Experience the Wonder of Belize with Kids
Belize will forever go down as one of the most magical trips I have experienced. There are two worlds when it comes to the country of Belize, the ocean and the jungle, and when we were in the midst of planning, we knew we had to experience both. Although we only had a week, we made the decision to split our time between the jungle and mountainous region near San Ignacio and the ocean and reef at Ambergris Caye.
Getting to Belize
Belize is an easy, under 3-hour flight, from Miami, Denver, Houston or Atlanta. We flew Columbus –> Dallas and then Dallas –> Belize City and experienced one of those seamless travel days where all flights are on time and all of the luggage arrived with us. Does that happen for anyone anymore?
The Jungles and Mountains of San Ignacio
Where We Stayed
Black Rock Lodge
Black Rock Lodge is a fully equipped, 20-cabin eco-resort located in the rainforest of western Belize on the banks of the Macao River. Black Rock produces their own clean and renewable energy, has the most advanced waste treatment system, and has an on-site organic farm where guests can interact with our chickens, goats, and more. With so much to do on the grounds and a restaurant on site, I could have stayed an entire week at Black Rock Lodge, never leaving the grounds, and would have been blissfully happy.
We stayed in a Riverfront Suite cabin that overlooked Black Rock Canyon, the Macal River, and the surrounding rainforest and wildlife. Our cabin was a spacious single room that was surrounding by windows and sliding doors built to take advantage of the fresh mountain breezes. We had easy access to the restaurant, river, and hiking trails.
What to Do
Explore the Grounds of Black Rock Lodge
There is so much to do at Black Rock Lodge that we really could have been busy for our whole stay without leaving the grounds. Black Rock offers miles of hiking trails, canoeing, kayaking, tubing, yoga, swimming, cave spelunking, and birding. The grounds are simply breathtaking.
Visit the Xunantunich Maya Site
Xunantunich is an Ancient Maya archaeological site in western Belize. It is located atop a ridge above the Mopan River, within sight of the Guatemala border. It served as a Maya civic ceremonial centre to the Belize Valley Region in the Late and Terminal Classic Periods. At that time, when the region was at its peak, nearly 200,000 people lived in the Belize Valley.
From Black Rock Lodge, we traveled to the Mayan village of San Jose Succotz, on the banks of the Mopan River. Once there, we boarded a small hand-cranked pontoon ferry to cross the river get to Xunantunich. Our guide from Black Rock Lodge took us on an educational tour of the ruins.
Where We Ate
The lodge restaurant at Black Rock Lodge offers home made cuisine from farm fresh ingredients and local produce. Most of our meals were here when we stayed in the jungle and they were absolutely delicious.
This place is a little open-air restaurant near Xunantunich that serves delicious Mayan, Mestizo, and Creole dishes at very affordable prices. Our guide from Black Rock Lodge took us to lunch at this lovely restaurant when we were out visiting the Ancient Maya archaeological site.
Ambergris Caye – Where the Ocean Meets the Reef
Where We Stayed
Nestled amongst tropical indigenous gardens, Xanadu is an eco-friendly boutique resort located on the beach overlooking the world’s second largest barrier reef and the Caribbean Sea. Xanadu is a mile south of San Pedro Town on the island of Ambergris Caye. Xanadu features an outdoor oasis all of your own with a private deck complete with lounge chairs and hammock and access to a pool and hot tub right on the ocean.
We stayed in a 3-bedroom monolithic dome, which is a round, steel-reinforced concrete building known for its energy efficiency, low maintenance, and ability to offer near absolute protection from natural disasters. Our dome overlooked the ocean and was located steps away from the pool and hot tub on site.
What to Do
Explore the Grounds of Xanadu
Xanadu offers a variety of activities on site including: a pool and hot tube area, kayak and paddle boarding, snorkeling, a bird nature walk, bicycles, and golf carts.
Check out the Reef Runner Glass Bottom Boat, the perfect way for groups varying in ages to experience the sea. The Glass Bottom Boat tour takes you on a sightseeing and snorkeling tour along the Belize Barrier Reef, which is the second longest Barrier Reef in the world.
Snorkel at Hol Chan Marine Reserve & Shark Ray Alley
Hol Chan Marine Reserve is the oldest reserve in Belize. Its name translates to “Little Channel,” in reference to a coral-filled gap in Belize’s barrier reef. Approximately 3 square miles, this aquatic zone is a sanctuary for turtles, stingrays, eels, sharks, and other fish. The reserve is separated into four parts: the mangroves, the reef, the sea-grass beds and Shark Ray Alley. Yes, I did swim with the sharks while the children stayed on the glass bottom boat!
The only town on the island of Ambergris Caye is about one and a half miles long and in some places about a mile wide. It is a laid back atmosphere and is home to the majority of the shopping, restaurants, bars, clubs and hotels on the island.
Where we Ate
Craft chocolate made from Belizean beans… Need I say more?
Celi’s Deli
Extremely hungry, we stopped by this unassuming deli for easy to go sandwiches. The sandwiches did not disappoint.
El Fogon Restaurant serves traditional Belizean dishes that are cooked over a fire pit/firewood stove. Everything we ate was incredible.
The Baker uses locally sourced ingredients from Belize to create simple artisanal baked goods, with a mixture of Caribbean and European influences. A lovely place to stop in for breakfast, especially if staying at Xanadu.
This is by no means an exhaustive list of things to do in Belize, but more of a way to offer ideas and hopefully inspire a trip to this beautiful country, especially with kids. While this country is on the smaller side, we spent a week and barely scratched the surface on Belizean experiences. We are already dreaming of a trip in the future when the children are older and we can do more of the adventurous activities. From Jungle to Sea, Belize is the place to be!
If you are feeling inspired to plan a trip, but feel overwhelmed about where to start, I highly recommend contacting Mary Toy of Destinations Belize to help you with planning. I felt extremely lost with planning this trip for 7 people all varying in ages and interests. Mary listened to what we were looking for and delivered the most fantastic vacation imaginable. The whole experience was seamless from beginning to end.