falling throughout.
The rest of the months have between 50-70mm falling throughout each.
The wet season runs from June until December. During this time hurricanes are more likely, which is more common between August and October. Temperatures are slightly hotter which is good for those who love the heat.
Whilst the higher amount of rain puts many off, it’s does make for some spectacular lush greens, especially in the more humid and jungle regions. Caye Caulker has slightly higher daily average temperatures than that of the dry season, which range between 85-91°F.
Rainfall is also much higher, with between 200-280mm falling for each month (October is the wettest month of the year). November sees a big drop of rainfall to around 110mm, which then drops as we head into the dry season.
If you’ll be heading to Belize during the wet season, then make sure you buy this high-quality Poncho to keep you dry.
What to pack for Belize
As we’ve seen, Belize is pretty hot year-round making packing relatively straightforward. The country is quite small, and although there are different climates, overall the key takeaway is that Belize is hot.
Bringing light layers such as t-shirts, vests, shorts and dresses will be your main staples. If you are thinking of heading into the jungle areas where rain is more likely, then make sure to bring a poncho with you.
Take into account the season you’ll be visiting, as during the wet season you’ll want to bring waterproofs as well as good hiking boots that have good grip.
You’ll also want to pack all the usual essentials which include, toiletries, a document holder, anti-bacterial towels, a water bottle as well as a daypack for any excursions you’ll be taking part in.
Got travel insurance for Belize?
Backpacking Belize: Final Words
Belize is an amazing place to visit and you won’t regret spending time here. Refer to this guide when you’re planning your trip so you don’t miss any important places and have fun!
Be sure to see our tips for traveling to Central America on a budget for more travel tips.
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