I traveled to Belize in July of 2018 because I found a dirt cheap flight on scottscheapflights.com. If you are unfamiliar with this site, you can sign up for the free or premium account to track flight deals domestically or internationally. It sends you an email to get all the deals.

Did you know English is the official language in Belize? They also accept U.S. currency so no need to waste your time at the exchange counter in the airport.

After extensive research, I learned there is absolutely nothing in Belize City and it is not the safest place to be, especially if you are alone. Tourists fly into Belize City to catch a bus for inland exploration or hop on a water taxi to zip to the islands. I selected San Ignacio because it was near ancient Mayan ruins. My Air BNB host was heaven-sent and helped me with an airport transfer. San Ignacio is 2 hours away from Belize City and I paid to be transfer in a private van (worth it because the buses there are crowded with no AC). Check out the Air BNB I stayed at for $21 per night.

After I arrived, I learned Cahal Pech was a 15 minute walk from my Air BNB. I walked there and paid $5 to tour the site. It was small but very interesting and fun to walk around in. Not many tourists either! The “downtown” of San Ignacio was about a 15 minute walk so I grabbed a bite at a local restaurant of rice, beans and jerk chicken.

The next day, my hostest with the mostest drove me to Xunantunich. When I returned, a Dutch couple was at the Air BNB. We bonded and I joined their tour the following day to do the ATM Cave Tour — A MUST SEE! We were picked up in downtown San Ignacio and travel one hour away. The cave tour lasts 4 hours long. Packing list includes:

• Change of clean clothes + flip flops
• Towel
• Water shoes
• One piece bathing suit OR sports bra, tank top and quick dry shorts

No cameras allowed and you have to wear a helmet. Worth every penny (about $80) to do it and it was a once in a lifetime experience. The ATM (Actun Tunichil Muknal) tour is famous for the skeletal remains from Mayan sacrifices. You have to walk and swim for about 30 minutes before getting to the cave. Going through the cave is physical. It requires swimming, climbing and taking off your shoes due to soft ground + delicate artifacts. I wore socks with my water shoes for this reason.

My Air BNB host arranged a private van for me to travel from the ATM site back to Belize City, where I caught a 20 minute water taxi to Caye Caulker. My Air BNB was at a hotel I do not recommend. The motto is go slow. No cars; only bikes and golf carts. The island is so small you can walk it in 30 minutes or less. There were lots of tourists and I felt very safe. I only spent a day here, so I read my book and lounged at the split. I wish I had time for Raggamuffin Tours – I heard excellent things about them!

Next, I took a water taxi to San Pedro. My Air BNB was not the best, so I’ll leave that off. My last full day in Belize was spent with Dream Island Tours. The best $135 I spent on an experience. I selected the Full Day “Chill” cruise. We snorkeled around Ambergris Caye and Hol Chan Marine Reserve. The staff was outstanding. Clean and safe boat with plenty of food and drinks. It is called the “chill” cruise because we spend time in waist deep turquoise drinking, listening to music and playing various water games.

Overall, Belize was a safe trip. I would highly recommend because it is affordable and the locals love tourists. Total cost with flight, Air BNB, activities, transfers: ~$600 for 1 week.