Ten things worth planning a trip around

Every one is private, with licensed guides and captains. We tell you who each suits, when it works, and what can go wrong.

The atolls by private boat

Turneffe and Lighthouse Reef on your own boat and your own timetable, including the Blue Hole, framed honestly.

  • March to June for the calmest crossingsCheck before you travel
  • Snorkellers and divers who'd rather leave early and come back when they choose
  • Turneffe Atoll, Lighthouse Reef, Ambergris Caye, Caye Caulker
An aerial view of white surf breaking in lines over a reef, with green-blue water behind it.

Whale sharks at Gladden Spit

In spring, around the full moon, whale sharks come to feed off Placencia. It's a chance, never a promise.

  • Roughly March to June, best in April and May, around the full moonCheck before you travel
  • Confident swimmers and divers who can be flexible about which day they go
  • Placencia
An open-sided beach bar with a white roof among coconut palms, tables and stools on the sand, and a lounger in the foreground.

A private caye or atoll lodge

Glover's Reef, South Water Caye or Turneffe: a few rooms, the reef off the beach, and nobody else.

  • March to June for calm seas; avoid the windiest winter weeksCheck before you travel
  • Couples and families who want the reef to themselves for a couple of days
  • Glover's & South Water, Turneffe Atoll
Illustration: A private caye or atoll lodge

Garifuna Hopkins

A drumming lesson, a hudut supper, and Settlement Day on 19 November for those who can time it.

  • All year; Settlement Day is 19 NovemberCheck before you travel
  • Anyone who wants to meet the coast, not just look at it
  • Hopkins & Dangriga
Black and white photo of a group of people at the end of a long wooden dock over the sea, under a streaked sky.

A river lodge in Cayo

A few nights on the Macal or Mopan, with a canoe at the bottom of the garden and birds at breakfast.

  • December to May; green and quiet in the rainsCheck before you travel
  • Everyone on a first trip; families especially
  • Cayo
A still, green river between banks of dense forest, seen past the railings of a bridge.

The ATM cave

A river cave with ancient remains inside. Physical, remarkable for the right people, and strictly regulated.

  • All year; closed after heavy rainCheck before you travel
  • Fit adults and older children who can swim and don't mind the dark
  • Cayo
A tall, narrow waterfall dropping down a dark rock face into a deep green pool, framed by forest.

The New River to Lamanai

Crocodiles and herons on the way, temples in the forest at the end.

  • All year; drier months are easier on footCheck before you travel
  • Birders, families, and anyone who prefers their ruins with a boat ride
  • The north
An aerial view of a dark river winding through flat, green forest and wetland that runs to the horizon.

Fly-fishing the flats

Permit, tarpon and bonefish on the flats, catch and release, with guides who've fished them for years.

  • Bonefish all year; tarpon and permit vary by monthCheck before you travel
  • Anglers, from keen beginners to people chasing a grand slam
  • Ambergris Caye, Turneffe Atoll, Placencia
A small open motor boat on clear, pale turquoise water beside a wooden dock with a slatted wooden crab trap on it.

Sailing by private catamaran

From Placencia or San Pedro, island to island inside the reef, for a day or several.

  • February to June for steady winds and calm waterCheck before you travel
  • Couples, families and friends who want the cayes without the hotel changes
  • Placencia, Ambergris Caye, Caye Caulker
A small catamaran with a red and yellow sail carrying a few people across clear turquoise water, with mangroves behind.

Northern dory country

Sarteneja's wooden sailing dories, the lagoons of Shipstern, and manatees in Corozal Bay.

  • February to MayCheck before you travel
  • Travellers interested in boats, fishing life and quiet wildlife
  • The north
A calm, glassy bay under a clear blue sky, with palms and low buildings along the shore in the distance.