10 Experiences That Will Make You Feel Like A Belizean

After the pandemic started, I was extremely excited to see locals produce more homemade products. Now we have much more local products available in addition to our beloved Marie Sharp pepper sauce. Some ideas for locally made souvenirs include cacao chocolate, art pieces, coconut rum, wood work and coconut oil.

National Parks are scattered all over Belize, but the best ones have waterfalls and tons of wildlife around. If hiking is your priority, I highly recommend staying in the western and southern part of Belize which is both mountainous and home to large natural reserves with dozens of hiking trails. Wildlife is also booming in the area with hundreds of birds and a chance to spot the elusive jaguar.

One of the joys of traveling is getting to visit the local market and tasting the local fruits and vegetables. Markets are normally hubs of activity & commerce. And the best part is getting to taste the local dishes at these markets. With Belize having such an unusual mix in cultures like the Mayas, Garifunas and Creoles, you might find some interesting food on your visit.

In my opinion one of the best ways to experience a country is to eat like the local people. While it may not be 100% healthy, it's downright delicious and sometimes criminal. While fancy restaurants try to infuse other cuisines, it doesn't quite hit the spot like street food. For the best experiences, I recommend looking for those hole-in-the-wall joints with lots of locals lined up in front. The best food spots in Belize are those that serve food to the local workers.

This might require a bit of luck or some planning, but festivals are worth the hassle. Not surprisingly, most festivals are related to food from the region. Look up one of these festivals below and see which one lines up with your taste buds.

If you visit a Mayan Site somewhere in the Yucatan, chances are that it will be crowded not as magical as you hoped it to be. Fortunately for Belize, this isn't the case. The majority of Mayan Ruins are uncrowded. The largest Mayan Ruin in Belize is actually so remote that it normally only gets about a dozen visits per day, so you might get it to yourself.

One of the most memorable experiences I've had traveling is visiting small remote villages. In Belize, some of the most traditional villages can be found down south where the local Maya people thrive living simple lives surrounded by incredible nature.

While the public bus isn't for everyone, it can be an opportunity to experience the local culture. How often do you get to sit in a school bus with a Mennonite man to left, and a Garifuna lady to your right, all listening to Reggae music on a highway with a lush view of the rainforest. Maybe not that many times.

What better way of understanding a country's people than eating, moving and maybe even drinking with them? If you get a chance to interact with locals on a tour, restaurant or bar, take some time to ask them about their life. You'll be surprised how interesting some people can be. You might make some new friends in the process. Belizeans tend to chill and hangout over barbecue in the weekends, so that's a good time to hang out.

Belize doesn't produce many products unfortunately, but there are two popular products we do make – beer and hot sauce. If you do try them, do it the way locals do it – buy your Belikin beer at the local Chinese shop and put your hot sauce on your rice & beans or fry jack.

Besides beer and hot sauce, Belize also produces their own rum. Two popular breweries include Cuello's Distillery in Orange Walk and Traveler's Rum in Belize City. Both offer rum tours.