Belize

San Ignacio is the heart and soul of the Cayo District, a vibrant traveler center from where all roads and activities fan out. Together with twin-town Santa Elena, on the east bank of the Macal River, this is the main population center of Cayo, with lots of good budget accommodations, decent restaurants and frequent transport.

Belize City is the historical (if no longer the actual) capital of the nation, making it an interesting place to spend a day or two. Its ramshackle streets are alive with colorful characters who represent every facet of Belize's ethnic make up, especially the Creoles. And while the urban scenery may involve the occasional fetid canal or run-down neighborhood, it also features colonial architecture, seaside parks, bustling shopping areas and sailboats that bob at the mouth of Haulover Creek.

What a contrast is the district that shares its country's name! Belize District comprises 1600 sq miles at the heart of the nation, and includes its largest population center and some of its most pristine tropical environs.

Punta Gorda (or PG) is a slightly ramshackle coastal settlement down in the Deep South of Toledo. Once known to travelers mainly as a port to get the boat across to Guatemala or Honduras, it's increasingly attracting visitors looking to chill out in the south and as a base for exploring surrounding Maya villages and culture, and the remote southern cays.

Placencia, a true beach-holiday strip poking out from the mainland, is enduringly popular with North American expats and tourists. Perched at the southern tip of a long, narrow, sandy peninsula, the village has long enjoyed a reputation as 'the cay you can drive to' – a fully paved 27-mile road heads off the Southern Hwy via Maya Beach and Seine Bight to the tip of the peninsula.

The friendly, slightly scruffy, coastal village of Hopkins attracts travelers looking to soak up sea breezes and Garifuna culture. It's an unpretentious place to meet other travelers or satisfied expats and makes a good base for explorations to the cays, reefs and islands to the east, and the jungles, mountains and parks to the west.

Like many purpose-built capital cities around the world, Belmopan can seem a bit dull at first glance. Wide ordered streets, empty urban parklands and drab government buildings conspire to give it a desolate feel. The exception is the vibrant central market area, where cheap food stalls and incoming buses provide some welcome activity.

'No Shirt, No Shoes…No Problem.' You'll see this sign everywhere in Belize, but no place is it more apt than Caye Caulker. On this tiny island, where cars, too, are blissfully absent, dogs nap in the middle of the dirt road and suntanned cyclists pedal around them. The only traffic sign on the island instructs golf carts and bicycles to 'go slow,' and that directive is taken seriously.

The undisputed superstar of Belize's tourism industry, 'La Isla Bonita' strikes an impressive and perhaps even magical balance of large-scale tourism development with a fun, laid-back atmosphere. Sure it gets busy – especially in high season when an endless procession of golf carts clogs the narrow streets of the main town, San Pedro – but it's still the kind of place where it's acceptable to hold up traffic while you greet an old acquaintance.

Southern Belize is the country's most absorbing cultural melting pot, with a strong Garifuna influence around Dangriga and Hopkins, and Belize's largest Maya population down in Toledo. Nature is rich here too, where open savanna and citrus-filled farmland give way to forested hills dotted with Maya villages, ruins and national parks primed for adventurous jungle trekking.