Northern Belize

Perhaps the most fascinating Maya site in Northern Belize, Lamanai lies 24 miles south of Orange Walk Town up the New River (or 36 miles by unpaved road). The ruins are known both for their impressive architecture and marvelous setting, surrounded by dense jungle overlooking the New River Lagoon. Climbing to the top of the 125ft High Temple to gaze out across the vast jungle canopy is an awe-inspiring experience that is not to be missed.

Run by a nonprofit organization, this large nature reserve, which protects 43 sq miles of semideciduous hardwood forests, wetlands, lagoons and coastal mangrove belts, has its headquarters 3.5 miles southwest of Sarteneja on the road to Orange Walk. Lying in a transition zone between Central America's tropical forests and a drier Yucatán-type ecosystem, the reserve's mosaic of habitats is rare in Belize. You can also stay overnight here.

Orange Walk Town is many things to many people: agricultural town, economic hub, Mennonite meeting place, street-food city…but it is not generally considered a tourist town. The town itself, just 57 miles from Belize City, doesn't have much to keep travelers around for more than a day or two, but it is the premier base from which to make the superlative trip to the ruins of Lamanai and longer excursions into the wilds of Northern Belize. Orange Walk has a fine location beside the New River, which meanders lazily along the east side of town, and there are a few very nice (and reasonably priced) hotels and restaurants for visitors who choose to hang around for a bit.

If you came to Belize in search of sparkling blue waters, delicious fresh seafood, fauna-rich forests and affordable prices, look no further than Sarteneja (sar-ten-eh-ha). The tiny fishing and shipbuilding village, located near the northeastern tip of the Belizean mainland, is a charming base from which to explore both the nautical and jungle treasures of the region.

The village spreads just a few blocks back from its long, grassy seafront. It's a delicious place to chill out for a few days. From this lovely seaside setting, visitors can also head out to the Shipstern Conservation & Management Area and take birding, fishing and wildlife-watching trips all along the fabulous coast of Northern Belize, including to Bacalar Chico National Park & Marine Reserve, on the northern tip of Ambergris Caye.

The ruins at Cerro Maya make up the only Maya site in Belize that occupies beachfront property. It is composed of a series of temples built from about 50 BC. While the site is mostly a mass of grass-covered mounds, the center has been cleared and two structures are visible. Be warned: Cerro Maya can get very very buggy, especially during the rainy season; cover up and don't skimp on the bug spray!

If you're looking for true, wild tropical rainforest, this is it. Encompassing 406 sq miles in northwest Belize, the Río Bravo Conservation & Management Area (RBCMA) takes up 4% of Belize's total land area and is managed by the Belizean nonprofit organization Programme for Belize (PFB). The RBCMA harbors astonishing biological diversity – 392 bird species (more than two-thirds of Belize's total), 200 tree species and 70 mammal species, including all five of Belize's cats (jaguar, puma, ocelot, jaguarundi and margay). Río Bravo is said to have the largest concentration of jaguars in all of Central America.

Parts of the territory of the RBCMA were logged for mahogany and other woods from the 18th century until the 1980s, but distance and inaccessibility helped to ensure the survival of the forest as a whole. The area also contains at least 60 Maya sites, including La Milpa, the third-largest site in Belize.

Just 9 miles south of Mexico and 29 miles north of Orange Walk Town, Corozal sits charmingly on the soapy-blue waters of Corozal Bay and has a vibe different from any other town in Belize, with its obvious Mexican influence. Most of the town's wealth comes from its position as a commercial and farming center, rather than from tourism. In fact the town's fledgling tourism sector has been hit hard by the direct boat service between San Pedro and Chetumal, which has seen many travelers bypass Corozal altogether.

But Corozal remains a fine place to be a tourist as it escapes the holiday-ville atmosphere that haunts some other places in Belize. With ocean breezes, affordable hotels, fine food and easy access to the rest of the district, Corozal is worth a stop on the way to or from Mexico – if not a detour from your Belizean itinerary further south.