Destination of the Month: Belize

Our feature destination of the month is none other than beautiful Belize!

Why: Belize is a tropical paradise with more than beach life to offer for adventurists. As one of the few destinations that offer entrance to the underworld, 300ft drops into the dark, and swims alongside rare manatees and reef sharks, Belize is a hot (in both senses of the word) destination from December - April.

Upcoming BikeHike Adventures in Belize
The Belize Blast starting every first Saturday of the month until May. You can start a new date with as few as two people.

Highlights of Belize

The Mayan Ruins of Xunantunich (pronounced "shoo-nahn-too-neech")
These ruins are arguably the most popular remnants of the Mayan civilization in Belize. The population in Xunantunich never exceeded 10,000 but they left a lasting impact with their architecture built in the 7th century AD.

Interesting Factoid: The friezes you see today at El Castillo are actually replicas; the originals are kept underneath for safekeeping.

Underwater Cave Systems
These dark caverns house more than stalactites, stalagmites and crytalline formations. The Maya believed that these caves were the homes of important dieties including the rain god, Chac. They would build ceremonial shrines for these gods and sometimes offer human sacrifices.

Interesting Factoid: According to Mayan beliefs, people were first created from corn dough taken from the flesh of the Maize God, the principal deity of creation. Mayans still consider themselves "corn people".

The Black Hole Drop
The abseil down this 300ft sinkhole called the Actun Loch Tunich takes you through forest canopy, past the mouth of a sacred Maya cave and down into a tropical forest paradise.

Interesting Factoid: One of the most popular questions people ask when they get to the bottom is "how do we get out?"

The Barrier Reef
The Belize Barrier Reef is the second longest continuous reef system in the world (the first is Australia's Great Barrier Reef). The reef can be accessed in Ambergris Caye, where rare manatees (aka sea cows) and reef sharks live. No need to worry about the sharks though, they're even more scared of people than we are of them.

Interesting Factoid: In the popular Disney movie Finding Nemo, Nemo's father stays male after his mother dies. In reality, if the head female clownfish dies, the head male clownfish will change its sex to become female.

Other Interesting Factoids About Belize

• Although many languages are spoken in Belize, it is the only country in South America where English is the official language.
• Over 40% of Belize's land is under legal protection.
• Belize's national anthem is "Land of the Free by the Carib Sea".
• Belize was known as the "British Honduras" until 1973.