The most northern district of Belize is Corozal, which borders on Mexico. Corozal is in Belize’s sugar growing and processing region. Many of its population are of Maya and Mestizo descent and Spanish is widely spoken.

Corozal Town is a seaside community on the Bay of Chetumal, with wide tree-lined streets, parks and Mexican style plaza. The town has a population of around 9,000.

Activities, Amenities and Places of Interest
Corozal Town has restaurants and hotels. Worth seeing here are remains of a 19th century fort, a local history mural in the town hall, and the Corozal Museum with a collection of Mayan crafts and clothing.

Other attractions and activities:
• Two Mayan archaeological sites at Santa Rita and Cerros
• Sarteneja – fishing village built over a Mayan ruin
• Shipstern Nature Reserve and Butterfly Farm south of Sarteneja
• Chetumal – Mexican city of 250,000 across the border
• Fishing
• Water sports – swimming, sailing and windsurfing in Four Mile Lagoon

Ambergris Caye is the largest, furthest north and most developed of the 200 plus cayes, or islands, off the coast of Belize. It is 25 miles long and Bacalar Chico Channel separates it from Mexico’s Yucatan Peninsula in the north. Half a mile to the east is the Belize Barrier Reef, the second longest in the world at almost 190 miles. Ambergris is named after the extract from whales that was once an important commodity in the region.

Activities, Amenities and Places of Interest
Diving off the Barrier Reef and other aquatic sports, such as snorkeling, windsurfing, fishing, parasailing and jetskiing, are excellent on Ambergris Caye.

There is a new national park in the north, called Bacalar Chico, which is a protected area for mangroves, birds and marine life. As well, Lalas Bird Sanctuary located south of San Pedro is excellent for bird watching. Ambergris was once inhabited by Mayans and there are many small Mayan sites on the island. It is possible to hire guides to reach these sites.

Transportation
There are taxis available in and around San Pedro town. Bicylces, golf carts and kayaks are available to rent. For travel to and from Ambergris Caye there are ferries and both Tropic Air and Maya Airways fly to the mainland.

San Pedro, the major center on Ambergris Caye, is a charming fishing village with colorful wooden houses and sand streets. Located on the southern tip of the island, it is about one mile long and faces the reef. Most of San Pedro’s 4,000 year-round residents speak both English and Spanish.

Activities, Amenities and Places of Interest
There are plenty of restaurants, shops, boutiques, banks and hotels in San Pedro, many located along the waterfront. Many restaurants and bars offer musical entertainment, everything from country to the local Punta music.

The new Ambergris Caye Museum and Cultural Center tells the story of the island’s history, from the Mayan to modern. Almost all aquatic sports are available including SCUBA, snorkeling, fishing, windsurfing, water skiing, swimming, parasailing, and sailing.

Transportation
San Pedro’s roads are hard packed sand and people walk, take a bicycle, or an electric golf cart to their destinations. Bikes and golf carts are available to rent.

There is taxi service to outlaying destinations, and most hotels and resort provide transportation for their guest to the airstrip and boat docks for air and ferry service.

Caye Caulker is 21 miles northeast of Belize City and south of Ambergris Caye with the Barrier Reef ¼ mile to the east. It is the second largest caye with 1,200 year-round residents. Caye Caulker was cut in half in 1961 by Hurricane Hattie when “The Split” was formed.

Caye Caulker Village is located on the southern half, while the northern half has marine and forest reserves.

Activities, Amenities and Places of Interest
There are many shops, hotels, seaside pubs and restaurants as well as a post office, bank, telephone office, internet cafes, laundry facilities and a medical center in Caye Caulker Village. The Caye Caulker Marine and Forest Reserves have trails, picnic areas and nature viewing.

Activities include:
• Diving and snorkeling around the Barrier Reef and the Blue Hole
• Fishing
• Windsurfing, boating and kayaking
• Birding and nature viewing

Orange Walk District is a wild area with thick jungle, Mayan Ruins and a huge bird population. Sugar cane harvesting and processing is the area’s largest industry. Orange Walk Town is the region’s main town, 55 miles northwest of Belize City, with a population of 22,000. It is the largest center in the north of Belize and is predominantly Hispanic.

Activities, Amenities and Places of Interest
There are many restaurants, hotels and shops in Orange Walk Town.

Orange Walk District's attractions include:
• River boating on the New River
• Mayan Ruins in Lamanai, Altun Ha, La Milpa, Cuello and Nohmul
• Birding – the area has over 350 bird species and counting
• Fishing
• Orchid viewing in Fodov's Orchid Garden (Orange Walk Town)
• Nature viewing in Rio Bravo Conservation area

Belize City, the former capital city of Belize, is the country’s biggest city of 70,000, its commercial center and the major port. The city has a fascinating history and many interesting landmarks. Located on the central east coast, it also has easy access to all that Belize has to offer.

Activities, Amenities and Places of Interest

• Fort Street Tourism Village – seafront complex with shops, restaurants
• Museum of Belize – has an exhibit of ancient Mayan pottery
• Baron Bliss Lighthouse Monument – Baron Bliss is entombed in the lighthouse he designed himself
• House of Culture
• St. John’s Cathedral – oldest Anglican Church in Central America
• Marine Terminal and Maritime Museum
• Baboon Sanctuary
• Crooked Tree Village – in a migrant bird sanctuary
• Altun Ha – Mayan ruins
• Belize Zoo

The Belize District is centrally located between the northern and southern borders of the country with a variety of transportation options to any point both inland and out to the cayes. Fishing, snorkeling, diving and swimming are excellent around nearby St. George's and Goff's caye while the rivers and lagoons are great for boating and sightseeing.

The Turneffe Islands are the largest offshore atoll and the most accessible from the mainland of Belize. Located southeast of Ambergris Caye, the atoll is 30 miles long and 10 miles wide and is made up of more than 200 mangrove islands.

Activities, Amenities and Places of Interest
There are 3 lodges on the atoll. There is excellent diving suitable for all levels, with underwater visibility ranging from 100 to 150 feet. The atoll is home to dolphins, turtles, eagle rays and many exotic fish, and the coral formations are spectacular.

Superb sport fishing is available in the area and Mayan ruins are also found on the atoll.

In western Belize, the Cayo District is the destination for eco-tourism and adventure traveling. It has 880,000 acres of protected areas, nature reserves and national parks in its 2,000 square miles.

The district is also home to the new capital of Belize, Belmopan, established in 1961. With a population of only 7,100, it is the smallest capital in the world.

Activities, Amenities and Places of Interest
The Mountain Pine Ridge Reserve is home to rivers, waterfalls, cave, wildlife and a rare thick pine forest, and has many lodges. Activities include hiking, horseback riding, kayaking, canoeing and nature viewing.

Other district highlights include:
• Hidden Valley Falls – highest falls in Central America
• Rio Frio Cave
• Chiquibul Forest Reserve
• Belize Botanic Gardens with 300 tree species
• Butterfly Breeding Center for Blue Morpho at Chaa Creek
• Mayan Ruins at Chahal Pech, Caracol, El Pilar, Pacbitun, Xunantunich, Yalbac

Dangriga is a pretty, lively town of 10,000 located in the citrus growing area of Belize, south of Belize City. It is a popular tourist destination on the coast, close to cayes and the Barrier Reef.

Dangriga is the cultural center of the Garifuna, a unique ethnic group who are descendents of shipwrecked slaves and native Caribs. They have adopted the Carib language and African musical and religious traditions.

Activities, Amenities and Places of Interest
Dangriga has restaurants, bars and accommodation. It is a major artistic center for many of Belize’s finest painters, Punta Rock groups and folk bands. Local galleries sell Garifuna arts and crafts.

Other activities include:
• Diving and snorkeling in the southern cayes
• Fishing
• Wildlife viewing in the Cockscomb Basin Wildlife Sanctuary
• Mayan Ruins in the Mayflower Archaeological Reserve
• Ocean and river kayaking
• Boat trips on the Sittee River

Stann Creek District is a district in the south east region of Belize. According to the 2000 census, the district had a population of 26,665 people. Its capital is the city of Dangriga, formerly known as "Stann Creek Town." Located within the district are the port of Big Creek (the main port of Belize's banana industry), the peninsula and village of Placencia (a popular tourist resort), the villages of Independence and Mango Creek and Mullins River, and the Garifuna village of Hopkins on the Sittee River. The Stann Creek District is also home to the Cockscomb Basin Wildlife Sanctuary. Within the preserve is Victoria Peak, the highest point in Belize, at 1120 meters (3,675 feet) above sea level.

Stann comes from "stanns," or safe havens used by colonialists coming from the "old world" to the "new world."

Placencia Peninsula juts out from the southern coast of Belize and has many white sandy beaches on the Caribbean Sea and inside Placencia Lagoon. The peninsula has three communities, Maya Beach, Seine Bight and Placencia Village.

Placencia Village is one of the oldest communities in Belize founded by English buccaneers in the 1600s. It’s a quaint fishing village with a main street that is little more than a mile long concrete sidewalk.

Activities, Amenities and Places of Interest
The peninsula has many resorts, lodges, restaurants, bars and beaches. Placencia Village has grocery stores and a post office, as well as a number of dive shops and tour guide services.

Activities on the peninsula include:
• Diving and snorkeling
• Sport fishing
• Kayaking in Placencia Lagoon
• Birding and Wildlife viewing in Cockscomb Basin Wildlife Sanctuary
• Mayan ruins in Mayflower Archaeological Reserve
• Jungle or boat tours in Bladden River Reserve
• Biking

Toledo District is the southernmost district in the nation of Belize, with the district capital in the town of Punta Gorda, Belize. Also in Toledo District are the towns of Monkey River Town and Toledo Settlement, the villages of San Pedro Columbia and Silver Creek, Blue Creek and the ancient Maya ruins of Nim Li Punit, Lubaantun, and Uxbenka. According to the 2000 census, Toledo District had a population of 23,815 persons.

Blue Creek village is home to Tumulkin Center of Learning.

Punta Gorda town is located on the coast of southern Belize, and is the capital of the Toledo district. It is the business center for many surrounding villages. Punta Gorda’s main economic activities are fishing, construction, tourism and public service.

Punta Gorda has an approximate population of 4,000 people with ethnic backgrounds of Maya, Garifuna and East Indian.

Activities, Amenities and Places of Interest
There are many hotels, lodges and restaurants in and around Punta Gorda.

As the district capital, Punta Gorda has a hospital, University of Belize campus, banks and churches.

Attractions in the Punta Gorda region include:
• Mayan archaeological sites
• River trips
• Diving and snorkeling
• Fishing
• Birding