Non-diving activities in Belize

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thanks Ayisha, where did you stay in Placencia and who did you dive with?

We stayed at Placencia Villas and we were happy with it. It was cheaper, clean, comfortable, and close to everything.

We went diving at Glover's with Seahorse Divers. We were supposed to be on their larger boat, which would have been their only good option to take, but unfortunately, they made a last minute change to put the whale shark trip divers on that boat since it had a fish finder. So we were on a medium boat crossing the open ocean, banging and slamming the entire way. They were cheaper than other ops, but I would not recommend them if you might get switched from the larger boat. Notice I did not put a link for them on my report 2 years ago.

There is also Splash Dive that goes to Glovers. They did have a whale shark sighting recently (on their whale shark dive), as well as many large critters.

I did put a link to Placencia Villas, the awesome shuttle service we used, and other stuff we liked in my report linked above: Belize and Guatemala April 2019
 
we went to the Lamanai ruins via the boat ride. If I had it to do over I'd skip the boat ride. Couldn't really see much - the jungle comes right down to the waters edge and is THICK. I guess the critters were in the interior out of the sun, unlike us. The ride takes a looonnng time. I can see more wildlife up the local river at home than on that boat ride. Lamani was way cool, and there is obviously a way to get there by car.

We also went to the zoo. That was fun too. A jaguar is bad to the bone even when sleeping.
 
Thanks everybody for the quick replies. I was thinking now of continuing the diving and do Glover Reef. Has anybody stayed onthe actual atoll or just dived from Placencia?
Glover's Atoll Resort, Belize
Also Isla Marisol Resort

Glovers Atholl Resort is more basic. Warren Cabral, the owner, is probably one of the most skilled blue water fishermen in Belize.
The owner of Marisol was a spear buddy of mine. Many say Glovers is the best diving in Belize. It is very nice....but the Elbow of Turneffe is still my personal favorite.
 
Agreeing with the others on activities. There's lots to do. The zoo, unfortunately, is still closed (or still was on April 30 when our Aggressor trip was over). Hopefully it will be reopened soon as it's supposed to be very good. I have to think it will be open again soon.

We did ziplining the last time we were in Belize and it was fantastic - beautiful sailing over the jungle. The ruins are supposed to be really good as well. A couple we met on the Aggressor IV took a day trip out there which included some other activities. I'd be happy to find out who they booked through if you're interested in that. Apparently it was quite a good tour.

I know it's a ways off, but enjoy your trip!
 
The ATM cave is a must in my mind, yet I've only seen it mentioned once before in this thread.
 
Hi,

I plan to go on the Belize Aggressor Easter 2022. Does anybody recommend Non-diving activities in Belize?
I will have 4 days spare either side of the trip and will be based from the City before/after the trip.

Thanks in Advance.
Go see the national animal, the tapir!!! and yes it really does look that ridiculous. For hotels stay at the Funky Dodo in Hopkins THE FUNKY DODO BACKPACKERS - Updated 2021 Prices & Hostel Reviews (Belize/Hopkins) - Tripadvisor (the pictures look nice, but wait till you get there, it's Literally just a hammock OUTSIDE, no joke) The city is a nightmare, leave asap. Jungle is a must see as well as the blue hole... safe travels!!!
 

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Go see the national animal, the tapir!!! and yes it really does look that ridiculous. For hotels stay at the Funky Dodo in Hopkins THE FUNKY DODO BACKPACKERS - Updated 2021 Prices & Hostel Reviews (Belize/Hopkins) - Tripadvisor (the pictures look nice, but wait till you get there, it's Literally just a hammock OUTSIDE, no joke) The city is a nightmare, leave asap. Jungle is a must see as well as the blue hole... safe travels!!!

They've got rooms with beds in them. Perhaps all that was left available was a hammock?
 
Good suggestions on mainland activities.

A couple of thoughts: Belize City isn't a tourist town and is certainly not for the faint of heart, but there are some interesting things to see and do there. Just make sure you're doing them in broad daylight with lots of people around and don't wander off the main streets. There's the Swinging Bridge, the Governor's Mansion from the British Colonial days, St Johns Cathedral if you can get inside, the old American Consulate (especially interesting if you ever read Our Man In Belize), the former prison now turned into a museum, and just the general vibe you get from wandering around a "city" in a Third World Country. The walk along the sea wall is fun, too. You can stay at the Ft George Radisson, which is where the liveaboards dock or more appealing to me is The Great House right across the street. There's also Villa Boscardi, which is on the way to the airport and not nearly as fancy as it sounds. The walk along the sea wall is interesting, too.

Don't bother with "Tourism Village," which is where the cruise ship visitors are herded through on their way to Cave Tubing, etc.

A trip to Tikal would be tight on a two-day stay on either side of your stay.

If you choose to go to Placencia, my destination of choice, you'll probably have to fly. It's only a thirty minute flight but still you're going to spend a half day traveling. There are tons of mainland stuff to do there as noted above plus hiking in the Cockscomb Basin, the first Jaguar Preserve. You can dive Glovers from there with Splash. It's a long trip, maybe three hours?, but well worth it imho. But really I don't see how you can make it work given the time constraints and of course you don't want to violate the No Fly Rule.

Here are some random shots I took in BZ City.

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Edit: Thinking about it some more, I suggest you focus on things that are an easy jump from Belize City, like Lamanai, cave tubing, zip lining (gulp) or consider traveling to Placencia or San Pedro in the evening--but not darkness-- to give yourself a good jump on the next day. You'll have time to do everything but relax, lol.
 
My wife and I kayaked over to Glovers when we stayed with Off the Wall, which is right next door. To say it's pretty "rustic" I think is an understatement. If you really want to rough it on vacation it might be for you, and keep your expectations fairly low. Nothing against the place, I'm sure some really like it and it fits for them. The diving around Glovers is pretty good, although I think many dive sites on Lighthouse and and some around Turneffe are equally as good. If you want a nice little family owned place to stay outside of Belize City, just on the other side of the airport I'd check out The Black Orchid. We stay there before and after our flights ever trip. They pickup/drop off at the airport so no sitting around half the day waiting for flights.
 

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