Belize travel guide

For the latest information, visit http://www.governmentofbelize.gov.bz .

El Salvador, Calle El Bosque Norte and Calle Las Lomas, Candeleria No 1, Block P, Col Jardines de la Cima 1st Stage, San Salvador, T+503-248 1423.

European Communities, Blvd Brand Whitlock 136, 1200 Brussels, Belgium, T+32-2-732 6246, embelize@skynet.be.

Guatemala, 5 Av 5-55, Zona 14, Europlaza, Torre II, Oficina 1502, Guatemala City, T+502-2367 3883, F2367-3884.

Honduras, Hoteles de Honduras, R/do Hotel Honduras Maya, Tegucigalpa, Honduras CA, T+504-238 4614, F238-4617.

Mexico, 215 Calle Bernardo de Galvez, Col Lomas de Chapultepec, Mexico DF 11000, T+52-5-520 1274.

Panama, Calle 22, Villa de Las Fuentes, No 1, F-32, Panama City, R de P, T/F+507-236 4132.

UK, 3rd floor, 45 Crawford Place, London, W1H 4LP, T/F+44-20-7723 3603.

Information T113. International operator T115.

If you have many calls to make, a card phone works out much cheaper. There is a direct-dialling system between the major towns and to Mexico and USA. Local calls cost US$0.25 for 3 mins, US$0.12 for each extra min within the city, US$0.15-0.55 depending on zone. Belize Telemedia Ltd, 1 Church St, Belize City, Mon-Sat 0800-1800, Sun and holidays 0800-1200, has an international telephone, telex and internet service. The entire country’s telephone directory is online at http://www.belizetelemedia.net

The much-maligned Belizean telephone system is steadily modernizing. Formed in 2007 out of the old BTL, Belize Telemedia is promising to provide the world down the phone line.

The quality and quantity of tourist information in Belize varies greatly. In the popular centres of the cayes, Placencia and the developed sections of Cayo there is a steady supply of information available. Moving away from these popular areas the information is less reliable.

There is an ID card system to validate official tourist guides, which works well in the popular areas. Off the main routes there is less government checking of guides so a more ad hoc system works.

Maps of the country are limited and topographical maps have not been readily available for several years. The best internationally available maps are from ITMB.

The shores are protected by the longest barrier reef in the Western Hemisphere. The beautiful coral formations are a great attraction for scuba-diving, with canyons, coves, overhangs, ledges, walls and endless possibilities for underwater photography.

Lighthouse Reef, the outermost of the three north-south reef systems, offers pristine dive sites in addition to the incredible Blue Hole. Massive stalagmites and stalactites are found along overhangs down the sheer vertical walls of the Blue Hole. This outer reef lies beyond the access of most land-based diving resorts and even beyond most fishermen, so the marine life is undisturbed. An ideal way to visit is on a live-aboard boat. An exciting marine phenomenon takes place during the full moon each January in the waters around Belize when thousands of the Nassau groupers gather to spawn at Glory Caye on Turneffe Reef.

Belize is a very popular destination for sport fishing, normally quite pricey but definitely worth it if you want to splash out. The rivers offer fewer and fewer opportunities for good fishing, and tilapia, escaped from regional fish farms, now compete with the catfish, tarpon and snook for the food supply. The sea still provides game fish such as sailfish, marlin, wahoo, barracuda and tuna. On the flats, the most exciting fish for light tackle – the bonefish – is found in great abundance.

Conservation is a high priority in Belize. Tourism vies for the top spot as foreign currency earner in the national economy, and is the fastest-growing industry. Nature reserves are supported by a combination of private and public organizations including the Belize Audubon Society, the government and international agencies.

The Belize Audubon Society (PO Box 1001, 12 Fort St, Belize City, T223-5004, http://www.belizeaudubon.org) manages seven protected areas including Half Moon Caye Natural Monument (3929 ha), Cockscomb Basin Wildlife Sanctuary (41,800 ha – the world’s only jaguar reserve), Crooked Tree Wildlife Sanctuary (6480 ha – swamp forests and lagoons with wildfowl), Blue Hole National Park (233 ha), Guanacaste National Park (20.25 ha), Tapir Mountain Nature Reserve (formerly known as Society Hall Nature Reserve (2731 ha – a research area with Maya presence) and the Shipstern Nature Reserve (8910 ha – butterfly breeding, forest, lagoons, mammals and birds, contact BAS or the International Tropical Conservation Foundation, through http://www.shipstern.org).

The Río Bravo Management and Conservation Area (105,300 ha) bordering Guatemala to the northwest of the country, covers some 4% of the country and is managed by the Programme for Belize (PO Box 749, 1 Eyre St, Belize City, T227-5616, http://www.pfbelize.org.)

Other parks include the Community Baboon Sanctuary at Bermudian Landing, Bladen Nature Reserve (watershed and primary forest), Hol Chan Marine Reserve (reef eco-system). Recently designated national parks and reserves include: Five Blue Lakes National Park, based on an unusually deep karst lagoon, and a maze of exotic caves and sinkholes near St Margaret Village on the Hummingbird Highway; Kaax Meen Elijio Panti National Park, at San Antonio Village near the Mountain Pine Ridge Reserve; Vaca Forest Reserve (21,060 ha); and Chiquibul National Park (107,687 ha – containing the Maya ruins of Caracol). There’s also Laughing Bird Caye National Park (off Placencia), Glovers Reef Marine Reserve, and Caye Caulker now has a marine reserve at its north end.

Belize Enterprise for Sustained Technology (BEST) (Mile 54 Hummingbird Highway, PO Box 35, Belmopan, T822-3043, http://www.best.org.bz) is a non-profit organization committed to the sustainable development of Belize’s disadvantaged communities and community-based ecotourism, for example Gales Point and Hopkins Village.