eSIM for Belize City

A near-perfect circular sinkhole 124 meters deep in the center of Lighthouse Reef, 70 kilometers offshore from Belize City. Most see it from a flyover tour departing from the municipal airstrip, with the descent into the dark blue water visible against the lighter turquoise of the surrounding reef.

The second-largest barrier reef system in the world, running 300 kilometers along the Belizean coast. Snorkeling and diving day boats leave the Belize City marine terminal for Hol Chan Marine Reserve, Shark Ray Alley, and the outer atolls, returning the same afternoon.

An Anglican cathedral built between 1812 and 1824 in the colonial style, the oldest surviving church building in Belize. The interior holds mahogany altars, stained glass imported from England, and a small cemetery outside where colonial-era officials are buried.

A 9-meter iron lighthouse on the south side of the harbor entrance, funded by the British philanthropist Baron Bliss who arrived in Belize in 1926 and never set foot on shore. The lighthouse still functions as a navigational aid and the small park around it has become a harbor lookout.

A small but well-arranged national museum in a former colonial prison building in downtown Belize City. The collection covers Maya archaeology, colonial history, and modern Belizean life, with the Maya jade and stela collection being the most photographed section.

A cultural center and museum complex ten minutes from the cruise terminal, combining recreated Creole wooden buildings, a small rainforest trail, a mangrove boardwalk, and a pool with marine exhibits. The complex is a frequent stop on cruise ship day programs.

A protected corridor of private lands about 30 minutes north of Belize City along the Northern Highway, managed by a coalition of local farmers to protect the howler monkey population. Trails cross small rivers and farmland where the monkeys move between forest patches.

A Maya ruin site 50 kilometers north of Belize City along the Northern Highway, the closest major Maya ruins to the capital. The site features two main plazas, the Temple of the Masonry Altars, and a tomb where the famous Belize jade head was found in 1968.

A Maya ruin site on a hilltop across the Mopan River from San Ignacio, two hours by road from Belize City. The El Castillo pyramid rises 40 meters above the main plaza and the climb to the top provides views across the Mopan River valley into Guatemala.

The Actun Tunichil Muknal cave system in the Cayo District, a 90-minute drive from Belize City through the jungle. The cave contains Maya ceremonial artifacts, intact pottery, and skeletal remains left in place, reached by wading and swimming through a river inside the cave.