Where is Belize?

Directions from Lower Dover Field Station

One of Belize’s glaring problems from a marketing perspective is that most people don’t even know where Belize is!  If I had a shilling for every time someone said “that’s an island right?”…

If American travelers were better educated about the Belize map location, they would realize the relatively short plane flight needed to reach this exotic location.  As an added bonus, once tourists arrive, they can freely spend U.S. dollars because the Belize dollar is pegged to it with a 2-1 exchange rate.

Belize is the northern most country in Central America, tucked between Mexico to the north and Guatemala to the south and west. Honduras is reached by a short ocean ferry to the southeast.  The country is blessed to be located along the warm western waters of the Caribbean Sea. It sits between the Tropic of Cancer to the north and the Equator to the south. As a result, Belize experiences both rainy (June-November) and dry seasons (March-May). Don’t be afraid if you see tree leaves on the ground in “spring” its totally natural!

Map of Belize in relation to Central & South America

Belize would be in the central time zone, if it participated in daylight savings time. Because it does not, local time varies between mountain and central time depending on the season. Warning, Mexico does participate so it is possible to time travel when crossing the border!

Road map of Belize

Belize is a small country, 180 miles long and 68 miles wide (less than the area of Massachusetts) and connected by a series of two lane highways. Yet, it is still almost impossible to see all 6 districts in less than 2 weeks without flying and/or having extreme travel burnout.

For most Americans lacking vacation time, 10 days is suitable to experience both the cayes and get a feel for what mainland Belize has to offer. Just don’t over do it trying to see it all… As they would say on Caye Caulker, “Go slow”. Come back and visit a second time to catch what you missed. After all, Belize sits in the middle of a vast Mayan empire and it would be impossible to see all the sites in a lifetime, let alone two weeks!

Map of Mayan empire

Most major airlines fly to Belize out of the United States from hubs in Houston, Charlotte, Atlanta, and Miami. It is not currently possible to get a direct flight from Canada or Europe. Overnight direct bus service is available from Cancun’s airport to the Belize City bus terminal for $40 via ADO.  The Cancun airport is generally much cheaper than Belize City to fly into.

This is a great website for comparing the cost of travel from major cities in the U.S. and Canada to Cancun/Belize City.

http://www.gettingtobelize.com/