With a graceful pivot, he flicks his tail fin and glides off — a parting gesture and welcome to the tropical wonderland of Belize.
I’m here with a small group, three days into a too-short jungle-and-sea adventure in this former British colony, once known as British Honduras. Nicknamed “the Jewel,” Belize is a magnet for eco-travelers drawn to its staggering array of outdoor pursuits.
From fly fishing, birding, kayaking, and jungle trekking to caving, tubing, diving, sailing, and exploring Ancient Maya Sites, Belize covers almost every adventure niche, seasoned with Creole, Mayan, Mestizo, and Garifuna cultural and culinary experiences for good measure.
Photo: Table Rock Jungle Lodge
After landing in Belize City, my first stop lies two hours away by car. We travel southeast through Belmopan and past San Ignacio, about 20 minutes from the Guatemalan border at Melchor de Mencos. We’re staying just outside the city in the Cayo District, Belize’s largest and an eco-tourism hub for Ancient Maya Sites, caves, and the Mountain Pine Ridge Forest Reserve.
Our home base is Table Rock Jungle Lodge, a 175-acre retreat deep in the rainforest. Ten individual cabanas perch on a ridge overlooking the coiling Macal River.
A staffer relieves me of my luggage, and I head straight to the bar and dining area. Luke Combs twangs from a boombox, and behind the beautiful hand-crafted cedar and mahogany bar is Oscar, the affable barkeep. He’s mixing fresh watermelon, soursop, and pineapple juices with spiced Belizean rum to craft Table Rock Rum Punchers — served with reusable aluminum straws.
I’m joined by Carla Hayward, the lodge’s general manager. She explains the lodge, privately owned and 100 percent off-grid, has operated for 15 years. More than 200 solar panels generate all needed power, and 60 acres of farm and gardens supply produce, chicken, and eggs. There are banana, orange, and coconut trees; nature trails; and dozens of acres of mahogany.
“We’re an eco-lodge, and sustainability is central to who we are,” says Hayward. “Most of our furniture is made onsite in our carpentry shop. Whatever food we don’t grow, we source locally. Even our canoes are made here.” Responsible stewardship is clearly the ethos at Table Rock.
Though the cabanas aren’t air-conditioned, I don’t miss it. Ceiling fans, screened windows, and a screened porch keep the air moving.
I soon learn jungle quiet doesn’t mean silence. My cabana is surrounded by a symphony of howler monkeys, cicadas chirping like offbeat steam calliopes, tree frogs knocking on the walls, and mysterious critters going bump in the night. I love every note. It’s the best white noise I’ve ever slept with.
Table Rock serves three meals daily, with fresh Belizean fare heavy on tropical fruit, veggies, and proteins. Breakfast is my favorite: a Maya-inspired plate with refried black beans, soft scrambled eggs, bacon, chaya (Maya spinach), and warm, puffy fry jacks — deep-fried dough perfect with butter and honey. Buzzing hummingbirds dart in and out of the dining room drinking from feeders that hang on the periphery.
Our visit coincides with World Environment Day, a UN initiative promoting sustainability. We’re invited to join Table Rock’s mahogany reforestation project, ongoing for over a decade.
Years of colonial-era logging devastated Belize’s mahogany population. Table Rock’s reforestation program has planted more than 1,000 trees to date, and this morning, we added to that total. Our newly planted trees bear a plaque nearby with our name, and we’re provided GPS coordinates of our trees so we can monitor growth from home.
Photos: Belize Tourism Board and Michael J. Solender
Our next stop is Xunantunich, a major Maya archaeological site occupied between 600 and 1000 CE. Many structures here from the seventh century remain remarkably intact.
The towering 13-story El Castillo is Belize’s second-highest Mayan pyramid. Six main plazas at the site once hosted commerce, trade, and public events. What’s uncovered spans over one square mile, and archaeologists working here tell me only about one-third of the site has been excavated.
While my group climbs El Castillo to admire the intricate friezes and panoramic views of Guatemala, I rest in the shade beside a well-preserved pok-ta-pok (Maya ballgame) court, my wobbly knees in complaint.
Afterwards, we refuel at Benny’s Kitchen with salbutes (fried corn cakes topped with shredded chicken), rice and beans, and chilimole (a black squash-and-chicken soup), then set off for our next adventure: an ATV jungle and waterfall tour.
Following a safety briefing and ATV lesson from our host at Hunab-Ku Adventures, we head into the jungle from the villages of Cristo Rey and San Antonio into Elijio Panti National Park.
The powerful ATVs handle rocky, muddy, and twisty terrain with ease. Ninety minutes in, we park in a grassy clearing and hike 15 minutes to a rumbling — but unseen — waterfall.
Our steamy trek pays off with a refreshing swim in the waterfall-fed pool. I sit directly beneath the cascade for an impromptu jungle massage. After a rinse, a good meal, and an early bedtime, I sleep like a stone.
Photos: Belize Tourism Board and Dirk Francisco
Early the next morning, we head cross-country toward Belize’s southern coast, bound for South Water Caye. Our route winds along the fabled Hummingbird Highway, a 54-mile stretch between Belmopan and Dangriga.
Carved through a valley and paved over much of the single-gauge train tracks once used by colonialists to transport bananas, the road traverses some of Belize’s most geologically diverse and scenic inland terrain.
Around mile 26 heading south, the Maya Mountains emerge on the horizon, revealing a striking landform that resembles a man lying on his back. Dubbed the “Sleeping Giant,” it’s one of the most photographed features in Belize.
At mile 29, we encounter another curiosity: Magnetic Hill. Our vehicle, seemingly on a 15- to 20-degree downhill slope, rolls uphill when placed in neutral. (Spoiler: It’s an optical illusion caused by the road’s curves and surrounding landscape, making the descent appear like an ascent.)
Photo: Belize Tourism Board
Before our boat transfer from Dangriga, we detoured to Hopkins, the heart of Belize’s Garifuna culture. Descended from enslaved West Africans brought to the Caribbean in the late 1700s, today’s Garifuna — also known as Garinagu — make up about seven percent of Belize’s population. Their vibrant cultural and culinary traditions reflect Belize’s rich multicultural heritage.
At the Lebeha Drumming Center, we meet master drummers Jabbar Lambey and Warren Martinez, our cultural guides for a rhythmic performance and traditional hudutu — a rich fish stew with coconut milk, hot peppers, okra, and mashed plantains — prepared by Martinez’s grandmother. Their drumming and spirited dance tell stories of the Garifuna diaspora, daily life, and reverence for family and ancestors. It’s an intimate, moving experience.
After lunch, we head to the Dangriga jetty, where we’re picked up by the Black Orchid (named for Belize’s national flower), the all-purpose dive and transport boat of our hosts at South Water Caye’s Blue Marlin Beach Resort.
Photo: Blue Marlin Beach Resort
Blue Marlin occupies four of the cay’s 12 acres, with individual and family cabanas scattered across its hard-packed sand. The vibe is relaxed — there’s a breezy bar with a pool table and darts, and hearty home-cooked meals that taste like someone’s Belizean grandmother made them. Like Table Rock, it respects its surroundings with the utmost respect to eco-tourism.
I’m here for snorkeling at the Belize Barrier Reef Reserve, a network of coral reefs once called “the most remarkable reef in the West Indies” by Charles Darwin. It’s the largest and most pristine reef system in the Western Hemisphere, and second largest globally only to Australia’s Great Barrier Reef. A UNESCO World Heritage site, it lives up to every bit of its reputation.
Amir, Blue Marlin’s dive master and snorkel guide, takes us out aboard the Black Orchid. The ride is smooth and includes a bit of island hopping.
We cruise past Carrie Bow Cay, where Smithsonian Ocean conducts research, and then Bird Island, a red mangrove outcrop that’s home to frigates and other seabirds. Along a mangrove-lined stretch, we spot a pair of manatees patrolling the calm waters behind the reef.
The highlight, though, is snorkeling the reef itself. The water is so clear I could read a newspaper on the bottom 10 feet below. But it’s the coral — more than the fish — that stuns me.
Photo: Belize Tourism Board
Gnarled brain coral, flowing purple fans, and staghorn and elkhorn formations that resemble their namesakes all sway gently with the currents. Sea whips and sea fans provide shelter for a dazzling array of marine life. I spot parrotfish, barracuda, trumpetfish, and angelfish during my hour in the water.
Afterward, we head back for lunch, and soon, back home. As my time in Belize ends, I’m filled with adventure and sure of one thing — I’ll return to pick up right where I left off. 