Best Time To Visit Belize
Honestly, it isn’t easy to answer the question, “When is the best time to visit Belize?” because it’s a great place to visit all year-round. But despite the country’s perennial balmy weather, it is true that there are some periods of the year which are more advantageous, depending on what you want to do and see in Belize.
For example, if you want to go diving with whale sharks, the largest fish in the world’s oceans, you can only do this between March and June. That’s because they only visit the waters of Belize once a year on their annual circumnavigation of the world.
The Belizean calendar is packed full of exciting festivals and holidays, so you’ll have to choose carefully when to visit.
High Season and Low Season
The weather doesn’t change much from month to month in Belize, but the year isdivided into two approximate seasons – the high season and the low season.
The high season corresponds to when the most travelers visit the country, from December to April. This is when Belize go through a drier period, meaning lots of blue skies and balmy weather. As this perfectly coincides with winter in Canada and the United States, it’s no surprise that so many Americans and Canadians head to Belize during this period in order to escape the cold, snow, and ice.
The low season runs from about the middle of May into the first week or two of November. Because fewer tourists come to Belize during this time, savvy travelers book their vacations to Belize during this period in order to take advantage of 30-50% discounts on lodging during the low season.
Weather in Belize
It’s a good idea to understand the weather patterns of Belize in order to get the most out of your trip. The country experiences two “seasons” which don’t differ much in terms of temperature but do differ in terms of precipitation.
The dry season is “winter” in Belize, except, of course, there’s never any snow or subzero temperatures. Starting in November, daytime
temperatures do drop a few degrees, resulting in beautifully sunny days with plenty of refreshing breezes.
Beginning in February, the temperature climbs a few degrees, and the skies are rarely cloudy. This makes it a great time to enjoy outdoor activities like sea kayaking, windsurfing, snorkeling, fishing, and scuba diving.
Other popular activities during this period include hiking, horseback riding, rappelling, zip lining through the jungle, and cave tubing (exploring an underground river via inner tube or canoe). Or you can visit some of the many ancient Maya sites that litter the landscape, Belize having more of them than any other country.
As the dry season corresponds with the high season for tourism, some of the top attractions can sometimes be a bit crowded. The word “crowded”, however, is relative as Belize is still a relatively unknown destination. Only a quarter of a million tourists visit in an entire year.
The green season in Belize overlaps the low season for tourism, running from approximately mid-May to the first part of November. June through October is when you can expect regular precipitation, but the good news is that showers usually last only an hour or two.