A One-Week Trip Itinerary For Belize

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Sandy beaches, dense jungles, crystal-clear warm waters, 85 degree weather… If those things fit into your ideal vacation, then you will love Belize!

Matt and I spent 2 1/2 months living in Belize in Fall 2021. We absolutely loved our time there and we think that everyone should visit at least once in their life. If you are reading this, then you are probably ready to start planning the ultimate vacation to Belize.

Of course, everyone has their own preferences for what kind of vacation they prefer. However, we feel that this one-week itinerary that we have put together will work great for most people.

Day 1: Taxi to San Pedro and Airbnb

Arrive in Belize City. Take a “regular” taxi to the water taxi terminal, then carryon to the city of San Pedro on Ambergris Caye. You can take either the Ocean Ferry or the Belize Water Taxi. Once there, pickup your golf cart rental and settle into your hotel or Airbnb.

For golf cart rentals we recommend Rio Golf Cart Rental or Rocks Golf Cart Rental, but there are plenty on the island, it seems like everyone you meet has a golf-cart-renting business. Most places have daily and monthly rental prices, and they are pretty affordable. We usually paid about $35-$40 for a day, and were regularly quoted $400 for a month, but that might have just been because it was the slow season.

After a day of traveling you’ll most likely want to take the rest of the day easy. We recommend finding a good place to eat, of which there are countless, then walking along the Boca Del Rio stretch of beach. Some of our favorite restaurants are Estel’s By The Sea for BBQ and breakfast, Brianna’s on back street for authentic Belizean home-cooking, The Pupuseria on middle street for home-made pupusas, Lily’s Treasure Chest for seafood, The Palapa Bar on the Boca Del Rio beach for good music and great views, and Sandbar for the best pizza.

Day 2: Go scuba diving and snorkeling

Go scuba diving or snorkeling! Belize is a scuba diver’s paradise, but that doesn’t mean you shouldn’t snorkel too. Belize is home to the Great Blue Hole which is great for both diving and snorkeling.

Matt and I completed over 70 dives, along with our PADI Divemaster program, with Amigos Del Mar dive shop and 10/10 recommend them for either diving or snorkeling. They make sure that everyone in your group feels comfortable at all times. They take very good care of their boats and equipment (as we saw first-hand). We had such an amazing time with them that we won’t dive with anyone else when we go to Belize.

One of the most popular outings for non-divers or those divers not experienced enough for the Blue Hole is Hol Chan Marine Reserve. It is great for newer divers and snorkelers. It is a marine reserve located around one of the few channels that passes through the barrier reef. The channel is about 30 feet at its deepest, and it is full of aquatic life! The chances are really great that you will see multiple rays (spotted eagle rays and stingrays), nurse sharks, lobster, tons of different tropical fish, and sometimes even octopuses.

After snorkeling or diving there, they will take you to a spot where the nurse sharks gather to be fed. As the boat gets close, 50+ nurse sharks swarm the back of the boat ready to feed, as well as a few dozen snappers. After feeding them for a little bit, they will let you get in the water to snorkel with the sharks! It is a really amazing experience!!

Day 3: Visit Caye Caulker

Set out to explore Amergris Caye’s smaller, sister-island Caye Caulker for a fun day-trip. You can catch the 30 minute ferry ride over to this cute, laid-back island. The vibe here is “go slow” and enjoy yourself. Take in the cute shops that line the dirt and sand roads. While here, you’ll want to make sure you check these things off your list!:

1. Indulge in scrumptious cinnamon-sugar donuts (the best donuts we had in Belize) at Ice & Beans. These donuts are to die for, and you may want to make a second trip back to get more before you leave this island. We also ordered one of their iconic bubble waffles and a refreshing pineapple-passionfruit smoothie.
2. Visit the dogs and cats at the local animal shelter. If you love these furry friends, this is a stop not to miss. These are among the most friendly animals I have ever encountered. Matt could’ve spent all day here. Type in “Caye Caulker Animal Shelter” on Google Maps to find it. It is run out of the owner’s backyard, and while it may not seem like anything fancy, Kenny takes really good care of the dogs and cats.
3. Feed the tarpons. This is something neither of us had done before, and it was so cool to see how massive these juvenile fish can get! Type in “Tarpon Feeding Dock” in Google Maps to find it. It is just a few dollars to get a bowl full of sardines to hand-feed these monstrous fish.
4. Try your luck at spotting seahorses at the Iguana Reef Inn. These little creatures can be hard to find, but they sure are cute if you see one.
5. Jump off the platform at The Split. You can enjoy some food and drinks at The Split as you hang out in the warm, crystal clear water. If you’re feeling brave, you may even want to jump off the tall platform!

For more information, pictures, and videos, check-out our day-trip to Caye Caulker here.

Day 4: Visit Secret Beach

Visit (not so) Secret Beach. While most beaches on Ambergris Caye are plagued with sargassum, since Secret Beach is on the west side of the island, it is not. This beach has it all: clear water, clean sand, bars, restaurants, palapas you can lounge at in the ocean… It’s absolute paradise. There are many different venues to see on Secret Beach that it’s easy to spend multiple days there.

We visited 4 times in our 2 1/2 months in Belize, each at a different venue. Our favorite time was when we rode along the beach in a golf cart and found a secluded dock where we could hang out at and snorkel. All docks in Belize are public so if you see one you like, go for it!

We also absolutely loved the time that we went to Sunset Palace. When Matt and I went, there was only one other family there with us. The beach club has a bar and pool, plenty of lounge chairs and tables, and of course palapa tables in the ocean. We actually did go for sunset and it was incredible, in fact, it was the best sunset we had in Belize during our whole time there. We would go back to Sunset Palace for sure.

Day 5: Leave San Pedro & Head to Belize City and San Ignacio

Spend the first half of your day walking around the shops on main street and visiting the Artisans’ Market on back street. Maybe you’ll have breakfast at Lily’s Treasure Chest, Estel’s or The Dog House. Head back to your hotel/Airbnb and pack up your things. When you’re ready, head to the water taxi and catch a ride to Belize City.

Once you’ve arrived in Belize City, the car rental company you rent from may be able to pick you up from the water taxi terminal. We recommend Crystal’s Auto Rental. We had the best car rental experience we’ve ever had and will use them again whenever we go back to Belize. Once you’ve got your car, enjoy the country roads as you drive to San Ignacio. It’s about a 2 hour drive from Belize City to San Ignacio. Once there, settle into your Airbnb. For the remainder of your evening you may want to relax, visit the Crazy Tails Cat Sanctuary, go shopping, and have dinner.

Day 6: Jump off waterfalls in Mayan caves

Visiting a historic Mayan sacrificial cave was our favorite thing we did in Belize (other than diving). We recommend the waterfall adventure tour with Ian Anderson’s Caves Branch. The tour itself is incredible as you explore ancient artifacts and walk through cool pools of water. That’s not all though! After you’ve learned about the intriguing sacrificial history of the place, you’ll get to climb up 7 waterfalls and swim through deep pools. After you’ve climbed up them all, it’s time to JUMP back down! You heard that right, you get to jump off each waterfall into the pools of water below. Once back on dry ground within the cave, your guides will set up an amazing candlelight picnic lunch.

Day 7: Visit the Mayan ruins

Belize is home to over 600 Mayan ruins, with many more to be discovered! But there are 8 main sites that are fun to see. They are:

• Caracol (South of San Ignacio)- Belize’s largest mayan site and home to the tallest man-made structure in Belize standing at 141 feet tall. This site is less visited because of it’s location – 2 hours down a dirt road near the Guatemala border. This site can be done on your own in a 4-wheel-drive car, or you can get a tour guide in town (San Ignacio) and they will take you to the site.
• Lamanai (Northwest of Belize City)- This site is unique due to the fact that tourists will ride in a boat upriver 26 miles to get to the ruins.
• Altun Ha (North of Belize City) – This is one of Belize’s best excavated sites and an easy 1-hour drive from Belize City, making it a very easy site to visit.
• Xunantunich (West of San Ignacio, close to the Guatemala border) – To get to this site you’ll need to ride across a small river on a hand-cranked ferry. It is the only way to reach the ruins. This site is home to the second largest man-made structure in Belize standing at 130 feet tall. You’ll likely get the chance to spot some monkeys playing in the trees behind the tallest structure.
• Cahal Pech (In the town of San Ignacio) – This is a smaller Mayan site, but don’t let that sway you because this site is often passed over in lieu of the larger, more prominent sites in the area (Xunantunich and Caracol). This ended up being one of my favorite sites because Matt and I had the entire place to ourselves, and I found it to have the most interesting architecture and layout of the 3 sites we visited. There were several “hidden” passages and stairways that felt like a maze.
• Lubaantun (Southern Belize) – If you are visiting southern Belize, this may be a site you’ll want to add to your list. Mayans built these structures unlike any others in Belize because they didn’t use any mortar. Instead, they cut and chiseled each piece of block to fit together like puzzle pieces.
• El Pilar (Northwest of San Ignacio) – This is estimated to be a site larger than Xunantunich but is not fully excavated yet. If you want to avoid the crowds, this would be a great site to visit. It is also developing into a nature preserve with beautiful hiking trails surrounding the site.
• Cerros (Northern Belize) – This ruin is the only one in Belize along the coast. Here you can see the structures set along the background of the beautiful turquoise color of the ocean and blue sky.

Now that you’ve read all about the different ruins that Belize has to offer, it’s time to go see some! According to our itinerary, you are staying in the town of San Ignacio. Due to that, we recommend visiting one or some of the following sites:

• Xunantunich – A 35 minute car ride from town. Plan for at least 2-3 hours to explore, and pick up a local guide to show you around, just before you reach the river ferry.
• Cahal Pech – A 5 minute drive in town. Plan for a few hours to explore this site.
• El Pilar – A 35 minute drive from town. Plan for a half to full day here.
• Caracol – A 2 hour drive from town down a dirt road (you’ll need 4-wheel drive). Plan for a full day for this site. On the way back from the ruins, along the dirt road, stop at one or some of the following attractions: Rio Frio Cave, Rio On Pools, Big Rock Falls, and Thousand Foot Falls. You’ll want to leave San Ignacio as early as 7:00am to reach the site as it opens at 9:00. The drive is beautiful, and while we found it comparable to off-roading in some of our Utah national parks, if you are new to off-roading, prepare for a bumpy ride. Also, keep a lookout for jaguars and Tapirs (Belize’s national animal) while you are driving in the jungle.

Day 8:

You’ll likely not want to do too much this day since you will be flying out. A couple of things you can do that only take a few hours or a half-day are:

• Visit the Crazy Tails Cat Sanctuary in San Ignacio. We stayed at an Airbnb right on the property that the sanctuary shares. We were so impressed by Kayleigh and all that she has accomplished. She has supported over 300 cats with her own money. She is always in need of donations and visitors to give the cats some love.

• Check out the jaguars at the Belize Zoo. The zoo is open everyday from 9-5pm. At the time of this writing, admission is $15 for adults and $5 for children.
• See the birds at the Belize Raptor Center. Admission is free, but donations are appreciated. Open Mon-Sat with limited hours, and a bird show at 1:30pm.
• Visit the small, but impressive Mayan ruins in town if you haven’t already. The Mayan ruins called Cahal Pech are located right in San Ignacio, but can’t be seen from the road. Since this is a smaller ruin, it is less busy. When Matt and I went we had the entire place to ourselves.

We hope that this guide helped you plan your own trip to Belize and when you go, we want to hear all about it! Let us know in the comments about your trip or if you have any questions.

We absolutely love Belize and hope that everyone can experience it for themselves and see all the great things and the amazing people it has to offer!

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