The 11 Most Instagrammable Spots in Belize

Belize is so incredibly photogenic.  If you’ve never been, it’s easy to imagine the beautiful reef and the SCUBA diving that the country is so famous for. But Belize, despite our tiny size, is so much more.  Beach, reef, jungle, wildlife, mountains, INCREDIBLE culture all in a country smaller than the state of Massachusetts.

And the huge bonus is the food.  If you don’t try, at the very least, fresh watermelon juice and conch ceviche, fry jacks and stew chicken, coconut rice & beans or breakfast tacos, fried whole hogfish and Belizean chocolate when you are here, you are crazy.

Here are the eleven of the most popular spots to snap a picture around the country.  Point, say BELIZE and click.  Insta-gold.

In no particular order.

THE Most Photogenic Jaguar at the Belize Zoo

Belize is famously home to the 3rd largest cat in world.  Cockscomb Wildlife Sanctuary and Jaguar Preserve is the first of its kind, 150 square miles of mountain and jungles and home to hundreds of the jaguars.  But these guys want very little to do with humans – and it is RARE, even to the local guides, to see one of the gorgeous cats on a hike.

SO your best spot to spot one is at the Belize Zoo.  Junior Buddy, who was born at the zoo (his mom was a rescue, pregnant) and Jr. just turned 10 years old.  He is perhaps the most handsome male I’ve ever seen.  And he isn’t shy about posing for photographs.

The Rainbow Belize Sign in Belize City

Giant rainbow letters spelling out the name of a city or a country seem to be popping up EVERYWHERE.  These letter by the cruise ship port in the Fort George Historic Area of Belize City always make for a good picture.

Xunantunich Maya Site

Belize is pretty much covered with Maya mounds, artifacts and sites big and small.  There are so many great ones to visit – Lamanai in the North, Lubaantan in the South, Caracol in the West but the one that I think is the most photogenic is Xunantunich.  It’s not the biggest, not the showiest but in my book?  It’s just right.

And the view of Western Belize and Guatemala is spectacular.

The Blue Hole

The sinkhole in the midst of a coral atoll is probably the most famous site in Belize because…it’s freaking amazing.  The snorkel and dive trip out there is FANASTIC…so so beautiful but from sea level, you can’t make out the sinkhole.

But from the air?

The Beautiful Murals in San Ignacio

The murals in downtown San Ignacio are just gorgeous – detailed beautiful art in a public place.  They practically beg to be photographed.

I LOVE BELIZE Sign at Blue Water Grill

This sign at one of Ambergris Caye’s most popular beach front restaurants is just so super cute.  PLUS it changes colors for different holidays.  Camera phone magic.

The Split in Caye Caulker

The tiny island of Caye Caulker in North Belize was cut in half by Hurricane Hattie in 1961 leaving a perfect aqua blue path through the caye.

View of Caye Caulker from the air

The beach bar and the infrastructure at “The Split” are seeing changes but it’s the scenery is always gorgeous.

Shark Ray Alley

Pull up to this super popular snorkel stop and the hungry sharks circle around.  They are nurse sharks but…still.

Jump on in!

The Truck Stop Ambergris Caye

The Belize mural at this hot spot just north of San Pedro town is photographed whether the food park is open or closed.

But open is way better.

Gorgeous photo from the Truck Stop’s FB page & by David Bergman, www.davidbergman.net

Flying co-pilot on our local airlines

Flying over Belize is just gorgeous – and really gives you a sense of how much land is relatively untouched and how few people there are.  (The population is just about 330,000.)

The fastest, funnest (that’s a word, right?) way to go is flying.  Hop on one of the small Cessna airplanes with Tropic Air – and there is a decent chance, if the flight is full, that you’ll be asked to sit in the co-pilots seat.

Christmas card material.

Bonus points for a selfie with the Blue Hole!

With Jet at Jet’s Bar, International Airport

This bitty bar owner in the far corner of Belize’s International Airport is famous (AOL named it one of the 10 best airport bars in the WORLD!) – not because it serves the best drinks or for the hot dogs and potato chips that it serves but for the owner, Jet.

He has been on his feet working the airport for over 30 years, 363 days a year.   He is often compared to Tattoo on Fantasy Island, he’s a huge flirt and let’s just say that he uses his diminutive height to his advantage.

Just ask Chelsea Handler – their picture is right behind her during her first Netflix stand up special.

Go Jet.

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