The ultimate Belize itinerary for travelling this beautiful country in one week can be found in this blog! I will also tell you what I would have changed to our own itinerary looking back and which alternative destinations are worth a visit to Belize.
Belize itinerary for a one-week trip
Click here or on the image below to see the itinerary of our 9 days in Belize. This travel overview also shows our accommodation, how much we paid for this and our travel hours.
For the ultimate Belize itinerary for a one-week trip, I advise you to skip San Pedro (Ambergris Caye!)
Flores (Guatemala) – Belize City – Ambergris Caye (San Pedro) – Caye Caulker – Raggamuffin sailing trip – Dangriga – Belize Airport
We combined Belize with a trip through Guatemala. We did not know in advance exactly how much time we would spend in Belize, but one thing was certain: our sailing trip with Raggamuffin. So we would, in any case, go to Caye Caulker to sail with Raggamuffin from there.
We spend nine days in Belize. That is quite a lot for this small country, but not nearly enough to see everything. If you only go to Belize, I advise you to take a little longer. If you combine Belize with Mexico or Guatemala, a week is enough.
Belize itinerary: Day 1 and 2, from Guatemala via Belize City to Ambergris Caye
Our first day in Belize is primarily a travel day. We have just arrived from Flores, Guatemala and travel by bus to Belize City in about three hours. Once there, we immediately transfer to the boat to San Pedro, the city on the Ambergris Caye peninsula.
The reason we decided to go to Ambergris Caye is that we are leaving Guatemala a little earlier than expected and therefore have two days extra. Initially, we want to spend those by visiting beach towns, Hopkins or Palencia. This would mean quite a bit of travelling and because I have been sick the days before, we decide to keep it easy and instead go to Ambergris Caye.
Ambergris Caye versus Caye Caulker
Was this a good choice? No. Do we regret it? A little. Ambergris Caye is not our thing. It feels like a place for retired Americans and some parts look run down. In addition, we booked a horrible hotel. In the end, we decide to stay on Ambergris Caye for only two nights and make the best of it. And the latter succeeds. We still have a lot of fun, make an amazing dive and enjoy the delicious food.
For the ultimate Belize itinerary for a one-week trip, I advise you to skip San Pedro (Ambergris Caye!)
Can we recommend Ambergris Caye? No, we prefer Caye Caulker. Are you still in doubt between these two? Then read this blog: Ambergris Caye or Caye Caulker?
Hotel tip: do not sleep in the terrible hotel where we stayed, but book a room at Ambergris Sunset Hotel.
Must read: Five fun things to do on Ambergris Caye!
Belize itinerary: Day 3, 4 and 5, Caye Caulker
On day three, we are relieved to board a boat to Caye Caulker. Once there, we immediately love it. Caye Caulker is such a nice island! It is known as ‘backpackers place’, a name that scared us a bit in advance. We were afraid it would be all about drinking and partying, but this is not the case at all. There are definitly some parties, in the afternoon or at sunset at the Strip (the beach of Caye Caulker), but these are fun and not loud or until late at night.
Caye Caulker is a beautiful and super relaxed island. It’s filled with cute little houses in all sorts of colours. The people are cheerful and kind. The food is tasty (and relatively cheap), especially the fresh lobster from the BBQ! We stayed for three days in Caye Caulker where we dive and especially relax in the hammocks.
Hotel tip: we stayed in the nice Sophie’s Guestroom. Do you have a bigger budget? Then go to Weezie’s Ocean Hotel!
Free travel guide: all you need to know about Caye Caulker!
Belize itinerary: Day 6, 7 and 8, sailing with Raggamuffin
After a wonderful time on Caye Caulker, we leave on day six with the Raggamuffin crew for a three-day sailing trip. We sail the Caribbean Sea for three wonderful days. We snorkel and see the beautiful underwater world full of turtles, squids and lobster. At night we camp on tiny, uninhabited islands with white sand and palm trees. The best moment? When we suddenly see a school of dolphins during sunset that joins our boat.
This sailing trip is definitely the highlight of our time in Belize! The possibilities to see multiple uninhabited Cayes is really special! The group and the best crew ever made this to an experience we will never forget!
Tip: Doesn’t your budget allow you to do the ‘overnight’ sailing trip? Then consider one of the day trips of Raggamuffin.
Curious to read more about this trip: read the travel guide “sailing in Belize“!
Belize itinerary: Day 8 and 9, from Dangriga to Belize Airport
On day eight, at the end of the day, we are being dropped off in Dangriga. Tomorrow we will fly back to Amsterdam and so we have booked a hotel near Belize Airport for tonight. In about three hours you will travel from Dangriga by bus to Belize City. From here you can also easily go to Hopkins or Placencia by bus. You can find the bus schedule here.
We decided last minute not to go by bus, but to fly to Belize City. A short but beautiful flight! From there we take a taxi to our hotel. The next morning we will fly back to the Netherlands.
Hotel: don’t stay in Belize City, but choose a hotel near the airport. We stayed at the Bamboleo Inn.
What would we change in our Belize itinerary?
Apart from our visit to Ambergris Caye, we wouldn’t have done anything differently! Three nights Caye Caulker was perfect. If we had stayed here longer, Ries would probably have been bored. The three-day sailing trip could well have lasted longer but is only offered for two nights. I absolutely wouldn’t want to stay near Belize City longer.
Although we had fun on Ambergris Caye, afterwards I would really advise you to skip it! I would rather have stayed in San Ignacio for a few more days.
If we had had more time, I would have liked to visit Hopkins or Placencia. If you are coming to Belize from Rio Dulce / Livingston in Guatemala, you will travel up the south and drive past these two villages.
What other beautiful places could you add to your Belize itinerary?
San Ignacio
Near the border with Guatemala is the lively village of San Ignacio. Near this town, you will find the beautiful Maya Ruins Xunantunich. Visit them and go back in time to see how this ancient civilization lived. Hardly any other tourists come to Xunantunich because you first have to take a bus and then a ferry to enter the jungle. Closer to San Ignacio are the ruins of Cahal Pech. These are much smaller but can be reached on foot from San Ignacio.
Another reason to add San Ignacio to your Belize itinerary:
Another reason to go to San Ignacio is the Actun Tunichil Muknal (ATM) caves. These are large caves in which you can tub and hike. Many people are enthusiastic about this, but at $100 (USD) per person, it’s definitly not cheap. Click here for more information! Because we had already done something similar in Guatemala (Semuc Champey) and caves are not my thing, we decided not to do this.
Tip: Are you also going to Guatemala and are you visiting Semuc Champey? Then don’t visit the ATM caves. A cave tour is much cheaper in Guatemala!
Placencia
Placencia is a small fishing village on the eponymous 19-mile long peninsula at the Caribbean Sea. The perfect place to relax and spend some time on the beach. Around Belize City, you won’t find pretty beaches, but in Placencia, you will find miles of white, soft sand. In April, May, June and July you can swim here with giant whale sharks. You can also dive very well in this area.
Placencia can be reached by bus from Belize City in three to four hours. A single ticket costs 10 BZD.
Tip: between Placencia and Hopkins is the Cockscomb Basin Wildlife Reserve. The best place to spot Jaguars.
Is Belize expensive? Read our Belize budget blog with all our spendings and prices in Belize!
Hopkins
Hopkins is a lot more northerly than Placencia. This is also a small fishing village, but you can’t compare it with Placencia. Hopkins is much less known, there are only a few buses a day going here. The beaches here are less beautiful than those at Placencia. Perfect for when you don’t want to do anything for a few days, but don’t expect much more from this.
Other islands in Belize – Tobacco Caye
When I was planning this trip, I looked very hard for alternative islands (cayes). I hoped to find atolls likewise to the islands we visited in French Polynesia. That is why I wanted a good alternative to the famous Caye Caulker and Ambergris Caye. After many puzzles, I decided to leave it at that. The only islands I could find was owned by luxury resorts where you could stay for a lot of money. Examples of this:
- Royal Palm Island – Hicks Cays
- Turneffe Island Resort – Turneffe Atoll
- Isla Marisol Resort – Glover’s Reef Atoll
Add some islands to your Belize itinerary!
Fortunately, we finally decided to go on a sailing trip. That way we could also visit other islands (cayes). During our second day, we arrived on Tobacco Caye, here we discovered a few small guesthouses where you can also stay overnight if you are travelling on a budget (Windward Lodge, Tobacco Caye Paradise and Joe Jos). Keep in mind that you have to sail quite a while to get here.
During the Raggamuffin tour we visited the following islands (cayes):
- Rendezvous Caye: here we camped the first night.
- Raga Caye: here we camped the second night. You can also sleep in an overwater bungalow on Raga Caye.
- Goffs Caye: here we made a short stop to explore the island
- Tobacco Caye: here we made a one-hour stop to snorkel and see the beautiful island.
Click here for all my blogs on Belize!
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Hi Charlotte, thanks so much for this blog, it is very useful for my plans of a backpacking in latin america!
May I ask you the price of this 2-3 days sailing tour?
Thank you again!
Hi Cami,
It was 400$ back then. Don’t know what the price now is. In the blog about this sailingtrip you will find the company and it’s website for more information on prices.
Kind regards,
Charlotte
Do you know much about Orange Walk? My husband and I are planning a month-long trip to Belize. My thoughts are 15 days in San Ignacio, 6 in Caye Caulker and 9 in Orange Walk. We’re planning on renting an Airbnb in each spot.
We want to visit lots of ruins, scuba dive and relax. We are 60 years old and not interested in partying or laying on the beach.
What do you think of our itinerary?
Hi Donna,
Thanks for your message. To be honest, 1 whole month sounds like a long time for only Belize. It really is a small country. I don't know anything about Orange Walk so I can't tell you much about that. Caye Caulker is perfect for diving but keep in mind it is also a beach location. Furthermore I would recommend spending less time in Belize or otherwise visit at least one place more since I do think the days you mention are a lot per location.
Kind regards,
Charlotte
Hello, I'm looking to make a trip to Belize and Tikal. I've been searching how to get to San Ignacio from BZE. The searches are confusing. What would be the best way to get from BZE to San Ignacio. I am also looking to head to Flores or El Remate to make a trip to Tikal. I will either go from BZE to Flores (Tikal) to San Ignacio to Caye Caulker. Or BZE to San Ignacio to Flores (Tikal) to Caye Caulker. All your help will be greatly appreciated.
Hi Jesus,
There are many bus lines driving those routes so don't worry, you will find bus tickets for each and every direction.
Kind regards,
Charlotte