An Awesome Itinerary for Two Weeks in Belize
You can definitely see a lot of Belize in two weeks.
I was in the country for 20 days, but if you’ve only got two weeks, Belize is the perfect size for you to make a good effort at seeing everything the island has to offer. Two weeks in Belize is also a much better idea for your budget than three… as I came to find out.
This Belize travel blog will help you plan your trip. I’ve created an in-depth itinerary for two weeks in Belize that’s going to ensure you have the best trip possible. Read on for the details.
You’ll see the same things to do in Belize advertised in every city and town; this is because Belize is so easy to get around by bus (scroll to the end for advice on in country travel) and there’s a set route in Belize most people follow to see the best of the country.
Belize really is a great country for independent backpackers to explore as much as possible in a short time.
Itinerary for 2 Weeks in Belize
Belize is a wonderful country on the Caribbean coast of northern Central America. Here’s the best 2 week Belize itinerary for the best trip ever!
Day 1: arrive in Belize City
Arrive into Philip S W Goldson Airport in Belize City. There aren’t any public transport options for getting into Belize City unfortunately so you’ll need to get a taxi to Belize City. This will be $50BZD / £20. Don’t let them charge you more, but you could offer less.
If you’re a solo traveller you could try and partner up with someone to make it cheaper, although I guarantee the taxi drivers won’t like it.
Belize City is only 15-30 minutes away from the airport depending on the traffic. I’d recommend you spend two nights in Belize City to readjust and have a look around the old capital of Belize.
I stayed at the Sea Breeze Hotel in Belize City. I’d only recommend this place if you’re looking for the cheapest hotel accommodation possible though. The sheets were the most threadbare I’ve ever seen any piece of fabric. The place was also surrounded by barbed wire – good for security I guess. The room was fine though and had a view out onto the street off the balcony, a fan and a shared bathroom all for $50BZD / £20 per night.
They did have some better rooms but I went for the cheapest.
I visited The Radisson for a beer while I was in Belize City – really nice but at around £100 per night, way above my budget, maybe not yours?
Afternoon in Belize City Old Town
You could spend the afternoon in the Old Town in Belize, or looking round the shops in the new. Either grab some street food in town for your dinner, or try out the Smokey Mermaid Restaurant and Bar by the beach. The menu and the surroundings were cool, but sadly they don’t serve food on Sundays, the day I was there. I went to Celebrity Restaurant, thought to be one of the best in the city, my shrimp curry was pretty average though and shockingly for me, I didn’t eat it all.
Belize City was totally instagrammable. You know what I mean – a bit dark, dilapidated, colourful, interesting and kind of grimey. But so cool.
Day 2: explore Belize City
Get up, get the Belizean fry jacks for breakfast – you’ll eat a lot of them in two weeks in Belize, and you might not fit in your trousers by the end but it’ll be worth it – and then go to the Belize City Zoo.
There’s no need to get a taxi, don’t listen to what the taxi drivers say, you can get a bus for $3BZD / £1.20 each way and 40 minutes. Just ask the conductor to let you know when you’re about to come up to the zoo and he’ll let you off.
There’s loads to see at the zoo. It’s difficult to say how long you’ll be there – I guess it depends how into the animals you are. You can take a look at some of the animals you’ll see at Belize Zoo here.
The food at Belize City Zoo looked a bit grim, but they have the usual snacks and coffee bar you’d expect in case you’re worn out after seeing all those animals.
Still day 2: The Tourist Village
Get the bus back and go straight to the Tourist Village on the harbour. Here you’ll find at least four restaurants worthy of a meal. They shut down at 5ish after the cruise ships have left so make sure you’re back in time. You can enjoy a few cocktails and beers before or after looking around the many shops there.
As the name suggests, the Tourist Village is pretty touristy, but it’s good for a little look around. It was built to entice all the cruise ships in and has bought millions of pounds into Belize. All good.
How safe is Belize City?
Before I went to Belize City I was nervous, in fact I wouldn’t have even bothered going if I didn’t need an emergency trip to the dentist, but I actually really liked it there.
I stayed for three nights and didn’t have a problem.
After two months of struggling with Spanish in Guatemala and Mexico I enjoyed the fact everyone spoke English in Belize, and although you do get banter from the guys hanging out on the street I definitely wouldn’t call it hassling.
Give back as good as they give and know when to move on and you’ll be fine. Or ideally, just ignore them and carry on.
Day 3: get to Caye Caulker
Get up, pack your stuff and swing by the coffee shop by the Caye Caulker water taxi. They have loads of different varieties of the good stuff and you might as well try the Belizean special – the cinnamon roll – while you’re there.
There are two companies that run water taxis out to Caye Caulker. The Caye Caulker Water Taxi has two boats a day and is a lot cheaper (return $29BZD / £12), while the Belize Water Taxi goes more often and was $30BZD / £12 one way.
I accidentally used both, sadly for my return ticket, and can say that the experience is exactly the same so it’s up to you whether the time or money is more important.
It takes about 40 minutes to get across. Make sure you have your camera ready for the beautiful approach into Caye Caulker.
Accommodation on Caye Caulker
I stayed at two different places on Caye Caulker, which I’d only recommend to budget backpackers: Dirty McNasty Hostel ($32BZD pppn) and Blue Wave Hotel ($22BZD pppn). A lot of people I met had booked one night at a hostel and then moved to some cheaper accommodation on the island once they were there as there was plenty about, it just wasn’t advertised.
Spend the rest of the day in Caye Caulker wandering around and getting to know the place. There’s some great food on Caye Caulker – my favourite restaurant was definitely Enjoy, or try Sobre las Olas right on the waterfront.
Tip for you; go in the afternoon rather than the evening. The sandflies are buggers.
Down at The Split you’ll find the perfect spot for lying in the sun with a beer. The guy from the crazy boat you’ll see there will probably try to get you to buy him rum. He’s funny. Humour him, and if you’re feeling generous, treat him too.
My favourite place at night on Caye Caulker was the Sports Bar and Grill followed by I&I Bar. They’ve got swings at the bar, what more could you want?
Be careful of Voodoo Bar though, it’s pretty sketchy in there.
Visiting the Blue Hole in Belize
Have a look around and work out what tours you want to do while you’re in Caye Caulker.
If you do want to check out the Blue Hole you’ll need to book on in good time and check what days the tours go before you start making any grand travel plans.
I’d recommend to do any diving with Frenchie’s Diving School, they’re awesome. If you’ve got more than two weeks in Belize consider doing your Open Water PADI with them, or your Advanced, depending on what level you’re at.
I did and you can check the link for the full review.
Day 4: have fun in Caye Caulker
Today’s the day for diving. If you’ve managed to afford and seek out a dive trip to the Blue Hole, well done.
Other options for what to do on day 4 of your two-week Belize itinerary include Esmerelda and anywhere on Goff’s Caye. There are lots of companies offering the same kind of trips, and the only one I can personally vouch for is Frenchie’s, who I did my PADI course with, but ask around to find the right one for you.
Watch my little video about snorkelling at Caye Caulker Marine Reserve here
If diving’s not your thing then instead you could:
- Explore the Caye Caulker Hol Chan Marine Reserve
- Go paddle boarding
- Try wind surfing
- Rent out a kayak
There are no cars on Caye Caulker, just a few business vans that had to apply for a special licence. People get around on bikes ($5 an hour, definitely worth a go) or golf carts if they have further to go. You can rent them out if you’re lazy or if just want to put the pedal to the metal at 5mph.
Speed demon.
Restaurants on Caye Caulker
Sometimes I tried to be cheap and eat from the shop, but everything, and I mean everything, that I bought in the whole of Belize that comes in a packet tasted dry and stale.
Raisin bran, cornflakes, chocolate bars, crisps, sweets, all included.
My most successful attempt was bread rolls and tuna, but then a dog came and attacked me for the tuna and I came home a bit tipsy and ate the other two dry bread rolls, meaning I’d scoffed four in a day.
Not my proudest moment.
The barbecues by Frenchie’s Diving School are a good shout. Huge lobster, or “ghetto lobster” as my friend called it, for cheap as chips and you can scoff the lot on the picnic bench by the water.
Fry Jacks in Belize
Forget the fresh lobster and morning catch fish, the most popular thing to have for breakfast in Belize is fry jacks. I’d never heard of them before either. I’d heard a murmur surrounding they’re deliciousness as soon as I arrived on Caye Caulker, but it took two weeks of being in Belize until I finally got round to trying it. And all thanks to my new Belizean friend Nadine.
I was with two friends and we went out for dinner to Sobre des Alos on the waterfront in Caye Caulker. We got chatting with the waitress, Nadine, who’s awesome, and by the end of the night she’d invited us round for breakfast to her house the next morning.