Plan a trip

Where the river does the driving

Lodges on the Macal and Mopan, a jaguar reserve, the New River up to Lamanai, and a night at Tikal across the border. Inland Belize is reached by water more often than you'd expect.

Inland

Cayo

River lodges on the Macal and Mopan, the ATM cave, pine ridge waterfalls and Caracol.

  • December to MayCheck before you travel
  • 3 to 4 nights
  • Drive from BZE (about 2 hours)Check before you travel
A still, green river between banks of dense forest, seen past the railings of a bridge.
Inland

Cockscomb Basin

A jaguar reserve with forest trails and a waterfall, half an hour from the sea.

  • December to May for drier trailsCheck before you travel
  • A day, or 1 night
  • Drive from Hopkins (about 30 minutes)Check before you travel
Illustration
Inland

The north

Lagoons full of birds, the New River to Lamanai, and the dory-builders of Sarteneja.

  • February to May, when the lagoons shrink and birds gatherCheck before you travel
  • 3 to 4 nights
  • Crooked Tree from BZE (about 1 hour by road)Check before you travel
An aerial view of a dark river winding through flat, green forest and wetland that runs to the horizon.
Side trip

Tikal side trip

Across the border from Cayo for a night inside the national park, with entry rules to plan around.

  • December to April for drier pathsCheck before you travel
  • 1 night (2 days)
  • Drive from San Ignacio, with the border (about 2.5 hours)Check before you travel
A steep stone temple pyramid rising above the forest canopy, its top lit orange by the last light of the day.

Routes that pass through

Ready-made shapes for a trip, each one changed to fit you.

All routes
10 to 11 nights

River to Reef

A river lodge in Cayo, down the Hummingbird Highway to Garifuna Hopkins, then out to South Water Caye or Glover's Reef.

  • Cayo → Hopkins & Dangriga → Glover's & South Water
  • Best: Jan, Feb, Mar, Apr, May, Nov, DecCheck before you travel
  • Works with children
A still, green river between banks of dense forest, seen past the railings of a bridge.
12 nights

The Southern Coast, Slowly

Hopkins, then Placencia (Gladden Spit in season), Cockscomb, Toledo and Punta Gorda, and the Sapodilla Cayes.

  • Hopkins & Dangriga → Cockscomb Basin → Placencia → Toledo & Punta Gorda
  • Best: Feb, Mar, Apr, MayCheck before you travel
  • Works with children
An open-sided beach bar with a white roof among coconut palms, tables and stools on the sand, and a lounger in the foreground.