Belize + Eastern Guatemala

But I digress.  Belize is a great little country — it has something for everyone.  You want to relax on a beach for your whole vacation and sip on piña coladas?  Fine, plenty of beautiful islands and beaches, and amazing reefs and snorkeling adventures await you.  Don’t like beaches?  Fine.  Move towards the left, and you have some awesome cultural and archaeological sights that will take your breath away, like Lamanai (below) or Xunantunich… and the best part?  Super uncrowded.  I remember gazing up at the majestic El Castillo pyramid at Xunantunich, and then all of a sudden realizing I was the only one there!  Well, a couple people soon appeared up at the top, but still, just a couple people?  This place is amazing!  And how do you get there you ask?  Even more amazing – hop on an old, hand-cranked ferry for a free and ‘on-demand’ ride across the Mopan River from the small town of San Jose Succotz.  If you insist, the operator might even let you crank it along yourself! 

But wait, there’s more!  San Ignacio, the little Belizean town in the country’s jungle-filled interior, is not only a pleasant base-camp for visiting western Belize’s attractions, but it is so close to Guatemala, that a day trip to Tikal – one of Central America’s most impressive and extensive archaeological sites – is not only possible, but a must-do!