5 of the best truly sustainable experiences to enjoy in Belize
From preserved national parks to reef protection, responsibility and sustainability are at the heart of Belize's tourism business.
Home to rainforests, banana plantations, the second largest reef worldwide, dense jungle, a tropical climate, and a fusion of rich cultures, Belize has opted to avoid the trap of mass tourism, seen in neighbouring Mexico.
Instead, this country in Central America has focused on a path of cultural and environmental value, which actively encourages locals to participate in the tourism industry.
Fancy exploring some of its hundreds of tropical islands or its lush jungle? Here are five ways to have an impactful and sustainable trip in Belize.
Getting there: find responsible group tours to Belize with Intrepid Travel*, which offers a variety of itineraries to multiple destinations.
Get to know Garifuna culture
Wearing a traditional bright pink dress, I'm leaning over a wooden stake in the ground, trying my best to rotate the coconut around the sharp edge in order to break off the husk of the shell. I'm at Palmento Grove, a Garifuna and family-owned cultural tourist centre with accommodation in Hopkins.
It's a small Garifuna village on the coast of the Stann Creek District in Belize that's only accessible by kayaking (or swimming) the one-minute journey across the Fresh Water Creek Lagoon to Kalipuna Island.
Here, I've joined a traditional Garifuna cooking session and am knocking up a tasty coconut milk broth from scratch. It's one of the ways travellers can participate in a cultural immersion experience, learning about the Garifuna community, descendants of Carib, Arawak and West African people, in Belize.
"Around here is where Garifuna people first settled before moving to the village of Hopkins," explains Palmento Grove owner Uwahnie Martinez, who wants guests to have an immersive experience to appreciate the culture.
"We wanted to create unique experiences that really tell you the authentic story of the first inhabitants. We make sure we represent people in a dignified manner, telling our own story in our own space, which is something that had never been done before."
Tours can be personalised and usually include a Garifuna cooking class, drumming and a talk about Garifuna history and a tour of the herbal garden by Uwahnie's father, Eugene Martinez, who explains and shows us herbs used for medicinal purposes and food purposes.
Snorkel off Caye Caulker
One of the most popular activities on Caye Caulker, a small and laidback island off the coast of Belize, is a three-hour snorkelling tour visiting a handful of places in the nearby clear turquoise waters.
Like many trips in Belize*, you can often turn up and book before, but one of the most eco-friendly tour operators in town is Caye Caulker Reef Friendly Tours.
The team bangs the drum home on wearing reef-protective sunscreen and, unlike most of the other operators, they don't feed the nurse sharks and other marine life to encourage them to come near the boat. Instead, it's about seeing the marine life in their natural habitat, without harassing them.
Here we visit Hol Chan Marine Reserve; Hol Man is Mayan for 'little channel', which refers to a natural break in the reef that allows marine life to pass freely from the protected inner area to the open ocean.
A protected marine zone off the coast of Caye Caulker and Ambergris Caye, it's home to colourful coral reefs and diverse marine life such as nurse sharks, stingrays, turtles, manatees and barracudas.
Hike in Cockscomb Basin Wildlife Sanctuary
There are 19 trails to choose from at Cockscomb Basin Wildlife Sanctuary, the world's first (and only) jaguar preserve and a popular hiking spot.
My guide Laazrus, from Unchartered Jewel Belize, and I opt for Tiger Fern Falls, which turns out to be one of the most strenuous.
A 6.7km round trip taking several hours, we stomp on a soggy, damp, muddy floor, while green-fingered Laazrus is quick to point out the surroundings, including pulling off a leaf from jackass bitters, which has green leaves and yellow flowers.
It tastes, as the name implies, bitter. "But it's good for the stomach," says Laazrus, adding that "the jungle is our medicine cabinet."
It's also a source of potential building supplies, with Laazarus pointing out the cohune palm trees, whose bay leaf palm is used for thatch roofing. All the sweating and panting and jungle education is worth it though when we reach not one but two waterfalls, and with no one else around, we have a private dip in the cool waters.
Learn about coral restoration
We're snorkelling under the turquoise waters off the coconut palm tree-fringed island of Moho Caye off the Placencia Peninsula. Our guide and marine conservationist, Monique Vernon, points out a propagation nursery of healthy corals that Fragments of Hope, the environmental organisation she works for, has planted over the years.
The coral has a healthy shade of tan and brown, a stark difference to the light bleached coral Vernon shows us, which she explains is caused by increasing sea temperatures.
Established in 2013 by Lisa Carne, Fragments of Hope is a community-based coral reef restoration project organisation, which also provides tours of local coral ecosystems, with all net profits ploughed back into the restoration activities.
The team previously focused on planting coral, which has been impacted by climate change, but Vernon says that due to warmer weather over the last two years, the organisation, not wanting to further stress the coral, has instead focused on "training folks to identify the coral and collect samples to help understand the health of the coral."
"We go out, and we look to see if there's bleaching; we record which species of coral it is and any signs of disease present."
Taste cacao in San Ignacio
Every hour, on the hour, cacao producer AJAW Chocolate & Crafts invites visitors to come and experience and understand the history of Belizean chocolate and see first-hand cacao roasted, ground and made into cacao drinks.
Here we are told that cacao is native to Central and South America, and was initially converted into a hot beverage to be consumed by the most elite Maya for certain ritual and religious purposes. We taste different stages of the process, ending with a chocolate drink (that we can add additional honey to, if we like).
While in San Ignacio, there's also the Green Iguana Conservation Project, which aims to conserve and look after the bright lime endangered species in Belize.
Climate in Belize
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Maximum daytime temperature °C |  27 |
 28 |
29 |
 30 |
31 |
31 |
31 |
31 |
31 |
30 |
28 |
27 |
| Hours of sunshine (daily) | ||||||||||||
| Days with some rainfall |  14 |
 9 |
 6 |
5 |
8 |
 17 |
 19 |
18 |
18 |
17 |
15 |
14 |
| Sea temperature °C |  26 |
26 |
27 |
27 |
 28 |
29 |
29 |
29 |
29 |
29 |
28 |
27 |
The above guide shows the climate in Belize City. Find out more about conditions across the country in our complete guide to the climate in Belize.
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