| Page Views: 2,803 Last Visit to Belize City: March, 2005 | Belize ~ Dedicated to Wildlife Preservation by starship - last update: May 28, 2008 |
Belize City & Surrounding Countryside Before visiting Belize, I really didn't know much about it, but all that I read indicated that this Central American country was a leader in the conservation of its wildlife, most notably its jaguars. That single fact was more than enough to entice me to want to visit Belize. What I soon learned was that Belize is a veritable wildlife paradise.
Belize is home to the Cockscomb Basin Jaguar Reserve, the only one in the world. It strives to conserve other indigenous wildlife such as Howler Monkeys and also their habitat. Approximately 40% of the Belizean land mass is dedicated to nature reserves! When I happened to find a cruise that actually had a port of call in Belize, well, it didn't take long to reach the decision to book it!
As it turned out, Belize was so beautiful and the people so welcoming and seemingly appreciative of visitors that it all just made for a fantastic visit. Unfortunately I was not able to visit Caye Caulker, or Ambergris Caye, but that leaves us something to look forward to in the future if we visit Belize again.
There were, literally, scores of excursions and tour options available from our ship or that could be booked independently and making the final decision on what to do our one day in port was really difficult----there were some great Mayan Ruins to visit, the River Cave Tubing was really appealing, snorkeling which I love too, horseback riding, and of course, the wildlife tours!! We finally decided on the wildlife tour which was great but almost everyone wished we could have taken the River Cave Tubing excursion as well!! As it was, we were able to see some of Belize City itself, then went about 50 miles inland by motorcoach to visit a museum and wildlife nearby and returned to the city by a speedy boat with a fantastic ride down the Old Belize River!
A Brief History ~
(UNDER CONSTRUCTION) |
|  | A Few Interesting Facts Belize was formerly known as British Honduras. However, Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II is still the constitutional head of state and she is represented in Belize by a Govenor General who must be Belizean. There is a bicameral National Assembly (Senate & House of Representatives).
Suffrage: Universal at age 18.
Belize is home to the only Jaguar preserve in the world.
Belize has the second largest barrier reef in the world.
Belize is home of the Swing Bridge at Haulover Creek, the world's only manual swing bridge which is still being swung daily.
Belize is the only country in Central America where the official language is English.
The Belizean dollar (BZ$) is pegged at 1US$ to 2 BZ$. |
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| Pros: | "Wildlife, Mayan Ruins, Diving, Friendly People" | | Cons: | "Can be more expensive than you think!" | | In A Nutshell: | "A fabulous country to explore!" |
starship's Belize City Travel Tips
 Comments for starship about Belize City | | | | |
penumbra Sat Oct 31, 2009 02:16 UTC
Looks like a wonderful place to take in some Colonial architecture. | evaanna Wed Jul 8, 2009 20:49 UTC
Sounds like a great holiday destination. I'd love the boat trip and exploring the Mayan sites. Interesting story of the benefactor of Belize. What a pity he never even set foot there. :( Excellent page with lots of useful information. | DAO Sun Sep 7, 2008 20:39 UTC
Born in Hazard KY, educated in NC, including UNC. Go Tar Heels! | volopolo Sat Jun 14, 2008 02:47 UTC
Nice page |
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