Make sure to take in Actun Tunichal Muknal.

skip the cave tubing trip!

read US State Dept warnings.   Interesting stuff.  Just be aware.

Hi JB,
I've done two trips to Belize in the last 5 months. I'm a dive instructor
and I lead groups all over the country. Here's my two cents worth:
Don't spend too much time in Belize City.. it is a dump. Either get on a
liveaboard (Nekton or Peter Hughes) or get to Ambergris Caye. I've done
both. Accommodations are plentiful on Ambergris, everything from backpacker
places to deluxe lodges. There are a lot of bigger dive shops, but after
scoping out all the big guns, we chose to dive with Reef Adventures (mainly
because they were willing to take out just two divers, wherever we wanted to
go and the price was the same as the big boats that need a minimum of 8-10
divers to make a trip go). Ched Cabral was the divemaster and you can e-mail
him at reefman74@hotmail.com. I'm sure he'll get you all the info you need.
They are connected with a lodge but you don't have to stay there to dive
there.
There is also some nice diving if you go further south off the coast of
Dangrigia (sp?). Glover's Reef/Atoll, etc. I know Hamanasi dives out there
and there is a resort right on the island. We didn't have enough time to go
out on the boats there, but we stopped in and chatted with the crew at
Hamanasi.
Hope that helps on the diving side. As for land stuff... see the Mayan
ruins.. there are lots. Altun Ha is probably the closest to Belize City, but
you can also take a day trip to Lamanai from Ambergris Caye. That's
well-worth it. You take a nice little river cruise to get to Lamanai. Bring
bug spray and sunscreen. Xunantunich is also a nice ruin with some good
carvings, etc. That's near the border to Guatemala. I would also definitely
recommend taking a two-three day excursion to Tikal. You can fly out of
Belize City's municipal airport and get there in an hour or so. Stay in
Flores or right in Tikal at one of the Lodges and you can see the sunrise at
the temples. We didn't get to do the cave tubing, as one day the river was
too low, then after some rain, it was too high (that was in Nov.) But the
price is steep ($90 pp) and you have to get to Belmopan or pay $25-$30 pp to
get transportation out there. We rented a 4x4 and drove around the interior
of Belize. Don't kid yourself, it is definitely third world poverty, but the
ruins and natural beauty of the land is awesome. Give yourself a week of
diving and a week of inland sightseeing if you have the time. I read a lot
of scary stuff about Belize before going, but found the people to be very
friendly and helpful. Obviously you stay out of the 'bad areas' at night,
etc. and use common sense, but for the most part, I found it to be safe.
Hope that helps.
Anything else I can answer for you, you can e-mail me:
www.DivingWithDoris.com

Blue skies,
Doris