My Ultimate Bucket List: What To Do in Belize

About a decade ago, I published my Ultimate Belize Bucket List.  All the things I want to do in Belize.

Belize is a relatively tiny country!  About the size of NJ.  How long could this list be…how long could it get?  Answer:  LONG.  There is SO much to do in this incredible, diverse country, and as soon as I complete one thing, two or three new to-dos replace it.

So I need to refresh the list and keep it up to date.  As I struggle down the home stretch of finishing my big update to my website, I needed to reformat this post and, of course, add to it.

I want you to PLEASE message me when you discover something amazing…something to add.

Here’s the ULTIMATE BELIZE BUCKET LIST broken down by area of the country.  If I have done it, you can click the link and read all about it.  If I haven’t well…I’ve got work to do.

Ambergris Caye

• Snorkel Hol Chan Marine Reserve & Shark Ray Alley
• Enjoy a sushi night with San Pedro’s movers & shakers at Blue Water Grill (Tuesday and Fridays)
• Visit Calvin’s Green Iguana Sanctuary right in the middle of town
• Dog Walking for the lovely pups at the Island’s Humane Society:  SAGA
• Learn to make chocolate at The Belize Chocolate Company
• Sail with Captain George on the Rum Punch II
• Float in an inner tube at the Palapa Bar
• Watch the sunset from The Purple Pelican Restaurant
• Pig Out at the Saturday night Lobsterfest Block Party (early July)
• Attend San Pedro’s famous Chicken Drop at Wahoo Lounge on Thursday Evening
• Bet on A Hermit Crab on Tuesday Nights at  the Hermit Crab Races at NautiCrab
• Sun and shell hunt on a Pink Sandbar on the Leeward Side
• Make Your Own Art at Melody’s Gallery or at a Paint n’ Splash Party
• Eat Conch Pizza and watch a movie at The Truck Stop, Belize’s only “food truck” park
• Become a Belizean Citizen (awaiting the results of my application!)
• Eat Sunday breakfast/lunch BBQ and fry jacks at Estel’s Dine by the Sea
• Spend a Night at Gorgeous Victoria House Resort

• Eat Conch Ceviche – At Lily’s or Hurricane’s…FRESH!
• Spend a Night or Two at The Phoenix Resort – the gorgeous oasis right in San Pedro town –  and take a bubble bath
• Visit Blackadore Caye Before Leonardo Di Caprio Moves In (I don’t even think he’s involved in the island anymore)
• Take a weekend and head north to Tranquility Bay Resort
• Spend a day or more at Cayo Espanto Private Island
• Boat Trip up Through Bacalar Chico & the Border with Mexico
• Boat up to Ambergris Caye’s most northern lagoon – Laguna Cantena (entrance is in the Bacalar Chico Canal)
• Take the Belize Food Tour – either lunch or dinner – and discover San Pedro and eat delicious food
• Write a Guide Book about Ambergris Caye

Belize City and Belize District

• Eat yummy Indian food at Sumathi Indian Restaurant in Belize City
• Eat with the politicians and the business leaders in the huge (menu and space) Chinese restaurant, Chon Saan Palace in Belize City
• Photograph the fishing boats from the Swing Bridge in Belize City
• Spend a few hours at the Cruise Ship Tourist Village
• Visit the Belize Zoo
• Visit the Belize Zoo at NIGHT
• Check out the howler monkeys at the Baboon Sanctuary
• Attend the big September Belikin Bash to celebrate Independence Day with music
• Dance at Belize City’s Massive Independence Day Carnival Parade
• Attend a Harley Davidson Rally in Belize

• Ride the Bus on the Mainland
• Tour the Belikin Brewery in Ladyville
• Visit the Museum of Belize in the old city prison
• View the INCREDIBLE Jade Head of Altun Ha – Belize’s Crown Jewel
• Overnight on St. George’s Caye (Belize’s first capital)
• Visit the Aquarium on St. George’s Caye

Caye Caulker

• Swim with a manatee at Caye Caulker’s North Cut
• Go Tubing Around the Island
• Overnight at lovely Sea Dreams Hotel
• Explore the North Side of Caye Caulker including the Pineapple House

• Spend the day sunning at the Lazy Lizard
• Feed the hungry tarpon on the lagoon side dock
• Party at Caye Caulker’s Lobster Festival (my favorite lobster fest in Belize)
• Explore HL Dole’s (not the pineapple guy!) Secret Sanctuary on the way North of Caye Caulker
• Watch the sunset on the leeward side of the caye – Iguana Reef Resort is the spot!
• Delicious dinner at Habanero’s Restaurant

Cayo

• Swim into and explore the ATM Cave (now I want to do it again!)
• Canoe into and explore the Barton Creek Caves
• Climb the main structure at Xunantunich Maya Site in …village
• Visit Caracol – the largest Maya site in the entire country (and STILL the tallest man-made building in the country)
• Take a Helicopter ride over the 1000 Foot Falls
• Take a tour of Central Farms – the agricultural experimentation and research farm founded in the 1950s just west of San Ignacio
• The Green Iguana Experience at San Ignacio Resort
• Tube St. Herman’s Cave & Take a Dip in the Inland Blue Hole
• Hike into the jungle and repel down to the Black Hole
• Visit the Belize Botanic Gardens
• Camp out in the REMOTE Chiquibul Forest to help protect the baby Scarlet Macaws from poachers
• Climb to the top of the tower at Sleeping Giant Resort and view the gorgeous valley and the “Sleeping Giant”
• Sweat and EXPERIENCE BELIZE at the largest event of the year:  Belmopan’s yearly Agriculture & Trade Show
• Spend Good Friday in Benque to help make the sawdust carpets for the Passion Play
• Drive the Hummingbird Highway stopping often
• Spend as long as I can at GORGEOUS Chaa Creek Resort
• Take a tour into Davis Falls – including the hike and the tractor ride
• Have buy some beers at the shady no-man’s border area between Belize and Guatemala called “Champon”

Northern Districts

• Explore Honey Camp – a freshwater lagoon getaway outside of Orange Walk
• New River tour from Orange Walk town to gorgeous Lamanai Mayan Site
• Celebrate Independence Day (September 21st) at the country’s biggest parade in Orange Walk Town
• Attend Corozal town’s Monthly Arts and Crafts fair
• Visit the Santa Rita Maya Site in Corozal (almost!  I saw it thru the fence…it was closed!)
• Eat tacos in the taco capital of Belize, Orange Walk town
• See the manatees and monkeys at WildTracks in Sarteneja
• Overnight at Chan Chich Lodge
• See a wild cat at Chan Chich Lodge (I hear it is my best chance!)
• Visit the modern Mennonite town of Blue Creek and walk across the river to Mexico (and the quick look across the river!)

Southern Belize

In and around Dangriga/Hopkins

• Stay in this beautiful, interesting looking AirBnb outside of Dangriga – Pineapple Hill
• Drive the newly paved Coastal Highway
• Visit the tiny remote Creole Village of Gales Point
• Return to Gales Point and explore remote Mullins River Village
• Overnight on Southwater Caye
• Overnight in a tree house at Hamanasi Resort and take an outside bath in the jungle
• Celebrate Garifuna Settlement Day (November 19th) in Dangriga
• Tour Marie Sharp’s Hot Sauce Factory
• Visit Pen Cayetano’s Art Studio (my favorite artist in Belize)
• Go Birding in Hopkins & Sittee River
• Visit the Confederate Sugar Mill in Sittee River
• Go on Hopkins’ Bioluminescence Tour or “Burnin’ Wata” Tour
• Attend the Garifuna Drumming school in Hopkins
• Visit Barbara in her bus and sample her essential oils in Hopkins
• Zip Line the longest zip line in Belize – at BocaWina Adventures
• Attend Hopkins’ Annual Mango Festival
• Tour Miss Emma’s FABULOUS FARM outside of Sittee River and discover some really unique fruits like the velvet apple
• Spend a week unplugged at Glover’s Atoll Resort (off Hopkins village)
• Tour Sanctuary Belize before it has been shut down as the largest foreign investment real estate scam in FTC history (I wonder what happened to this gorgeous private island?)

In and around Placencia

• Attend February’s Placencia Sidewalk Art & Music Festival
• Take the Hokey-Pokey water taxi from Independence to Placencia
• Eat Tutti Frutti Gelato two times in one day in Placencia Village
• Go Find the Scarlet Macaws at Red Bank village n January or February (outside Placencia Village)
• Slide down a natural water slide at Cockscomb Jaguar Reserve wth Doyle
• Eat breakfast, dinner & dessert at Maya Beach Bistro (I need to do it again now that there are new owners!)
• Attend The End of the World Half/Full December Marathon on the Placencia Peninsula
• Go on the Monkey River Tour – from Placencia to Monkey River town and up the river
• Take a day trip to Ranguana Caye
• Celebrate July’s LobsterFest in Placencia
• Overnight at Coppola’s Turtle Inn (with a butler!)
• Hang out at King Lewey’s Island

In and around Punta Gorda

• Visit the Earth Ship near the Lubuntaan Maya Site outside of Punta Gorda
• Visit the Lubaantun Maya Site
• Celebrate Garifuna Settlement Day in Punta Gorda including the church service in the Garifuna Language
• Walk the amazing Street Festival at the Annual Chocolate Festival
• Make tofu with Gomier at Gomier’s Restaurant in Punta Gorda town
• Make traditional food and crafts in a Maya Village with the Living Maya Experience
• Visit the Largest Commercial Butterfly Farm in the World (there’s even a popular novel written about this spot)
• Lessons at Warasa Drum School
• Stay at Copal Lodge in Punta Gorda
• Snorkel and visit the Sapodilla and Snake Cayes
• Explore Blue Creek Cave outside of Punta Gorda
• Admire the gorgeous Maya Bags at their shop