Reef or ruins?
Both, ideally. The reef is best reached from Ambergris Caye or Caye Caulker, while San Ignacio is the base for Xunantunich, Caracol and the ATM Cave. Lamanai and Altun Ha are day trips from Belize City or the cayes.
Belize Reef & Maya Sites
Belize has the longest stretch of the Mesoamerican Barrier Reef and hundreds of Maya sites, several of them easy to visit from San Ignacio or Belize City.
Great Blue Hole
Giant marine sinkhole on Lighthouse Reef.
Belize Barrier Reef
The reef, atolls and marine reserves along the coast.
Xunantunich
Maya site with El Castillo, reached by a hand-cranked ferry.
Caracol
The largest Maya site in Belize, deep in the Chiquibul Forest.
ATM Cave
Actun Tunichil Muknal, a cave with Maya remains.
Lamanai
Maya temples reached by a river boat trip.
Altun Ha
Maya site near Belize City, known from the Belikin label.