The Rough Guide to Belize (Belize (Rough Guides), 1999) [Paperback]

Peter Eltringham (Author)

Book Description

Series: Belize (Rough Guides), 1999 | Publication Date: March 1, 1999

A travel guide to the country of Belize alone, which was formerly published as part of GUATEMALA AND BELIZE: THE ROUGH GUIDE. It contains advice on budget rooms, jungle lodges and other styles of accommodation available. It discusses the history and culture of Belize and is illustrated with maps and colour photographs.

Editorial Reviews

Review

A tour de force of relentless research, timely info and sharp writing...a must-carry for anyone traveling in Belize. -- Belize First magazine

Excerpt. © Reprinted by permission. All rights reserved.

WHERE TO GO

With its wealth of national parks and reserves, numerous small hotels and reliable public transport, Belize is an ideal place to explore independently; even on a short visit you’ll be able to take in both the little-visited Caribbean islands and the heartland of the ancient Maya. Almost every visitor will have to spend at least some time in Belize City, even if only passing through, as it’s the hub of the country’s transport system. First-time visitors may be shocked initially by the decaying buildings and the pollution of the river, but it is possible to spend several pleasant hours in this former outpost of the British Empire. In contrast, Belize’s capital, Belmopan, is primarily an administrative centre, with little to offer visitors. Midway between the two, the Belize Zoo is easily the best in Central America and well worth making the effort to visit, to see the native animals close up and learn about the zoo’s efforts towards their conservation.

Northern Belize is relatively flat and often swampy, with a large proportion of agricultural land, though still endowed, like everywhere in the country, with Maya ruins and nature reserves. Lamanai, near Orange Walk, is one of the most impressive Maya sites in the country, while the lagoons at Sarteneja (Shipstern Nature Reserve) on the northeast coast, and inland at Crooked Tree provide superb protected habitats for the country’s abundant wildlife, particularly birds. In the northwest, adjacent to the Guatemalan border, is the vast Rio Bravo Conservation Area, where hunting has been banned for over a decade, allowing the possibility of close encounters with the wildlife.

The mainland coast is almost entirely low-lying and swampy – wonderful for wildlife, but for swimming and underwater activities you’ll need to visit the cayes. The largest, Ambergris Caye, draws over half of all tourists to Belize, with the tiny resort town of San Pedro their main destination; Caye Caulker, to the south, is the most popular island for independent travellers. Many of the other cayes are now becoming easier to reach, and organized day-trips are available for divers and snorkellers to the wonderful atolls of the Turneffe Islands and Lighthouse Reef. Further south, off the coast of Honduras, the English-speaking, coral-fringed Bay Islands are a potential side-trip from Belize, offering a taste of Latin America in the Caribbean and some of the best-value diving in the world.

In the west of the country, San Ignacio and its environs offer everything the ecotourist could want: Maya ruins and rainforest, rivers and caves, and excellent accommodation in every price range. Caracol, the largest Maya site in Belize, is now a routine day-trip from here, while the magnificent ruins of Xunantunich lie en route to the Guatemalan border. Cross the border and a few hours later you can be in Tikal, one of the greatest of all Maya sites.

Dangriga, the main town of the south-central region, serves as a jumping-off point for visitors to the central cayes and atolls (little developed at present but more accessible every year) and for trips to the Cockscomb Basin Wildlife Sanctuary, home to the jaguar reserve. Further south, on the coast, the quiet Garífuna village of Hopkins sees more visitors with every year that passes, while the delightful, relaxed, fishing village of Placencia, at the tip of a long, curving peninsula, has some of the country’s best beaches. Most visitors to Punta Gorda, the main town of Toledo District, are on their way to or from Puerto Barrios in Guatemala by boat. Venture inland, however, and you’ll come across the villages of the Mopan and Kekchí Maya, set in some of the most stunning countryside in Belize and surrounded by the country’s only true rainforest. Here are yet more caves, rivers and Maya ruins, including Lubaantun, source of the enigmatic Crystal Skull.

WHEN TO GO

Belize lies in a subtropical latitude, so the weather is always warm by European standards, and often hot and humid. The immediate climate is largely determined by altitude: evenings in the forests of the Mountain Pine Ridge are generally pleasantly cool, while the lowland jungle is always steamy and humid. On the cayes, the sun’s heat is tempered by near constant ocean breezes.

Although Belize has its dry and rainy seasons, you’ll find that the sun shines most of the year, while rain can fall in any month. The dry season runs roughly from January to May, and the last couple of months before the rains come can be stiflingly hot. During the rainy season – officially May to November – mornings are generally clear and afternoons often drenched by downpours; this is when humidity is at its highest. During the heaviest of the rains rural roads can be flooded and journeys delayed, particularly in the south. There’s often a break from the rains in August (called the mauger season in Belize), and even before then the rain is rarely persistent enough to ruin a holiday. The worst of the rains fall in September and October, which is also the height of the hurricane season, when wind speeds can exceed 120kph, though most severe storms follow a track to the north of Belize. If you’re out on the cayes you’ll need to leave, but rest assured that Belize has an effici ent warning system and a network of shelters. The rain can continue into December, a time when cold fronts are sometimes pushed down from the north – lowering temperatures to 10°C for a couple of days – when you’ll be grateful you brought a sweater or jacket.

With all this in mind, the best time of year to visit Belize is from late December to March, when the vegetation is still lush and the skies are clear. This is the main tourist season and therefore the priciest time to visit. Plenty of people visit during the summer months, too, a period that’s appropriately promoted by the tourism industry as the "green season".

Product Details

• Paperback: 288 pages
• Publisher: Rough Guides (March 1, 1999)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1858283515
• ISBN-13: 978-1858283517
• Product Dimensions: 7.7 x 5 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 8.8 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (5 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #4,139,824 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

80 of 81 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars tour de force of relentless research, timely info & sharp, February 9, 1999

By 

Belize Traveller (North Carolina) - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: The Rough Guide to Belize (Belize (Rough Guides), 1999) (Paperback)

Hooray! Belize now has its own Rough Guide. In the past, Belize has been combined with Guatemala in one edition. The new Belize edition, by Peter Eltringham (who co-authored the old Guatemala-Belize guide and has a hand in several other of Rough Guides to Mexico and Central America) is a tour de force of relentless research, timely info and sharp writing.

I want to try to explain why this is such a good guide. But first, let's get something out of the way -- the name. Many North American reader still think the Rough Guides, published in London, are for budget travelers. In fact, as I understand it, the name Rough is an Anglicism meant to suggest that it is an approximation, an expected plan, as in a "rough plan." The Rough Guides, of which there are now more than a hundred, are definitely not just for travelers who are "roughing it." In fact, they cover all levels of travel, from budget to upmarket. A name change awhile back didn't stick, and the guides now go by the name by which they're known to experience travelers the world over, Rough Guides.

Anyway, back to the new guide to Belize. Peter Eltringham first came to Belize with the Royal Air Force. He's been just about everywhere in Belize and knows it inside out. Turn to any section, and his recommendations on hotels, restaurants and what to do are almost always spot on. Although he's generous -- occasionally to a fault -- with hotels he likes, Peter can be blunt: He's willing to call a hotel overpriced when it is or to point out the illegal cutting of mangroves by resort developers.

This guide is especially good on lesser-known destinations such as the southern cayes or Corozal District. There's also a helpful section on Tikal and one on the Honduras Bay Islands, though this latter section was written before Hurricane Mitch and is therefore nearly useless. A section called Contexts offers insightful information on Belize history, music, literature and other subjects.

In short, this is a must-carry for anyone traveling in Belize.

14 of 15 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Just back from Belize 5-25-00, June 9, 2000

By 

Brian C. Bennett (Nebraska, USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Rough Guide to Belize (Belize (Rough Guides), 1999) (Paperback)

This was the best of the 3 guide books that we bought and read before we went to Belize. The information was helpful and accurate. It is now all beat up because I carried it during heavy rain during my trip to Tikal.

14 of 16 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Rough Guides Rock!, January 7, 2000

By 

Alys Spillman (Burlington, VT) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Rough Guide to Belize (Belize (Rough Guides), 1999) (Paperback)

Hi out there,

I would highly reccomend this book to anyone who is interested in traveling in Belize. It really gives you the straight story on how to go about getting to Belize, and what to expect once you arrive. Very down to earth approach to writing a guidebook. I encourage people to get Rough Guides when they travel, I have had very good luck with them.