After some consideration, I decided that this is a family story so I will be including a photo essay of EVERY country that the family has visited which totals a whopping 140 countries! I will indicate the countries which I have not personally visited with ** at the beginning and end of the photo essay.
I made a slight mistake in my Alphabetical #FridayFotos country photo essays so am going to have to backtrack in the B’s. Today I give you BELIZE!
In 2014 sister Bree and her boyfriend Donavin rented a car and explored Mexico, Guatemala and Belize for three weeks. Last year (2015) brother Ammon and his girlfriend Sasha and Mom went on a three week backpacking trip also through Mexico, Guatemala and Belize.
I recently worked with the Belize Tourism Board to help promote the “Small Country Sunday” holiday. I think it’s a fabulous idea to promote tourism in countries which don’t get enough credit. This is exactly what we represent on the Twitter chat that I founded, #TRLT.
Belize seems to be quite underrated for the beauty and adventures it has to offer. Scuba diving, amazing wildlife, ancient Mayan ruins and temples in the heart of lush rainforests, stunning beaches, friendly people and so much more.
The stories and photos that Mom, Bree and Ammon shared from their Belize trips instantly made me want to get on a plane and GO! I hope you feel the same at the end of this #FridayFotos Photo Essay!
- Belize is a lovely small country that is great to backpack through.
- Crossing the river Mopan River and heading up to see Xunantunich.
- Mopan River crossing on the way up to see Mayan Ruins.
- Carvings on the peak of the El Castillo pyramid at Xunantunich. It is the second tallest structure in Belize and built in 800 AD.
- A view from on top of El Castillo pyramid.
- Xunantunich was a Mayan civic ceremonial center in the Late and Terminal Classic periods to the Belize Valley region.
- Maggie-the-Mom loves to hike and see new things, especially ruins. – Xunantunich
- San Ignacio is the largest settlement in Cayo District and the second largest in Belize.
- Strolling through the town of San Ignacio.
- Ammon doing what he does best…. finding where to go and teaching others.
- Take a stroll through San Ignacio to find the Mayan ruins.
- Cahal Pech is a Maya site and was a home for an elite Mayan family. Dating back as far as 1200 BCE makes Cahal Pech one of the oldest recognizably Maya sites in Western Belize.
- San Ignacio.
- School buses are used as the main public transportation throughout Belize.
- Driving through the countryside in the school bus AKA local transport.
- A beautiful setting at the Belize Zoo.
- A very peaceful quiet walk through the Belize Zoo.
- A real beauty at the Belize Zoo.
- Donavin enjoying the site of Caracol
- Caracol is a large ancient Maya archaeological site, about 40 kilometres south of Xunantunich, in the foothills of the Maya Mountains
- Bree doing some exploring too on the Mayan Ruins of Caracol
- Now that is a strong and straight looking tree
- Exploring the open roads by car – Bree and Donavin
- Belize has many beautiful birds and lush vegetation.
- Arriving at the small Island of Caye Caulker.
- Caye Caulker is a small limestone coral island off the coast of Belize in the Caribbean Sea. It is about 5 miles by 1 mile.
- The town on the island is known by the name Caye Caulker Village.
- Only golf carts are allowed on the island of Caye Caulker.
- Belize is known for its great Scuba diving. Mom and Ammon love to dive and were not disappointed.
- Donavin chasing the sharks and rays
- Ammon and Sasha
- Caye Caulker is basically a sand bar over a limestone shelf.
- Caye Caulker is thought to have been inhabited for hundreds of years and now is a popular vacation destination.
- Leaving Caye Caulker and its beauty behind.
Stay tuned for more #FridayFotos. Next week is Bahrain!
Savannah Grace
View more photos of Belize here.
For more of my travel photography, check out my Instagram account! See you there!
PS don’t forget to take advantage of an amazing 11 travel memoir 99cent SALE, including “I Grew My Boobs in China” that’s still on until April 10th!
Pps, If you’re a fan of travel memoirs, or would like to ask me questions, the 11 authors with books on sale, will be at this event to answer any and all Qs you may have about their books and stories etc. Please JOIN the event here
Categories: Savannah Grace
Those carvings on El Castillo remind a fair bit of Petra in Jordan.
Thanks for sharing the pictures, Belize looks well worth the trip. As for 140 countries, wow, that is some going. Well done to all the family on such an achievement.
Thanks! I loved Jordan. So much history. I can’t wait to go to Belize now.
Reblogged this on maggiethemom and commented:
I really loved Belize and would go again without question.
Amazing photographs and interesting blog Savannah.
Thank you so much!! Glad you enjoyed them. Stay tuned, I post a new country every friday 🙂