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 by the decaying buildings and the pollution of the Belize River, but it's possible to spend many 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.

Northern Belize is relatively flat and often swampy, with a large proportion of agricultural land, though as everywhere in Belize there are Maya ruins and nature reserves. Lamanai , near Orange Walk, is one of the most impressive Maya sites in the country, and the lagoons here and at Sarteneja and Crooked Tree offer a superb protected habitat for wildlife. Adjacent to the Guatemalan border is the vast Rio Bravo Conservation Area .

The largest of the cayes, Ambergris Caye , draws more than half of all tourists to Belize, their main destination being the resort town of San Pedro . To the south, Caye Caulker is the most popular of the islands amongst independent travellers. Many of the less developed cayes are becoming easier to reach, and organized trips are available to the atolls of Lighthouse Reef and Glover's Reef .

In the west, the Cayo District has everything for the ecotourist: Maya ruins and rainforest, rivers and caves, with excellent accommodation in every price range in the main town of San Ignacio . Caracol , the largest Maya site in Belize, is now a routine day-trip from San Ignacio, while the magnificent ruin of Xunantunich is also within easy reach.

Dangriga , the main town of the south-central region, serves as a jumping-off point for the little-visited central cayes and Glover's Reef atoll, as well as for trips to the Cockscomb Basin Wildlife Sanctuary . On the coast, the quiet Garífuna village of Hopkins sees more visitors every year, while further south the delightful and laid-back Placencia Peninsula has some of the country's best beaches . Most visitors to Punta Gorda , the main town in the far south of Belize, are on their way to or from Puerto Barrios in Guatemala. If you venture inland, however, 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 only true rainforest in the country, dotted with caves, rivers and ruins.