The mainland of Belize is very small but has so much to do. From Mayan Ruins to baboon sanctuaries, there is something for everyone. As long as you are not traveling by yourself, renting a car is recommended if you want to see a more of the country, explore on your own schedule, and save some cash. Many tour guides will work out a deal with you depending on how many people you have in your group so make sure to ask for any discounts available. The mainland also has city buses (depending on the city) and some express bus routes that run throughout the country.
Places to stay
On the mainland there are various hotels, motels, and Airbnb rentals. Unfortunately there are not many hostels, and the ones we did hear about did not sound great. For a unique experience, the Community Baboon Sanctuary offers multiple beds and breakfasts on a Mennonite Farms. As of the time this post was written, the booking process for the sanctuary requires an email or phone call. While we were on the mainland, we lodged in Belize City through an Airbnb. It was a great studio with full kitchen and washer and dryer. Few restaurants or attractions were within walking distance, but with a car we had no problems. Here is a link to the exact airbnb that we stayed at. Belize city has a reputation for being dangerous, but is not a bad home base for day trips to different parts of the country if you are renting a car. If you plan on visiting the mainland and all the activities you want to participate in are located in the same geographical area, I wouldn’t recommend commuting from Belize City every day. In our future trips that we take to Belize, we will try to reserve lodging closer to where we plan to spend most of our time.
Places to eat
Belize City
Atlanta Tour and Deli Travel Center
Odd name for a restaurant. but authentic delicious food. If you happen to be taking the San Pedro Express ferry from Belize city to either Caye Caulker or San Pedro, there are many restaurants around the dock area. Many of them had great smells, but we chose this one because of a very enthusiastic salesman named Eric. The food was delicious. We had jerk chicken with cilantro rice and it great and inexpensive. If you chose to go there and Eric still works there he will definitely give you some good advice on what to do during your stay and what to watch out for.
Belmopan
Cheers
On our way from Belize City to Xunatunich, we stopped in at this restaurant called Cheers. Trip advisory has it listed with a Belmopan, Belize address, but it is off of the western highway. If you happen to be leaving Belize city on the Western Highway we would recommend getting food here. Throughout our trip on the mainland, multiple locals (from all parts of Belize) recommended the place. After eating
breakfast there, the restaurant quickly became our favorite place to eat on the mainland. We stopped here 3 times in 2 days. They had great Belizean and American food that was inexpensive. They serve breakfast, lunch, and dinner any time of day. Also the property was scenic with very friendly staff that offered wonderful suggestions on things to do in the area. Definitely stop here for a good meal and free wifi.
San Jose Succotz, Cayo
Benny’s
Benny’s was located up the hill from the river ferry to Xunatunich. We visited the restaurant to get a drink and use there wifi with no intention to eat while we were there. The food smelt so good we couldn’t resist ordering some food to go. They had great food, fresh juices, and free wifi. They had many authentic Belizean dishes that were affordable. It definitely seemed like a popular place in town as many locals and tour buses stopped in while we were there.
Things to do
There are many ruins to choose from on the mainland. Tours are very expensive but can be convenient if you are not renting a car. Lamanai, Xunatunich, Cahal Pech, Caracol, Cerros, ATM, and Altun Ha are some of the most popular ruins to visit.
Xunatunich
Xunatunich is a Mayan ruin located about 80 miles west of Belize City. You can schedule tours to the ruin that include a hotel pick up ranging from $80-$150 per person. If you can get yourself to the ruin, you can pay much less for an on sight tour guide. Or you can forgo a guided tour, and take a self guided tour for free after you pay your entrance fee of $5USD or $10 Belizean. In order to get to the ruin, you will have to take a hand cranked ferry across a river. They do sometimes allow cars on the ferry but we left ours behind. When you reach the other side of the river, you will walk about ¾ mile to the ruin. This ruin is definitely worth seeing. It was absolutely beautiful. The drive from Belize City will take around 2 hours depending on the weather. Its a nice drive and in our opinion worth doing with a rental car so you can be on your own schedule.
Cahal Pech
Cahal Pech is located about 15-20 minutes away from Xunatunich. It’s structure is much smaller but still great to explore. This ruin was also more accessible than Xunatunich because you do not have to cross a river. There is an entrance fee of $5USD or $10 Belizean. It would be worthwhile to see both of these ruins if you have time since they are close by one another.
Barton Creek Cave
We were excited to visit Barton Creek simply because we have a Barton Springs here in Austin. We stumbled upon Barton Creek and found out that it is a cave where the Mayans would preform rituals and human sacrifices. We contacted Mike’s Place, which sets up tours of the cave. The tour cost us $40 USD per person. Mike and his crew were awesome! They stayed late just for us. We got to kayak into the cave and listened to all of the wonderful history. We saw skulls and pottery from the Mayans along with bats and amazing formations. We were luckily to have found this amazing place.
Car Rentals
To get the most out of your stay on the mainland, we recommend renting a car. We found this great rental company called AQ Car Rentals. Each rental, if booked ahead of time, comes with a cooler and local cell phone. They stated that the best deals for rentals are available on their website. Also, they pick you up from where you are staying, which is super convenient. They have 2 locations, one at the airport and another a few miles away from the airport. If you are not renting your car after you land, make sure to use their non-airport location as you will save yourself some extra money.
Travel Mainland Tips and Info
- 1 USD is equal to 2 Belizean dollars (BZ). There is no need to exchange money at a currency exchange as all vendors I interacted with gave me this conversion rate. This conversion rate is better than my no foreign transaction fee credit cards give me.
- Once your trip is coming to an end, try to get change back in USD when shopping to save you the conversion fee you will have to pay at a currency exchanger. Some vendors may just swap out your BZ for USD without a purchase.
- If you plan to drink a lot, buying alcohol at the duty free at the airport is honestly your cheapest option. The duty free is right next to where you pick up your check luggage. Each person can buy 4 bottles. If you like decent wine, this is where I would buy it as well. Prices for alcohol in Belize are around 2x more expensive if not more.
- A ride from the international airport to the municipal airport or water taxi is $25 USD for 2 people. It is an additional $5 USD for each additional person. Getting to the airport is the same amount from inside Belize city.
- If you land in Belize city you can make it to the Cayes via the San Pedro Express ferry the same day if you land at or before 3:30pm. If your flight lands after 3:30 pm, you may be pushing your luck to make the last ferry of the day at 5:30pm.
- With a rental car you can make Xunatunich or the Guatemalan boarder a day trip from Belize City.
- If you plan to do a lot of activities on your own, a local cell phone would be very useful but not necessary.
Future Belize Plans
There are many places that we did not have time to visit when we were in Belize. Here is a short list of places that we would be interested in checking out next time we visit. The Belize Zoo, Community Baboon Sanctuary, Placencia, or Cockscomb Wildlife Sanctuary, and the Jaguar Preserve. If you have travel tips for Belize, recommendations, or just an interesting thought, let us know by leaving a comment.
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