Belize and Guatemala: The Complete Guide with Beaches, Maya Ruins and Dive Sites (Gold Guides)

Experienced and first-time travelers alike rely on Fodor's Gold Guides for rich, reliable coverage the world over. Smart travel tips and important contact info make planning your trip a breeze, and detailed coverage of sights, accommodations, and restaurants give you the info you need to make your experience enriching and hassle-free. If you only have room for one guide, this is the one for you. Scenic routes to Maya ruins, volcanoes, and wildlife reserves Rain forests, cloud forests, and stunning coral reefs Navigating the markets -- shopping for handwoven fabrics, jade and silver jewelry, ceramics, and wool rugs The spectacular diving, plus snorkeling, sea kayaking, spelunking, horseback riding, fishing, hiking, and rafting Where to stay and eat, no matter what your budget Jungle resorts, seaside villas, and colonial inns Local cantinas, cabanas, steakhouses, and cafés with the freshest seafood and the spiciest Creole fare Fresh, thorough, practical -- from writers you can trust Costs, hours, descriptions, and tips by the thousands 13 pages of maps -- vacation itineraries, and more Important Contacts A to Z Smart Travel Tips Fodor's Choice What's Where in Belize and Guatemala Pleasures & Pastimes, essential activities Spanish vocabulary Background essays Comprehensive index

This excerpt, from the Pleasures and Pastimes section, gives you a taste of what Belize & Guatemala has to offer and the sights and scenes that make it a great place to visit.


Archaeological Ruins

The ancient Maya Empire, which once occupied much of present-day Guatemala and stretched north into Mexico, east into Belize, and south into Honduras and El Salvador, disintegrated in the middle of the 16th century, leaving one of the richest cultural and archaeological legacies in the world. Only a fraction of the thousands of Maya ruins have been excavated from the jungle that has swallowed the once-splendid cities over the centuries, but you don't have to be an archaeology buff to be overwhelmed by those that have. Of the many sites in the northern Guatemalan department of El Petén, Tikal is the most splendid, its majestic temples towering above pristine rain forest; a visit to the top of Temple IV is an unforgettable experience. In Belize, Maya ruins are clustered in the north and west; the most impressive sites include Altun Ha, 45 km (28 mi) north of Belize City; Lamanai, the oldest Maya site in the country, about two and a half hours west of Belize City; and Caracol, in the Cayo district, a fe
w miles from the Guatemalan border.


Horseback Riding

The horse has always been the primary mode of transport in Belize's Cayo District, where there are many mountains but few roads. It's still common to see "cattlemen," Belizean cowboys, herding Brahmin cattle on horseback with guns slung over their shoulders (in case of jaguars). These days, riding is beginning to catch on with travelers, as it's a great way to explore the mountain landscape. Many hotels and lodges rent horses both by the hour and by the day, and several specialty operations have fine remudas.


Nature's Bounty

Nearly two-thirds of the estimated 4.5 million species of animals and plants on earth live in the tropics -- making moist tropical forests the most species-rich ecosystems on the planet. Belize and Guatemala thus have between them a nearly unfathomable natural wealth. Both countries have made concerted efforts to preserve their natural heritage, and these have paid off. In Guatemala, the government has set up protected areas known as biotopos and a national park system, both of which, despite chronic underfunding, aim to preserve both the country's natural resources and wildlife, and its immense archaeological heritage. In Belize, Herculean efforts to promote ecotourism have resulted in well-run national parks, nature reserves, and wildlife sanctuaries. Many of the protected areas in both countries are in remote locations and are often difficult to reach; some are accessible only by all-terrain vehicles and even boat trips through the jungle. As long as you're prepared, however, getting there will
indeed be half the fun.


Scuba Diving

It's no secret that the Barrier Reef, a coral necklace stretching the length of Belize, offers some of the best diving in the world. The reef is not only the longest in the Western Hemisphere, but also the most spectacular: clear, unpolluted water and a smorgasbord of marine and coral life make diving here an exhilarating experience. Although the diving is excellent almost anywhere along the reef, the very best is around the many coral atolls farther out to sea, where you can take some of the most spectacular wall dives in the world -- the water falls away, within sight of the shore, to as much as 3,000 feet. Particularly spectacular is the diving around Turneffe Island and Lighthouse Reef, site of the famous Blue Hole; first dived by Jacques Cousteau in 1970, this has become something of a pilgrimage for divers from all over the world.


Sportfishing

Some of the most exciting sportfishing in the world lies off the coast of Belize. Fly-fishing is excellent on the shallow flats between the reef and the coast, giving anglers one of their few opportunities to achieve the "triple crown" -- tarpon, bonefish, and permit -- in one day. Out to sea, pelagics like sailfish, wahoo, and marlin abound. Several specialty resorts and fishing camps, such as Turneffe Flats, El Pescador, and the Setee River Lodge, cater to the angler, but most hotels can help you organize excellent fishing trips.