Belize Holidays

No. UK passport holders can visit Belize without a visa for 30 days. Your passport must be valid for more than 3 months after you arrive, and some airlines ask for 6. You may be asked to show a return ticket and enough money for your stay. Belize recommends filling in its digital immigration and customs form before you fly. To stay longer, an immigration office can extend your stay for 200 Belize dollars per extra 30 days.

The dry season runs from February to May, the best time for diving, snorkelling, hiking and the caves. The rainy season runs from June to December, with heavy showers that often come in the afternoon and a drier break in late July or August. The hurricane season runs from June to November, with the most risk from August to October. It is warm all year, around 29 degrees Celsius on average.

The Belize Dollar (BZD) is pegged to the US Dollar at a fixed rate of 2:1, which makes mental arithmetic straightforward. US dollars are widely accepted alongside BZD throughout the country. Credit cards are accepted at most hotels and restaurants in tourist areas, but carry cash for smaller businesses, market stalls, community visits, and water-taxi fares. ATMs are available in Belize City, San Ignacio, San Pedro, and other main towns.

There are no direct flights from the UK to Belize. The quickest way is with Air Canada via Montréal, on Sundays in the winter season, subject to availability: you land in Belize the same evening, about 15 hours after leaving Heathrow. On other days, flights change in the US, usually in Atlanta, Miami, Houston or Dallas, with Delta, British Airways and American, or United, and mean a night on the way: about 22 to 32 hours, landing the next day. We checked dates in December 2026 and January 2027. Changing planes in the US needs an ESTA, and in Canada an eTA, even if you never leave the airport, so apply online before you book. Philip Goldson International Airport (BZE) is about 20 minutes from Belize City. Domestic flights connect to Ambergris Caye, Caye Caulker, Placencia, and Dangriga via Maya Island Air and Tropic Air, with flights taking 15 to 45 minutes.

No vaccinations are required to enter. TravelHealthPro, the UK travel health service, recommends hepatitis A for most visitors and an up-to-date tetanus jab, with typhoid and rabies for some. The WHO declared Belize malaria-free in 2023, but a few local cases were reported in Cayo District in April 2025, so avoid mosquito bites. Safe drinking water is available in most areas; ask first, and drink bottled or boiled water if in doubt. Please use reef-safe sunscreen when you swim on the reef. Belize is generally safe for tourists; standard precautions apply in Belize City, particularly after dark. The rest of the country is relaxed and welcoming. Travel insurance with medical cover is essential.

Domestic flights are the fastest way between regions: about 15 to 20 minutes from Belize City to San Pedro on Ambergris Caye, and 30 to 45 minutes to Placencia. Water taxis connect the cayes and run frequently between Belize City, Caye Caulker, and Ambergris Caye. Rental cars are available but road quality varies, four-wheel drive is recommended for jungle areas and the road to Caracol. Local buses run between main towns at low cost but on loose schedules. Tour operators handle most transfers for organised itineraries. The country is compact, you can drive coast to coast in a few hours.

We price every Belize holiday around your dates, your hotels and how many of you are travelling, with return flights from London included. Where you stay makes the biggest difference, because Belize has everything from simple guesthouses to some of the finest jungle lodges in Central America, and a dive trip or a scenic flight over the Blue Hole adds to the cost. December to April is the busiest season and costs the most, especially over Christmas and Easter.

Ten days to two weeks is the usual length. The journey from London usually includes a night on the way, and most people want three or four nights inland around San Ignacio and at least four on the cayes or the southern coast. A week works if you choose one of the two.

Most first trips pair two areas. For the reef, stay on Ambergris Caye or Caye Caulker in the north. Inland, the Cayo District around San Ignacio has the ATM cave, Xunantunich and Caracol. On the southern coast, Hopkins and Placencia have quiet beaches, Garifuna villages and the Cockscomb Basin jaguar reserve. Toledo, in the far south, is for cacao farms and Maya villages. A few nights in Cayo, then the cayes or Placencia, is the classic route.

Belize has few large all-inclusive resorts. Most places to stay are small beach hotels and lodges, and that is a big part of the charm. Many jungle lodges offer a meal plan, because there is often nowhere else to eat nearby. On the cayes and in Placencia, most people eat out at local restaurants. Tell us how you like to eat and we will plan the trip around it.