Planning itinerary is time-consuming and often frustrating. It’s often easier to just take a tour but they don’t always go where you want to or spend enough time in places that you find interesting. Expense is always an issue as well. I like to save money on things that don’t matter to me so I can really enjoy the experiences. That was our conundrum with Belize. It’s a tiny country but there’s SO much to see. So I thought I’d share what we did to help with a bit of your planning. I’d love to hear YOUR tips! There’s always more to learn.
Our trip from Toronto started with an overnight layover in Panama City. That’s a great chance to see a new city. Try making the stop longer so you can spend some time.
Day 1 – 5 On Caye Caulker we stayed in the Go Slow Guest house for a couple of days then joined the Raggamuffin for a 3 day sailing trip along the Mesoamerican Reef to Dangriga. Details can be found here: Caye Caulker and a Raggamuffin sailing trip to Dangriga
Ragga Caye Bunkhouse
Caye Caulker front street
Caye Caulker and a three day sailing trip with Raggamuffin Tours
Days 5-7
Once in Dangriga we took a shuttle to Hopkins where we spent 2 nights. We really enjoyed the Funky Dodo and highly recommend it.
Day 8-9 Another public bus took us to the Cockscomb Basin Sanctuary. I’m really glad we chose to spend a night there as there are several hikes to do. Mornings are the best time to do them.
Day 9-10 We headed to the Blue Hole National park. To experience that we stayed at Kantara Ku.
Details on this portion can be found here:
Hopkins, Cockscomb Basin Sanctuary and the Blue Hole National Park
Day 11-17 – A week in San Ignacio was about right. There’s a lot to see in the area including Xanuntunich and Cahal Peche and other sites very close to the city. Two of us did tour to the ATM caves while the others saw the Barton Creek Caves. Another day we toured Caracol and a few water falls. From her we also did an overnight trip to Tikal. Details for this portion can be found here:
San Ignacio, Caracol Tikal, etc
Day 18-19. The public bus from San Ignacio to Belize zoo is very easy. We spent a night at the Tropical Education Centre which I recommend. The night tour of the zoo was really good too. Details of this part can be found here
Belize Zoo. Not really a zoo. It’s a sanctuary.
Day 19-21 For our last few days we stayed at the Howler Monkey resort in the Community Baboon Sanctuary. That’s a unique place you really need to visit. From there we visited Lamanai as a day trip; Also a very worthwhile experience. Details of this portion can be found here:
Lamania, Community baboon sanctuary and the Belize Zoo
Where in the world is Jodi? 
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