The Best Time To Visit Belize

When is the best time to visit Belize?  When you need a vacation with great weather, friendly people, incredible food, and as little or as much adventure as you want.

But the answer that people are looking for is different for every traveler – since some people focus on weather, some people focus on the best deals, some people on holidays, and some on all three.  So let me break down each category and try to help you find your answer to question that I am asked ALL of the time.

When is the best time to travel to Belize?

WEATHER IN BELIZE

 

If you are after PERFECT weather – warm sunny drier days and cooler nights that might have you reaching for a long-sleeved shirt or maybe a light sweater, the perfect months, weather-wise, are generally late December to April.

This is called The High Season.  Because the weather is great in Belize and…not so great in the US and Canada and many other parts of the world.  Snow and ice and winter in the north mean that people are looking for tropical vacations.

So while this is the “High Season”, it does not mean there is bad weather for the rest of the year.  Belize, for the most part, is reliably warm and sunny.  The temperature and humidity, though, tend to go up as the summer progresses and then August, September, and October, and into November, it is the hurricane season in the Caribbean and the chance of rains becomes greater.

Note:  The northern parts of Belize get less rain than the southern parts of Belize.  So areas like Ambergris Caye and Caye Caulker get far less rain annually than the far south.

September, October, and November are the rainiest months of the year – BUT unless there is a tropical storm in the area (so far, for 2021, we have been TS free…knock-on-wood), heavy rain tends to happen at night or in the very early morning.  There are passing dark clouds and perhaps a few rainy days here and there but in general, weather in Belize in the summer is hot and sunny.

October, so far this year, has been HOT and sunny.  I took this photo last week.

Note;  When it comes to weather forecast websites, many of the big ones that you are used to using…their information is just bad/incomplete.  Take a look here, at weather.com.  It shows thunderstorms every day.

We haven’t had a thunderstorm in a while…and the sun is shining right now!  If you are looking at the weather for the next few days – the very best site I know is Windfinder.com.  But remember!  We are in the tropics and weather is changeable!  So predicting more than a few days out is…not very reliable.

HIGH SEASON VS. LOW SEASON PRICING

 

Prices are generally highest in the High Season and lowest in the low season.  This is true for many hotels, house rentals, and resorts, and even for airfares.  Prices tend to be highest for the Christmas holidays – and hotels tend to book up early – with popular hotels often booked 6 months to a year in advances – and prices tend to be lowest in the summer and fall, to attract visitors during this downtime.

If you are willing to risk a few rainy nights or perhaps a rainy day or two, you can find some great deals during this time.

HOLIDAYS IN BELIZE

 

Belizeans love a great celebration and visiting during holidays can be such a fun way to experience the food and music and people of Belize.

Here are some fun ones that draw people to Belize and more specifically, Ambergris Caye.

• Christmas/Holiday Season:  Picture palm trees wrapped in holiday lights, tree lighting parties, glittering Santas, and…warm beach weather.  While the holidays at home can seem like STRESS, traffic and shopping, and planning…I love the feel of the holidays in Belize.  (Photos of Christmas decorations in Belize)

• Carnaval on Ambergris Caye:  San Pedro has a unique tradition – to welcome the beginning of Lent with a big party.  It’s called Carnaval and in San Pedro, it involves a bit of cross-dressing, dancing in the streets, paint fights and…it’s a very interesting time.  Fat or Shrove Tuesday is March 1, 2022 and that’s the big day. But the days leading up to it – Saturday thru Monday – are also a party in town.  Here’s a look at the holiday.
• Lobster Festival(s):  Lobster season starts on July 1st in Belize and Placencia, Caye Caulker and Ambergris Caye all celebrate the season open in a big way.  Placencia and Caye Caulker do weekend festivals – and Ambergris Caye does a full week…leading up to the big block party in Central Park on a Saturday night.  Though the dates have not been announced for 2022 – my educated guess is that the Block Party will be Saturday, July 9th, 2022.  Take a look at my visits to the Lobster festivals in Placencia and Caye Caulker and the block party on Ambergris Caye.

September Celebrations:   Belize celebrates her independence and national pride with two big holidays in September.  September 10th celebrates the Battle of St. George’s Caye when the British defeated the Spanish in 1798 and September 21st, Independence Day.  It’s a month of pageants and parades and fireworks and music and lots and lots of red, white and blue.  It’s not a month that attracts a ton of tourism – many people are headed back to work and back to school after the summer holidays – but it is SUCH a great way to experience Belizean with her citizens!  Take a look at San Pedro’s 2019 Sept 21st Jump Up Parade.

CROWDS

Belize, you will find, does not have the crowds of Cancun or Playa del Carmen. The two busiest times of the year are the Christmas holidays (for visitors from other countries) and the Easter holidays (when Belizeans celebrate a very long weekend, Good Friday, Easter Saturday and Easter Sunday are all holidays and the whole country heads to the beach!)  During the busier months – you might find a golf cart traffic jam that has you waiting to get your morning coffee for a few minutes…or it might be trickier to find a parking spot in town but…

In general, crowds are not something to worry about when visiting Belize.  You won’t have to get up at dawn to save a spot by the pool…or get to dinner early to avoid the big crowds…it’s just not a thing when you visit Belize.

SO…WHEN SHOULD I VISIT BELIZE?

So my answer to this question?  You should visit Belize when you have the time off…and you are looking for some sun and relaxation and a vacation you won’t forget.

I really don’t think there is a bad time to visit Belize.  And it all depends on what you are looking for.

Let me know what you think – when’s your favorite time to visit Belize?  And if you have some more specific questions, email me at [email protected].

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