2 Week Belize Itinerary: Best of the Reef and Rainforest

This is our ultimate, tried and tested 2 week Belize itinerary. It’s jam-packed with unique experiences, bucket-list adventures and the perfect combination of Belize’s Caribbean coast and lush jungle interior.

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2 Week Belize itinerary

Belize is one of the most underrated destinations we have visited in Latin America!

During our 2 weeks in Belize, we were absolutely blown away by the crystal clear waters, thriving reef and lush rainforest. It was basically my tropical dream packaged up into one tiny country (the second smallest in Central America after El Salvador).

Belize’s small size makes it easy to cover a lot of ground quickly, and while we would consider 2 weeks a fast-paced trip in most countries, we actually think 14 days in Belize is the perfect amount of time.

You’ll be able to hit the highlights, but also squeeze in some unique, off-the-beaten-track experiences that most visitors won’t do, as well as go slow and soak up Belize’s laidback vibe.

We spent a long time researching and planning our Belize itinerary. We wanted to see the iconic places we had read so much about but were also adamant to include some less popular destinations and do something a bit different.

Spoiler: we succeeded! I think we created the ultimate 2 week Belize itinerary! It combines the paradisical Caribbean coast with Belize’s lush, jungle-clad interior.

You’ll have plenty of time on tropical cayes, snorkelling the Belize Barrier Reef and relaxing under swaying palm trees. As well as 5 nights on Belize’s mainland, swimming in waterfalls, exploring caves and spotting wildlife in the jungle.

We’ll include recommendations of where to stay, what to do, the best spots to eat and transport information to travel between destinations via a mix of ferries, public transport and rental car.

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Belize travel information

I’m sure you have lots of other questions like when is the best time to visit Belize? What’s the currency and money situation? How do I get there and around? Is it safe? I answer all these questions and more in my Belize travel guide.

🇧🇿 Read our detailed Belize travel guide

What does it cost to travel to Belize?

Belize is definitely one of the pricier countries in the region, so you do need to be prepared for that. I’ve got a dedicated Belize trip cost post sharing typical costs for a range of common travel categories, like accommodation, eating out, tours and activities and transport. We also kept a tally of everything we spent, and have a detailed breakdown of our budget, so you can work out what this Belize itinerary will roughly cost you.

💰 Get the details of our exact Belize budget

Two weeks in Belize video

Day 1: Caye Caulker

The first day of your Belize adventure inevitably involves getting to Belize.

• ✈️ Flying into Belize: If you’re flying into the country, you’ll arrive at the Philip S.W. Goldson International Airport in Belize City. From here, you can get to Caye Caulker via plane or boat.
  
  If you’ve got the budget, jump on a short connecting flight with Tropic Air or Maya Island Air. Otherwise, organise a transfer from the airport to the water taxi terminal in Belize City, and book a ticket with San Pedro Express Belize Water Taxi for the 45-minute journey.
  
  *Note, the last water taxi of the day departs at 5:30 pm. If your flight arrives later than this, you’ll need to spend a night in Belize City and take the first ferry the following morning at 8:30 am.

• 🇲🇽 From Mexico: If you’re on a broader trip through the region, you can easily get to Caye Caulker from Mexico. Make your way to Chetumal in the south of the Yucatan Peninsula, where you can book a boat to Caye Caulker.

• 🇬🇹 From Guatemala: if you’re coming from Guatemala, we’d recommend starting in San Ignacio. You won’t be able to reverse this itinerary entirely as the sailing tour only goes in one direction from Caye Caulker. I would suggest doing San Ignacio first, then following the itinerary as planned (Caye Caulker, Ragga Sailing, etc.) until the Hummingbird Highway, where you can go back to the airport or onwards to Mexico.

Once you’ve arrived in paradise, check in to your accommodation and get settled in.

For your first night, we would highly recommend catching one of Caye Caulker’s famous sunsets from The Split, before grabbing your first meal at Steve’s Grill, an iconic local restaurant dishing up tasty seafood curries.

Day 2: Caye Caulker

On your first full day in Belize, you’ll spend the day exploring the island and having all the quintessential Caye Caulker experiences! We would recommend organising a bicycle for today, your accommodation should be able to assist with this.

The first stop on today’s Belize itinerary is Ice & Beans. This beachfront café is an island institution, with colourful tables and hammocks set right on the water. Grab a coffee and a bagel, and fuel up for the day.

One of the best things to do in Caye Caulker is to ride your bicycle around aimlessly. There are so many gorgeous streets, palm-lined beaches, colourful buildings and perfect photo shots to discover.

For lunch, you can’t miss the beachfront BBQs lined up along the main street.

When the water is calling your name, head to The Split, a deep channel that divides Caye Caulker into two islands. Home to the popular beach bar The Lazy Lizard, this area is the best place to swim on the island and has great vibes to hang out for an afternoon. Jump off the rickety wooden platform if you’re brave!

End your day at the Iguana Reef Inn, a nice hotel with a popular beach bar. This is where you will find the giant stingrays that swim right up to the shallows. Each day around sunset the owner feeds them scraps from the day’s catch, and you can have the unique experience of a stingray gliding right over your feet!

Day 3: Caye Caulker

Day three on your Belize itinerary is all about the Belize Barrier Reef! Book a full-day snorkelling tour from Caye Caulker, which will visit seven stops around the reef and Hol Chan Marine Reserve.

The snorkelling around Caye Caulker is some of the best in the world. You can expect to spot eagle rays, Caribbean stingrays, nurse sharks, green sea turtles and if you’re very lucky – a manatee!

There are seven stops on the tour, and you’ll visit different parts of the reef like a small shipwreck, the Hol Chan channel, an area known as Coral Gardens and the iconic Shark Ray Alley.

If you’re anything like us, the snorkel tour will be a highlight of your Belize itinerary! You’ll return to Caye Caulker in the afternoon exhausted but on a high from all the amazing marine life that you’ve seen!

For dinner, we would recommend Reina’s for the best local food on the island, try the jerk chicken.

🐢 Check out our Caye Caulker snorkelling guide here

Day 4: Caye Caulker

Start your fourth day in paradise with yoga at Namaste Café. This gorgeous café cum yoga studio has a rooftop space where they run daily classes. Stick around for a fresh and healthy breakfast at the café downstairs.

Mid-morning, make your way to Caye Caulker’s tiny airport for a bucket list experience – flying over the Great Blue Hole.

This huge marine sinkhole is found in the middle of the Belize Barrier Reef and seeing it from above is a bucket list experience.

You’ll board a small propellor plane, and fly for around 1 hour in total. As you soar over Caye Caulker, you’ll soon reach the edge of the reef, where the water changes from a deep blue to a vibrant turquoise, and patterns of coral cover the surface.

Once you reach the Great Blue Hole, the pilot will circle around it at least 4-5 times for each side of the plane.

🔵 Read more about the Great Blue Hole in our guide here

Spend your afternoon taking it easy and relaxing. There are so many gorgeous places around the island to laze in a hammock or on the sand. There is a small, free beach in front of Sophie’s Guest House. Otherwise, the entire front side of the island is lined with hammocks and lounges.

Some other great restaurants you might want to try for lunch or dinner today include Chef Juan’s Kitchen, Wish Willy Bar & Grill or Pasta Per Caso. For the inside scoop, check out the best restaurants on Caye Caulker.

🦞 Our favourite restaurants on Caye Caulker

Day 5: Caye Caulker

Today will be a slow, relaxing day exploring the Caye Caulker North Island.

After visiting The Split, you know that Caye Caulker is actually two islands. The south side, where you’ll spend most of your time, is the most developed of the two. The north side has only a handful of hotels and restaurants, but it is worth checking out because it has some of Caye Caulker’s only sandy beaches!

There are two ways to get to the north side – rent a kayak and paddle across, or take the Split to Split Ferry, a small boat that plies back and forth across the channel. The benefit of taking the ferry is that you are able to bring your bicycle on board, which is handy for getting around on the other side.

The Northside Beach Club (formerly Koko King) was the most popular beach on North Caye Caulker, but it actually closed a few years ago. Howeve,r someone is still opening up the beach area each day so you can still come and enjoy the best beach on the island!

Bring your own snacks, as the restaurant is closed, but when we visited, there was an informal bar set up. It has a bit of an abandoned vibe, but all the beach lounges, hammocks and in-water palapas are still set up, and the beach is so worth it!

Alternatively, a new beach club has recently opened, Bliss Beach, which has a fully functioning bar and restaurant for tasty cocktails and snacks.

🧭 Read our complete guide to Caye Caulker’s North Island

You’ll need to be back in Caye Caulker by late afternoon for a briefing about the next adventure – a 3-day sail with Ragga Sailing Adventures!

Enjoy a final sunset on Caye Caulker and pack your bags ready for a big day tomorrow.

Day 6: Ragga Sailing Adventures

Today you’ll board Ragga’s sailing boat with an epic group of fellow travellers, and head south along the Belize Barrier Reef.

From the second you’re on the boat, absolutely everything is included and taken care of for you – food, drinks, accommodation, activities and all the coordination and planning. You just have to sit back, relax and enjoy the views.

On the first day, you’ll spend most of the day sailing south towards Rendezvous Caye, a tiny remote island. You’ll have the opportunity to stop a few times for snorkelling and/or spearfishing with the Ragga crew, and you’ll be well-fed by their onboard chef!

Once you arrive on Rendezvous Caye, you’ll have all the Castaway vibes. Tonight’s accommodation is a tent pitched on the sand in front of the dazzling Caribbean waters – it doesn’t get much better than that!

Day 7: Ragga Sailing Adventures

We would highly recommend starting day 7 of your Belize itinerary early. Sunrises are epic from Rendezvous Caye, and chances are you’ll be able to watch it rise from your tent! The Ragga crew are up early serving coffee, and you’ll enjoy a big breakfast before boarding the boat again.

Today is another day of sailing, snorkelling, spearfishing and sunbaking on the bow. Soak up the stunning views and sparkling blue Caribbean waters, and keep your eyes peeled for dolphins!

Your destination for today is Tobacco Caye, which is slightly bigger and more developed than Rendezvous Caye but still meets the criteria for a deserted tropical island! Tonight you’ll sleep in dorms on the island. There is also the possibility of upgrading to a private room.

End the day with a sunset and a rum punch – the drink of choice on Ragga Sailing Adventures. Oh, and don’t forget the epic BBQ feast Chef Linton cooks up, including fresh lobster!

Day 8: Tobacco Caye

Today is the final day of your sailing adventure. Sunrise, coffee and breakfast will get you fuelled for the day before you jump on board for the final time.

The usual agenda for day 3 is snorkelling around South Water Caye, a pristine protected marine area. The cherry on top is the waist deep lagoon with crystal clear waters where you can enjoy a rum punch before a final delicious lunch on the boat.

You’ll sail back to Tobacco Caye and this is where you’ll say goodbye to the crew and your newfound friends. They will jump into speed boats and zoom back to the mainland, but you’ll disembark early and stick around for a few days in paradise on Tobacco Caye.

Spend the afternoon checking into your new accommodation, and wandering around the island that is no more than a few football fields in size! Enjoy the sunset with a cocktail in hand from one of just two bars on the island, the Sunset Bar at Windward Lodge.

Due to its tiny size, there are no restaurants on Tobacco Caye. No matter where you stay, you’ll have to purchase a mandatory meal plan, with 3 meals a day included at your accommodation. Listen to the conch shell being blown to indicate meal time!

Day 9: Tobacco Caye

Today you have the entire day to spend on Tobacco Caye. Despite its tiny size, there is plenty to keep you busy on the island.

All the accommodation options rent out kayaks and/or stand-up paddleboards, and you can paddle around the entire island in under an hour.

Tobacco Caye is one of the only cayes that is situated right on the reef, so it’s just a short swim to reach some fantastic snorkelling spots!

And don’t forget, simply swinging in a hammock, spotting stingrays gliding through the water from your overwater bungalow or swimming from the many docks will easily while away a day in paradise.

Day 10: Hummingbird Highway

Wave goodbye to Tobacco Caye because today it’s time to begin the inland part of your Belize itinerary.

Your accommodation will help to organise the 30-minute boat ride back to Dangriga, and from there you’ll need to collect some wheels from Dangriga Auto Rentals.

Your road trip begins as you head north out of Dangriga, along the Hummingbird Highway.

The first stop along the highway is the Billy Barquedier National Park, where you can take a short hike to a beautiful waterfall and swimming hole. If you’re up for a challenge, you can also follow the steep Jaguar Trail up to a lookout tower.

Once you’ve worked up an appetite, continue along the highway to Ms. Bertha’s Tamales. An icon in Belize, don’t arrive too late or she’ll be sold out! Make sure you drive slowly and stop to soak up the views and explore the small towns along the way.

Check in to your accommodation for the next few days. No matter which option you choose, you’ll be immersed in the Belizean rainforest! We had a magical stay at Pineapple Hill Lodge and highly recommend it.

Don’t forget to keep your eye out for the region’s namesake – the hummingbird.

Day 11: Hummingbird Highway

Today you’ve got another full day to explore the tropical jungle along the Hummingbird Highway, with a focus on the northern end of the highway.

Your main stop for today will be St. Herman’s Blue Hole National Park, which is home to the inland Blue Hole, a natural jungle pool, not to be confused with the Great Blue Hole.

The park also features St. Herman’s Cave, one of the only caves in Belize that you can explore without a guide. There are separate entrances for each attraction, or it’s just a short walk through the beautiful jungle to reach either.

Take some time today to sample some of the delicious produce and food along the Hummingbird Highway. This region is one of Belize’s major agricultural areas and you’ll find everything from dairy farms to citrus plantations.

The Country Barn is a must-visit for excellent homemade ice creams and dairy drinks like milkshakes and floats. Lamanai Chocolate Co. offers demonstrations on the traditional Mayan method of making chocolate from cacao, and you can of course try the chocolate in many forms! Bars, drinks, ice cream and more! For a more substantial meal, you can try Las Palapas Restaurant for a higher-end dining experience, or Hibiscus Fast Food for delicious and affordable local options.

Day 12: San Ignacio

Today it’s time to head to your final destination, San Ignacio. It takes around an hour to drive there from the Hummingbird Highway, and we would suggest making a pit stop along the way for an iconic Belizean experience – cave tubing!

This strange-sounding activity involves floating through an underground river system inside a cave on an inflatable inner tube, and Nohoch Che’en Caves Branch Archaeological Reserve is the best place to try it!

The experience can only be done with a guide, but because you have your own car, you can drive to the site and organise a guide there. After a short hike through the jungle, your guide will navigate you through the cave.

🍩 Read more about our cave tubing experience here

Continue to San Ignacio, check in to your accommodation and take some time to wander around the town.

Burns Avenue is a pedestrian road, where most of the action is, and there is a small central park too. The San Ignacio Market is a hive of activity, especially on Saturdays when vendors from all over the district come to sell their produce and wares. Be sure to also wander along the Macal River and check out the two swing bridges, the Twin-Towns Bridge and the Hawkesworth Bridge.

For dinner, try the famous Ko’ox Han Nah, which means ‘let’s go eat’ in Mayan, one of the best restaurants in town!

Day 13: San Ignacio

Today on your Belize itinerary you have two choices: visit the famous ATM Cave on a full-day tour. Or take a day trip to the Mountain Pine Ridge Forest Reserve to explore some waterfalls, caves and natural swimming pools.

The ATM Cave is a sacred cave containing Mayan archaeological remains and ancient skeletons. The tour is intense and requires a lengthy hike/swim/climb, deep inside the cave. You can only visit on a guided tour, with certified guides. Many people say this is the highlight of their entire Belize trip!

Your other choice for the day is Mountain Pine Ridge, a forest reserve with a unique landscape of pine trees, granite rocks and dry forest. It’s an adventurous day with miles of dirt roads, offroad tracks and gorgeous scenery with few crowds.

The Rio Frio Cave is a large limestone cave with a river flowing through, where you can walk inside the cave and scramble over the rocks. Head next to Rio On Pools, a series of small waterfalls and pools flowing over large granite boulders. And finally, the highlight of the day is Big Rock Falls, a thundering waterfall flowing into a large pool below where you can jump, swim and relax.

If you’re a history buff, one of the most iconic Maya cities, Caracol is hidden at the far end of the reserve. It’s a 2+ hour drive from San Ignacio, but with recent road works improving conditions, it’s easier than ever before to get here. You can definitely do the ruins plus a few of the other natural attractions in one (long) day, but it will be quite rushed, or you might have to sacrifice one of the waterfalls.

You can self-drive your rental car (4×4 recommended), or if you’re not confident navigating the challenging roads, join a tour. There are tours that focus solely on the natural attractions (no Caracol), or tours that visit Caracol and 1 or 2 of the natural sights.

🌲 Read our Mountain Pine Ridge guide here

Whatever you decide, you’ll be exhausted after a long day! For a quick, affordable and yummy dinner, you could try Cenaida’s Belizean Food or Hode’s Place.

Day 14: San Ignacio

There is still plenty to see and do on your last day! Having your own car will make today easier, as there are lots of great attractions to see within an easy drive from San Ignacio.

The first stop of the day is the Green Iguana Conservation Centre. Located inside the San Ignacio Resort Hotel, tours are offered on the hour, every hour from 8 am – 4 pm. The centre does great work protecting and growing the population of green iguanas around Belize, and they share a lot of really interesting information about the species.

There are a number of ancient Mayan cities around San Ignacio (you might have already visited Caracol yesterday), but one of the best to visit for a good balance of access and grandeur is Xunantunich.

Located near the Guatemalan border about 40 minutes from San Ignacio, to get there, you’ll need to drive your car onto a hand-cranked ferry across the Mopan River. Spend some time exploring the site, and don’t miss the climb up El Castillo, a 40 m (130 ft) temple, to get 360-degree views over the jungle.

Enjoy your final night in San Ignacio with a nice dinner at Lola’s or Guava Limb.

If you’re not interested in cave tubing on day 12, you could quite easily do the iguanas and Xunantunich on that day, leaving yourself a fully free day today, which allows you to do both the ATM Cave tour AND Mountain Pine Ridge.

Day 15: leaving Belize

Today your epic Belize itinerary sadly comes to an end.

If you’re leaving Belize and heading home, you’ll need to make your way back to the Philip S.W. Goldson International Airport in Belize City. We would recommend driving your rental car to the airport and organising for Dangriga Auto Rentals to collect the car from there. The trip should take approximately 2 hours.

If you’re continuing your travels in Central America, Flores in Guatemala is the most obvious next destination. Organise for your rental car to be collected in San Ignacio, before jumping in a bus or taxi to the border at Benque Viejo del Carmen. Cross into Guatemala and jump on a colectivo van to Flores.

If you’d prefer an easier trip from door to door, you can book a direct shuttle from San Ignacio to Flores on Bookaway.

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2 Weeks in Belize: A wrap

That’s a wrap on a whirlwind 2 weeks in Belize!

If you feel anything like we did, you’ll have fallen in love with the Caribbean coast, with its thriving barrier reef and tropical cayes, and had so many adventures in Belize’s lush, jungle-clad interior.

Belize was a big highlight for us during our 6 months in Central America. It was such an easy, safe and beautiful country to travel around, and we’re already plotting our return!

Does this Belize itinerary sound like your kind of trip?

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