If you have a week in Belize, start with the day you most want to have. If it begins on a snorkel boat, look at Caye Caulker or Ambergris Caye. If it begins with a swim before breakfast and ends without a boat timetable, look at Placencia. If it involves a cave river or a Maya plaza, start in San Ignacio.

Pick a base that suits the trip

Caye Caulker suits a trip built around the water and a compact island village. Ambergris Caye gives you a wider choice of places to stay around San Pedro. Before booking either, check where your reef tour departs and how you’ll reach your accommodation from the ferry or airstrip.

Placencia works well if you want a mainland beach base, with the option of taking a boat out to the reef. Check the accommodation’s position on the peninsula. Staying in the village and staying further north can mean quite different evenings.

San Ignacio makes a good base for western Belize. Build the stay around one or two experiences, such as a guided trip to Actun Tunichil Muknal and a separate day at a Maya site or in Mountain Pine Ridge.

What fits into seven nights?

For a one-base trip, give the reef or cave trip a day early in the week so there’s room to rearrange if conditions change. For two bases, try three nights inland and four on the coast or a caye. Treat the move as a travel day and check the connections before you book. An international flight, a road transfer and a boat look tidy on paper until the first one is late.

Have some Belize dollars for small purchases. The Belize Tourism Board explains the exchange rate and where to find cash machines. Ask which currency a price is quoted in before paying.

Belize Tourism Board travel facts

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Listen to Belize with Simo D or explore the Belize destination guide.