Belize

Discover Belize

Fun Foods

Hudut, Cassava bread, Fry jacks

Did you know Belize has a giant underwater hole you can see from space? The Great Blue Hole is 1,000 feet wide and 400 feet deep. It's like someone took a massive cookie cutter to the ocean floor.

Long before any Europeans showed up, the Maya built incredible cities here. Caracol was home to 140,000 people, way more than lived in London at the time. The Maya were math geniuses who invented the concept of zero and built pyramids that still stand today.

Then the British arrived looking for wood. They called it British Honduras and things got messy.

The Spanish wanted it too, which led to the Battle of St. George's Caye in 1798. The British won, and Belize stayed British for almost 200 more years.

In 1802, the Garifuna people arrived after being kicked out of St. Vincent. They brought African drums, Caribbean vibes, and some seriously good food.

Finally, on September 21, 1981, Belize told Britain "thanks but we're good now" and became independent.

Want to know the coolest spots? Swim with nurse sharks at Shark Ray Alley (they're friendly, we promise). Climb the ancient Maya ruins at Xunantunich and feel like an explorer.

The Belize Zoo lets you see jaguars and tapirs up close. And snorkeling the barrier reef, it's the second biggest in the world, will blow your mind with colorful fish everywhere.

Belize is like a cultural smoothie blended from Maya, African, Caribbean, and British ingredients. Everyone speaks English, which makes it super easy for visitors. November 19 is Garifuna Settlement Day, when the whole country celebrates with drums, dancing, and reenactments of canoes arriving on shore.

The food here will make your taste buds do a happy dance. Try hudut, a coconut fish stew served with mashed plantains that's creamy and delicious. Cassava bread is made from a root vegetable and baked on hot griddles.

And if you see people doing the Punta dance, jump in! It's fast, fun, and driven by hypnotic drumming that'll get your feet moving whether you want them to or not.