Is Belize worth a visit?

We will be travelling through Yucatan and Chiapas in addition with Guatemala, OK! now few remarks.

we read several LP pages herewith of travellers who went through Belize. Comments.
Belize is expensive.
Belize doesn't provide friendly local atmosphere (tourist is seen only as a wallet)
Belize hasn't nice beaches along the coasts only oversea, which means you need a boat ( or go by boat)
Belize (keys) or islands are sort of natural wealthy US people reserve
Islands or keys might be nice ( diving & snorkel nice though but very expensive) but boring rest of the time- better to bring your girlfriend-
Belize is rather dirty.
Belize gastronomy is limited.
Transports are expensive even complicate
the old capital (even dangerous at night) and the new one aren't worth a visit Dandriga is a lost hole.
Ok, 2 places seem to be worth a visit, ATM (I love that, so helpful acronym,I thought it was a DAB) and Caracol (though after being to the most well-known one in Yucatan, we are wondering if we won't be disappointed.
last and not least, Mosquitoes seem to be everyday companions.
Please don't be upset by this message which wasn't written with this intention, but only to know, if travelling to Yucatan to Tikal it is worth to go through Belize. However we understand as Belize is an English speaking country, American prefer it probably to Mexico, Guatemala or Nicaragua.
Thanks for your details answers.

Belize is expensive.
In general, no, but it's probably more expensive than other countries in Central America.

Belize hasn't nice beaches along the coasts only oversea, which means you need a boat (or go by boat)
The beaches are generally small (nothing like Hawaii or Florida, or Australia) but they're still nice.
Placencia has the biggest beach in Belize, and probably one of the best in Central America.

Belize is rather dirty.
Parts are, but so are parts of many countries.

Transports are expensive even complicate
No. Buses are cheap, frequent, and easy to use. The only thing is, they're old school buses and can be uncomfortable.

the old capital (even dangerous at night) and the new one aren't worth a visit Dandriga is a lost hole.
The old capital, Belize City, can be dangerous, but hardly any of the crime affects tourists. There's not much to see or do there anyway.
The current capital, Belmopan, is small and there's not a lot to see or do there either.
Dangriga is a small town -- not really a tourist destination, but not a "lost hole".

Gotta agree with most of what previous reply says. I spent 2 weeks in Belize in 2010 and loved it. Possibly the best snorkeling in the Americas, extremely nice people, very laid back vibe. Traveling on the buses was convenient, cheap and fun. Loved Caye Caulker, ATM should not be missed. It is a bit more expensive than Nicaragua, but still ridiculously cheap. There is lots of cool stuff to do in the San Ignacio area (lots of caves, hiking, river tubing, etc.) If you have a chance to go you should definitely take it!

I transited through Belize in about 30 hours a few years ago. And spent the night in Belize City, which seems to be everybody's least favorite place in the country. And I didn't get to go to the beach or anything. And I would be lying if I said wandering around downtown Belize City felt 100% safe.

But for all of that, I thought it was a very interesting place. Interesting mix of cultures. A place I certainly knew nothing about.

And the buses worked just fine.

I hope to go back and get to know Belize better someday.

Most of your comments are broadly correct. In my experience living in CA (10 years), Belize is the most overrated and other parts of CA beat it hands down...

Wow, really? These comments don't really make u wanna go there :-(. Till now I read so much good stuff about Belize. But proabably it has changed a lot within the last 2 or 3 year, as so many other countries did.
I'm also planning on going to Belize (and Guatemala and Honduras) in June. It's my first tript to Central America and one main reason for Belize is scuba diving. How is that in Belize? Or is it even better in Honduras? What about the blue hole, has anyone been diving there?
Cheers!

Edited by: travelllerz

We've spent 7 or 8 weeks in Belize total and are heading back for 3 more this summer. We find it to be a cordial place to visit, possible on a modest (but not rock bottom) budget, fascinating culturally and geographically, and worth the time if you're not already racing through. And we like the food.

If the Maya site you saw was Chichén Itza then we've seen multiple sites in Belize we preferred, though we haven't seen Caracol yet. Happy trails!

It all depends if it is worth it, depending on your interest...

To me, the only reason I am going next month is for scuba diving, but each to their own.

Is Hawaii worth it?

Let's say there are a few bits of rubbish on a beach in Belize. One person might describe the beach as dirty or filthy. I might say it looks clean.

And visitors who are not generally happy in Belize might exaggerate and make it sound worse that it actually is.

It's always best to get as many opinions as possible.

dont go to abomagrease caye. and raggamuffin tours rock! (caye caulker to placencia)

Food in Belize- great seafood. Conch is good if you can handle the morality. Probably want to skip cow's foot soup. Belize City is heavy on crime. Certain ethnic element. Few years back a friend of mine made the mistake of going down a side street. He had his wallet taken but not harmed. He went to the police station to file a report... insurance reasons. Since insurance scams are big with travelers the police told him to empty his pockets to see if he really did have his money taken. He had forgotten about the joint he had. Arrested and spent the night in jail. During the night he and the guards smoked the joint. Next morning he goes to court. The judge asked how he plead. Fearing 30 years he said innocent. The judge says "hey mon, why you do that? Means we have to have a trial." He changed it to guilty and was fined $10.

Thanks all for your answers...

dannyboypiper2012...........appreciate your comments

solohobo.........yes common sense.

always carry a torch when walking alone on a beach at night, when sketch sitch is difficult to see.

I traveled and lived in Belize numerous times between 2004 and 2009, and I loved it. I spent quite a bit of time in Belize City and never had a problem (except once, on account of an American guy, but some of the Belizeans helped me out). Belize is more expensive than many Central American countries, but much cheaper than countries in the Caribbean. It's got a great atmosphere and culture, the locals are super friendly and helpful, and getting around is very, very cheap and easy.

There are great beaches in Placencia, Hopkins, and Ambergris Caye, and Belizeans care about their natural environment a lot - more than most Westerners I know, to be honest.

The food involves lots of rice and beans and seafood and chicken, it's easy to cater to vegetarians (such as myself) and of course there are lots of different types of restaurants if you want different cuisines.

I think Belize is great, and definitely worth a visit :)

"Chemin", because you plan to travel to Chiapas, Yucatan and Guatemala, my answers are relative to those three areas.
Yes Belize is expensive, so is the Yucatan and Costa Rica. Nicaragua and El Salvador are cheaper.
"Friendly local atmosphere". It varies from place to place. Hopkins is very friendly. Belize City and Dangriga are where you will be "seen as a wallet" by street hustlers. I found Caye Caulker, San Pedro, San Ignacio and Placencia to be OK. No where in Belize are vendors as aggressive as Mexico.
"Belize hasn't nice beaches along the coast". Belize has beautiful beaches at Hopkins and Placencia. The beaches in Caye Caulker and San Pedro are OK, but small.
"you need a boat (or go by boat)". A boat is needed if you want to snorkel or scuba dive. You can only shore dive from Cayes such as South Water or Tobacco, or the outer atolls, like Glovers.
"Belize (keys) or islands are sort of natural wealthy US people reserve". If you are referring to the tiny, privately owned Cayes, most of them are owned by Belizeans. I guess that is one way you could describe San Pedro. Glovers Atoll has a range of resorts, and the visitors tend to be from Canada and Europe as well as the US.
"( diving & snorkel nice though but very expensive)". You have to shop around - same as the Yucatan.
"boring". Some people can be bored anywhere, some can amuse themselves anywhere.
"better to bring your girlfriend-" Not a bad idea, no matter where you travel.
"Belize is rather dirty." My first impression when I crossed the border from Guatemala was how clean and tidy everything was in Belize. Yucatan is cleaner than Belize. San Pedro and Placencia are cleaner than Hopkins, but keep in mind that one generation ago the people got their food in coconut husks and plantain peels; they still haven't figured out what to do with all the garbage. Relatively speaking - the rest of Europe is rather dirty compared to Germany.
"Belize gastronomy is limited" Gastronomy south of the Mexican border is limited.
"Transports are expensive even complicate" Public bus is more expensive than Guatemala, but much less crowded and better in every way and cheaper than the luxury buses in Mexico, but no comparison. Domestic air travel is equal in price in all three countries and easy, you just go into the airport and catch the next plane. Private transfers are cheaper in Guatemala and Mexico, no where are they complicated.
"the old capital (even dangerous at night)" Can be, kinda reminds me of when I stepped out of the train station in Cologne at 11:00p.m.
"and the new one aren't worth a visit" I would agree with that remark about the new capital.
"Dandriga is a lost hole." Not sure what you mean, but people say something similar about Cancun.
"2 places seem to be worth a visit" I don't see how you could be disappointed visiting any of the caves in Belize. After Tikal, any ruin can be disappointing, depends on what you want.
"Mosquitoes seem to be everyday companions" Depends on specific areas. Rare to see in Cancun, lots in Bacalar, rare in San Pedro, Hopkins or Placencia and the "front" side of Caye Caulker. Lots in the jungle, this applies to all of Central America and Mexico.
All the above is IMHO, enjoy your trip :-)

One would have to ask what you have been reading to come up with all of these negative comments. Do you mean to tell me in all of your research you couldn't find anything good about Belize and yet you're posting here as you are thinking about going. Seriously, maybe a nice all inclusive in Jamaica with fences and guards would be more to your liking. I am offended.

#16 sorry having offending you as it wasn't my intention.

it is definately worth a visit...it was the last CA country I went to but loved CC the most amazing friendly people live there and great food...if you can catch a local soccer game...my wife almost refereed the game as the ref almost didnt show up...great food super relaxed...also ATM is definately worth a visit...and absolutely go to Tikal...I have been there 3 times...amazing. Its alla bout what you want in a trip...

I dig Belize a lot. That's why I've tripped there 8 times (to solohobo's zero).

I've just arrived after a 17 days trip in Belize (San Ignacio, Tobacco Caye, Placencia, Caye Caulker).

Belize is expensive.
It wasn't. You can have a decent room for 20USD, travel from SI to Belize City for 3,5USD, dive 3 tanks for less than 80USD, etc.

Belize hasn't nice beaches along the coasts only oversea, which means you need a boat ( or go by boat)
Well, at this point I must say that I was very dissapointed about Belize beaches. I was expecting much more and honestly I couldn't find any to say "man, this is a nice beach". Actually, the only one that really was great was located in Half Moon Caye and I ended there in the Blue Hole Dive trip. I've heard that Placencia beaches were spectacular, but I was there and there is a lot of vegetation under water and in the sand... I think that the problem of the beaches is the vegetation... which is nice to the ecosystem, but don't go there thinking on idillyc beaches with white sand... on the other hand the water is very clean and warm (27°C - 28°C).

Belize (keys) or islands are sort of natural wealthy US people reserve
Well, don't know if that it is true, but I can say that you will find a lot of US tourists, also Canadians and from UK, and a few from other parts of the world.

Islands or keys might be nice ( diving & snorkel nice though but very expensive) but boring rest of the time- better to bring your girlfriend-
Well, I was 4 days in Tobacco Caye (without my girlfriend) and it's true that is not much to do that go diving and relax... but that was what I was looking for.

Belize gastronomy is limited.
I ended hating Rice and beans...but you have other options, including lots of good fishes and Shrimps (Unfortunetaly it wasn't Lobster Season)

Transports are expensive even complicate
Not at all, very simple and cheap, however they are slow and not very comfortable. If you don't take an express you will end stopping each 100 mts since it seems that local people is not used to walk at all... I mean, they want to get dropped in front of the place they are going... and the same to get in...

Ok, 2 places seem to be worth a visit, ATM (I love that, so helpful acronym,I thought it was a DAB) and Caracol (though after being to the most well-known one in Yucatan, we are wondering if we won't be disappointed.
Both Caracol and ATM are great trips, but you have others nice places to visit, many from San Ignacio.

last and not least, Mosquitoes seem to be everyday companions.
Not totally true... but hey, if you go to a temple in the middle of the jungle, you need to be prepared for mosquitos. In Caye Caulker I found many but in the non urban zones, in the town I didn't see much of them.

As all countries of the world, you will find nice things to do and visit, and things that are not quite good... but in the balance I really enjoyed a lot my days in Belize, and I found what I was expecting for (excellent dives and snorkel, ruins, adventure, relax) except for the beaches.

Nice report, looking forward to my trip in a month..

BTW- you can dive 4 tanks for $66 in Bay Islands...

The only reason for travelling to Belize is to get to Guatemala. The country has improved marginally since my first visit in 1990, most notably roads. Of the CA countries I rate belize 7th, Costa Rica 6th, Panama 5th, Honduras, Nicaragua and El Salvador tied for 2nd, Guatemala 1st.

I rank El Salvador 3rd, although I've never been there. So take that cum grano salis, as you would advice from someone who's never been to Belize. And I think we all know, who I'm talking about.

I love Belize. I've been twice, including once solo. I find it friendly, laid back, pretty (both the coast and inland, near to San Ignacio) and, if anything, I found the food rather better than in neighbouring Guatemala - in Belize the food tends to be spicier. Yes, Belize City is somewhat grim but so is Guatemala City. It's a great mix of cultures European/Mayan/Garifuna etc and a great mix of languages. It doesn't have anything to rival Tikal in terms of edifices but there's lots of see and do.