When you hear the word Belize, you might think it must be somewhere in South America or Europe or even Africa.

Belize is a small country bordered by the southernmost part of Mexico, Guatemala on the south and west sides, and the glorious Caribbean Sea to the east. The country has a population of around a quarter of a million people. It is the only English speaking country in Central America. It is a third world country but it has a lot to offer.

There are jungles, waterfalls, and Mayan ruins scattered throughout the country. There are wild animals like jaguars, wild boars, spider monkeys, howler monkeys and many more. The birds are everywhere. There is a wide variety of parrots, toucans, hummingbirds, cranes and more for bird lovers. Belize boasts the second largest coral reef in the world and as such is probably one of the most popular tourist destinations in the country for day visitors arriving on cruise ships. The reef teams with all kinds of colorful fish and corals. The waters are also teeming with nurse sharks and stingrays that brush up against divers as they stand in the shallows. There are also bottlenose dolphins and, at certain times of the year, the impressive whale sharks appear.

Belize’s primary language is English because it is a Commonwealth country, but many other languages ​​can be heard in this colorful country as well. It is not uncommon to hear Spanish, broken English, a low German dialect, various Chinese dialects, and some Mayan dialects in more remote regions.

The people of Belize as a whole are friendly and optimistic. However, like most third world tourist destinations, you are likely to run into people asking for money and desperate vendors trying to make a living. The average wage for Belizean workers is approximately 40 Belize dollars per day, which is equivalent to US$20.00 per day.

There is so much more to discover in Belize and who knew it was so close to home. Go online and plan your trip to Belize. You will return year after year.