Belize

Belize is the Caribbean country we route for travelers who've done the resort week and want the country alongside it. The Belize Barrier Reef — the second-largest in the world — sits twenty minutes off the coast and delivers some of the cleanest dive water in the hemisphere. Inland, Mayan ruins at Caracol and Xunantunich rival anything in Mexico, with a fraction of the foot traffic. We split most Belize trips between an Ambergris Caye or Placencia beach base and a jungle eco-lodge stay near San Ignacio.

We work with Belize operators we've used for years — guides who run small dive boats to the Blue Hole, drivers who know which Mayan sites are clear at 8 AM, and lodge owners who'll send breakfast to your cabana when the howler monkeys wake you up at sunrise.

• Blue Hole snorkel or scuba day from Ambergris Caye
• Belize Barrier Reef diving — second-largest reef in the world
• Mayan ruins at Caracol or Xunantunich, private guide
• Jungle eco-lodge stay near San Ignacio
• Cave tubing through Actun Tunichil Muknal
• Optional combo: 4 nights jungle + 4 nights beach

Belize runs November through May (dry season, reef visibility peaks). June through October is rainy — passes quickly, but bring a layer for the inland evenings.