Discover Southern Belize in 2018

Far from the tourist-thronged islands of Ambergris Caye and Caye Caulker, southern Belize offers visitors a chance to experience an idyllic village life little unchanged over the decades.

There are only two significant urban areas in southern Belize: Dangriga and Punta Gorda, both easily reachable via domestic flights or via ground transportation using the well-named Hummingbird Highway, the most scenic roadway in the country.

Dangriga is known as the cultural capital of Belize and is home to a large population of Garifuna. An Afro-Caribbean people, the Garifuna are renowned for their music, dance, and traditional drumming.

Punta Gorda, despite its Spanish name, is also home to many Garifuna. Punta Gorda is also the gateway to the deep south, a land of fertile cacao (the main ingredient in chocolate) plantations, ancient Maya sites, and small jungle villages that are completely self-sustaining.

Other popular destinations in southern Belize include Hopkins, a picturesque coastal village that is known as the friendliest village in the country. Home to the Garifuna people, Hopkins is situated on the edge of a lovely bay that commands a fantastic view of the Caribbean.

Another popular choice in southern Belize is Placencia, sometimes called the "island you can walk to" because it is connected to the mainland by a narrow isthmus. Measuring 16 miles from north to south yet just half a mile wide, Placencia has some of the most beautiful beaches in the country. And Placencia Village at the southern tip of the peninsula is a funky, charming village home to colorful street murals, sidewalk cafes, and artisan's workshops.

Untame Belize is the country's leading authority on organized tours in southern Belize. Untame Belize leads tours to all of the most popular sites and can also arrange for private ground transportation or shuttle service to and from anywhere in the country.

Belize Tours: Adventure, Luxury, Small Group Travel

Belize is a small country in Central America that is renowned for its beautiful nature and exotic wildlife. Recently included on Fodor's Go list for 2018, Belize is also the epicenter of the ancient Maya culture, having more pyramids, palaces, and ceremonial caves than anywhere else on Earth.

Easily reachable in just 2-5 hours' flying time from the United States and Canada, Belize is also famous for its offshore islands. A UNESCO World Heritage Site, the reef is a popular destination for adventure travelers interested in snorkeling, scuba diving, sailing, fishing, and water sports.

Not to be outdone, the lush mainland with its thick rainforests and hundreds of square miles of verdant jungle have plenty to offer visitors as well. Whether it's horseback riding through a national park, zip lining through the jungle canopy, rappelling down a waterfall or through the famous Black Hole Drop, or cave tubing (floating down underground rivers on an inner tube or canoe), there is much to do and see in Belize.

Other popular attractions in Belize include exploring the vast Cockscomb Basin Wildlife Sanctuary, home to the world's only conservation program dedicated to protecting and studying indigenous jaguars, visiting the Maya homelands of southern Belize to taste and learn more about home-grown chocolate, swimming in the legendary Inland Blue Hole, and boat safaris up the aptly named Monkey River.

Untame Belize specializes in creating the perfect Belize tour itinerary for visitors. Whether you're interested in adventure, relaxing in the lap of luxury, or want to explore this fantastic country with a small group, Untame Belize is the name to trust.

Untame Belize also organizes cultural tours to learn about the many different societies that live in Belize, including home stays and classes with local Garifuna, Creole, and Maya villagers.

Untame Belize can also provide ground transportation to or from anywhere in the country, including Belize City, Belmopan, San Ignacio, Dangriga, Hopkins, Orange Walk, Corozal, Punta Gorda, and Placencia. Untame Belize also conducts ATV tours to explore some of the wildest, most untamed natural areas of Belize far off the beaten track.

There truly is a wealth of amazing and beautiful things to see and do in Belize, so why not trust the local experts at Untame Belize to help arrange your vacation? Untame Belize employs a staff of experienced, professional guides who will show you all the hidden spots and popular attractions in the country.

Belize Shuttle Services with Untame Belize

Belize Shuttle Services

Untame Belize specializes in providing transportation services for visitors so that they can comfortably, reliably, and affordably reach any destination in the country.

Our transportation services include:

Belize Shuttles and Ground Transfers

We are happy to pick up individual and groups wanting to travel to any destination in the country. Untame Belize's shuttle services provide door-to-door service.

All vehicles are modern, well-maintained, and are equipped with powerful air conditioning so you can relax and enjoy the ride. Every driver working for Untame Belize has passed a rigorous background check and has years of experience in providing reliable and professional driver services.

Our drivers are also a great source of information on the best places to see, which tours to book, and where to find delicious restaurants and bars serving up fresh seafood, organic produce, and tasty cocktails.

Untame Belize provides ground transportation services to and from all of the most popular destinations in the country, including:

We also provides door-to-door service to any hotel, lodge, or resort on the mainland as well as smaller destinations such as remote villages, national parks, and wilderness sanctuaries. Just drop us an email, and we'll be happy to arrange a timetable that works for your needs!

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13 Things About Belize That Might Surprise You

Belize has many secrets. These thirteen might surprise you:-

1. Its barrier reef is the second biggest reef in the world. The reef was created on limestone fault blocks, not extinct volcanoes, as many assume. Its drop-offs descend thousands of feet into the clear Caribbean water
2. It has a plethora of national parks ranging from the country’s highest point, a mountain known as Doyle’s Delight, to beautiful coastal atolls
3. Wildlife is abundant. There are 500 types of tropical bird, 5 species of wildcat, 56 + species of snakes, 145 species of mammals and 139 species of reptiles and amphibians.
4. There are 17 national dishes ranging from Caldo, a Mayan chicken soup, to Gibnut stew. The stew is made from a forest rodent known as Royal Rat because Queen Elizabeth II said she liked the taste
5. You can scuba dive in the Great Blue Hole. It is one of the world’s largest underwater sink hole and was formed after the last Ice Age. Jacques Cousteau, who invented scuba diving equipment, said it was one of the best diving spots he had ever seen
6. Belize produces some of the world’s highest quality chocolate and hosts a three-day chocolate festival to celebrate it
7. Belize is a Mayan word meaning muddy waters
8. Most people speak English, Spanish, Kriol and Garifuna
9. There are numerous Mayan archaeological sites to visit. A jade pendant, the size and shape of a human heart, was discovered in May 2015. It is believed the Mayan king wore the pendant when he witnessed human sacrificial ceremonies
10. Ambergris Caye is considered, by many, to be the best snorkeling and scuba diving spot in the world
11. You can cross the Mopan River in a hand-cranked ferry boat
12. Visit Dangriga or Hopkins for a unique Garifuna drum lesson. You will learn up to five traditional segunda bass drum rhythms before you leave
13. The highest building in Belize is a Mayan temple – which you are welcome to visit

Belize is beautiful, quiet and welcoming. There is nowhere else on earth where you can you swim with harmless whale sharks, scuba dive in the deepest sinkhole, snorkel along the Western Hemisphere’s longest coral reef, visit ancient temples, eat the Royal Rat, hear ancient and modern languages spoken on almost every street corner, and get there on a two-hour flight from either Miami or Dallas-Fort Worth.

We look forward to seeing you!

How and Why our Country Got Named Belize

From Balix to Belize: What’s in a name?

Belize’s name, like much about the country, is unique and original. But histories differ on exactly where it came from, and depending on which story you hear, the name either pays tribute to the original inhabitants of this area, the Maya; or the visiting Europeans who made it their home.

The name Belize was first in use about 1790, eight years before the Battle of St. George’s Caye, but it was not officially adopted until 1973, more than a century and a half later, when local political leaders broke with the colonial name of “British Honduras.”

The Maya etimology of the name Belize holds that, according to a 1677 journal by a Dominican priest name Fray Jose Delgado (quoted in Alan Twigg’s Understanding Belize: A Historical Guide), the Maya pronounciation was rendered by Father Delgado’s translator as “Balix” or “muddy waters”, referring to the Belize River, or a derivation of the word “Belikin”, meaning “land facing the sea” referring to the coastline. Both were names of popular settlements, and the latter survives as the brand name of Sir Barry Bowen’s locally brewed beer which calls itself “The Beer of Belize.”

On the other hand, the European version credits the name, misspelled, to Scot buccaneer Captain Peter Wallace, who is said to have discovered the mouth of the River and began the first settlement around 1638 (though not officially credited until 1827). Wallace apparently named the land for himself but the Spanish substituted V for W, leading to Vallis. Since in Spanish the letters B and V are pronounced similarly, that became Balise.

Belize’s archival service received an image said to trace the history of the name from an unknown book in 2011. By 1796, the Spanish called the settlement “Wallix” even as the English termed it the Settlement in the Bay of Honduras. That became British Honduras on its becoming a colony although the Old Capital is referred to as “Belize Town.”

The following table is a chronological progression of the name as rearranged from the BARS document:

Balis: 1677 — Copy of Fray Joseph Delgado’s Journey to Bacalar

Bullys: 1705 — Extracted from John Fingas’ letter to the Council of Trade

Bellefe: 1720 –Extracted from Capt. Nathan Uring’s Voyage to Belize.

Valis: 1724 — Report in Madrid of the number of English settlers

Valiz: 1780 —  Spanish map showing “Rio de Valiz Yngles River Bellese”

Walis: 1785 — Spanish map showing the logwood area occupied by the English settlers

Wallix: 1790 – Map drawn by Rafael Llobet showing the new area cleared in Belize

Belize: 1790 – Extracted from Peter Hunter’s Letter to Baltasar Rodriguis

It can therefore be said that the name owes something to both the Maya and English settlers; but either way, it is now our homeland and known all over the world. Hail Belize!