One of the first things visitors notice about Belize is the clear turquoise shallow water at many beaches in the country. Given its proximity to the Belize Barrier reef, the water is not only crystal clear, but warm and calm year-round. During the past decade, many of our clients have been curious to know what are the best beaches in Belize. Our team has explored this diverse country and it’s wonderful beaches to bring an accurate answer to our readers and clients.
What are the best beaches in Belize?
The following is a list of beaches we have ranked for our readers with a brief description of every beach. This list is also advice to first time newcomers to the country. Anyone who comes to Belize to step on the cleanest and most exotic beaches of the Caribbean should skip Belize city and go straight to the beaches we’ve listed here.
Those who visit Belize exclusively for picture-perfect beaches should do as the expats do and take a boat to one of the islands surrounding the mainland. With nearly 400 Caye’s stretching the entire coastline and still mostly uninhabited they are home to some of the finest beaches.
Ambergris Caye has miles of white sand beach that are postcard quality. Since the Cayes are coral based the beaches are made of coral dust which is nearly sugar white and always cool on the feet. The west side of Ambergris has similar quality beaches with calm waters, with sand bottom and beautiful sunsets popularized by Secret Beach.
To the south Ranguana Caye and the Snake Cayes have the widest beaches and the friendliest sea floor for wading through the water on a hot day.While not all islands have the same type of sand, our preference would definitely be the white coral sand beach, which is composed of finely crushed coral. This type of sand does not burn your feet and makes Belizean beaches look like no other in the world.
These are our top picks!
- Ranguana Caye
- Sapodilla Cayes
- The Silk Cayes
- Goff’s Caye
- Snake Cayes
Visiting these islands should be on everyone’s travel goal list in the coming years. These zones are still not experiencing heavy tourist traffic, but this is expected to change in the next decade. As of today, you can still relax and enjoy the privacy of an entire island for you and your party. If you decide you want to live in an island, then why not buy one while they’re still affordable?
RemaxVIP recommends finding an experienced guide to get your party to an island safely.
Previous Caribbean sailing experience is needed when sailing to the cayes and islands, as it is important to maneuver your ship through the sometimes shallow Belizean waters. Experienced local guides can steer you safely into your island of choice.
The Best Beaches in Belize — the Mainland
If you’re not the biggest fan of floating land, then you should try Southern Belize — home to many beautiful beaches replenished by river sand that flows down from the mountains to the sea and gives the beaches a nice beige color. From Dangriga to Hopkins and through to Placencia lays one continuous beach where waters are calm and great for swimming. Monkey river deposits beautiful sand down its coastline to Punta Icacos to the south making it home to the widest beaches in Belize.
Placencia has a recently paved main road overlooking the beach, and just like Hopkins, these two villages are experiencing a tourism hike thanks to the cruise ships that come down to Belize and bring new beach lovers every day. Remember every beach in Belize is home to little reef systems that eventually merge into the Belize Barrier reef, giving visitors an amazing glance at local ecosystems full of lobsters and schools of fish.
It will be a long time until Placencia or Hopkins become anything like Cancun or Playa del Carmen. With all the efforts placed by the Belizean government to have a sustainable tourism sector, visitors should NOT worry about crowded beaches.
P.S. — If your idea of a beach is a secluded rocky haven where you can jump into ice cold water, then there’s also a place for you in the little beaches found at river banks, such as the Swasey River— a place with large rocks that serve as diving platforms, with a nearby white sand bank.
P.S.S — San Pedro is a beautiful place, and one of my favorite places in Belize, but it did not make the list due to its abundance of seagrass, which removed it from the list of best beaches. My condolences, Isla Bonita.
