Fun things to do in Belize City

There are many tour guides in Belize City- some are independent and some are controlled by some businessmen and you deal with middle men. Whether middle men or not, it is okay to haggle. Ask around for the cheapest price. The Altun Ha Tour and the Belize City tour are combo (together). Make sure to haggle. We paid $40 dollars each.

The tour is about four hours or more so make sure to consider your time. When you choose this tour, make sure to wear comfortable and wear comfortable shoes. Bring a backpack for your lunch or your snack and drinks. The food in Altun Ha is expensive and there is not a lot of choices there. Make sure to buy your food in Belize City before you head down to Altun Ha.

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For $10.00 you can have your hair braided in Belize City. There are many women here who can braid your hair fast!

These are independent women who has little tiny stalls (nor parlors) and they braid hair and do also do manicure and pedicure for a very cheap price.

My daughter Sierra, who is only 7 years old, wanted her hair braided but it takes at least an hour. To braid long hair sometimes takes a couple of hours- depending on the style of braiding.

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Floating down the river, on the best rafts they have to offer.. It puts the other companies to shame.. USE Cave-tubing.com.... It's something I've never experienced, in so many ways.. From the walk through the rainforest, to tubing through a pitch black cave.. Your adrenaline pumping.. Not knowing what to expect.. And, then comes the break in the cave wall, with sunshine beaming down on a most exquisite waterfall, surrounded by lush greenery... You can't pass this up.. It's spectacular..

we arrived Belize city by a cruise, we did not buy snorkel tour from the cruise sine they are normally more expensive than the same tours from local tour company, and you would also support local economy if you spend your money to local business.

we wanted to snokel in Hol Chan Reseve and see nurse sharks, so we took water taxi to Ambergris Caye, and bought a snokel tour with two stops: Hol Chan and Nurse shark, from a tour company on Ambergris. the water taxi is $15 round trip per person. the ride will be 75min one way. the snorkel tour is $40 per person(including $10 Hol Chan fee).

The snorkel tour is normally $35, conducted two times per day, 9am and 2pm. since we arrived 8am in Belize, and arrived Ambergris at 10:30am, and need to go back the cruise ship by 4:30pm, we were happy to find a tour company willing to take just two of us to the reef for only $5 extra. the tour company is the first one outside of the water taxi terminal.

we saw turtles, rays, nurse sharks, and so many other fishes.

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A boat ride on the Old Belize River is something that everyone should do if possible when visiting Belize--it gives you a different look at this especially beautiful part of the country and the possibility of seeing many types of the country's wealth of wildlife--I thought it was quite magnificent.

I am glad that the boat ride we had was part of an excursion that we had booked because, being there for only one day, we would not have known that the boat ride was even a possibility. It turned out to be my favorite part of the day!

Our tour guide had, of course, come along, but it was our boat captain who made the trip amazing due to his ability to spot wildlife at any distance and point it out for us and then edge the boat in as close as possible to give us the best view possible. In that one ride we saw dolphins, manatee, iquanas, crocs, howler monkeys, bats, and the ingenous, sock-life nests of birds (can't remember the name now) which drooped from the trees along the milky green river. It was fantastic!

Our ride concluded with a spine-tingling mini race with another boat as the river spilled out into the open blue Caribbean Sea. See my tips on out of the way places for additional pictures and details.

NOTE: Unfortunately since this boat trip on the river was part of a ship excursion, I am not sure what it cost. However, I believe the excursion to the "Baboon Sanctuary", lincluding the lunch and this boat ride was only about $50. I image a boat ride on the river by itself would be considerably less expensive!! Check for independently booked boat rides on the dock at the Tourism Village.

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Belize has done a great job of trying to attract more tourists to its shores, particularly those who arrive by cruise ship. Tourism Village is a very good facility on the Belize City harbor front where cruise ship passengers arrive after being tendered ashore. This lively and welcoming center has attractive shops, eating establishments, rest rooms, an Internet cafe and is also the starting point for shore excursions.

If you are not booking shore excursions from your ship, this is the area where you are most likely to be able to independently book snorkeling & diving trips; catch the boat for Caulker Caye and Ambergris Caye; catch buses for other areas of the Belize countryside; book Old Belize River excursions, etc. Check with the tourist desk if someone doesn't just walk up to you with an offer.

The buildings are mostly an open air construction and they surround small plazas with benches right on the waterfront which makes it a pleasant place to linger before reboarding your ship.

One especially nice shop also does double duty as a small post office! Pick up maps here and get information from the manned tourist information desk located in Tourism Village.

On the day we were visiting there was live music by local musicians who were situated in the little plaza at the Tourism Village. I kind of thought this added a really nice touch to the whole place.

Having traveled to many islands in the Caribbean, I can say that Belize City has one of the nicest port areas I've been too as far as atmosphere and facitlites for tourists and I appreciated the effort.

St. John's Cathedral in Belize City is notable for three reasons: 1) It was built from red brick brought aboard English sailing ships as ballast. (Maybe you have seen the blue stones which were used to make the cobblestone streets in Old Town San Juan, Puerto Rico which were also ships' ballast!)

2) St. John's is the oldest Anglican Church in Central America.

3) Between 1812 and 1824, St. John's was the site of the crowning of Kings of the Mosquito Coast. The term "Mosquito" does not refer to the often lethal insect. "Mosquitos" were indigenous "indians" living in this area prior to Spanish and British settlers and who eventually developed a relationship with the British. The ultimate Mosquito leader was referred to as the "Mosquito King."

Before he died, Baron Bliss quickly came to love the waters around Belize, and he had been kindly treated by the local fisherman. During this time, he executed a new will, bequeathing the bulk of his estate to the country of Belize!! Leaving explicit instructions for use of the money, he also requested that he be permanently interred in a granite tomb near the sea, and surrounded by an iron fence and an obelisk or lighthouse to be built nearby. From a trust fund of almost $2 million dollars, the government of Belize has constructed health centers, libraries, a school of nursing, museums, and a culture center.

Imagine what further kindnesses and generosity Baron Bliss might have bestowed on Belize had he lived!