The tiny nation of Belize – small by area, and even smaller by population – is unlike anywhere else in mainland Central America. It's the only English-speaking country in the region, and culturally is often grouped with the island nations of the Caribbean rather than its Spanish-speaking neighbours. Central America's youngest country by far – it gained full independence from Great Britain in 1981, 160 years after most of its peers – Belize is sparsely populated and small-scale, its towns entirely without the sprawling tower blocks of next door Mexico and Guatemala.

Read on to learn more about this sun-drenched, up-and-coming destination and the wonders that await its visitors...

Belize does have some things in common with its neighbours – miles of pearly-white Caribbean coastline, dense tropical jungles punctuated with rushing waterfalls and a cultural diversity that's remarkable given its tiny 400,000-or-so population. Mestizo and Belizean Creole are the majority groups but 11% of the population is ethnic ancient Mayan, while an estimated 25,000 Mennonites live in secluded settlements up and down the country, many wearing plain dress and shunning modern technology. The Garifuna – an Afro-Indigenous group with their own language and distinctive, rhythmic music played with maracas and drums – make up roughly 6%.

Belize has a developed tourist industry, but historically its stream of American and Canadian visitors have eschewed the mainland in favour of the screensaver cayes and corals that lie a little way offshore. Tour guides will proudly tell you that Belize has the largest living barrier reef on Earth ('living' being the key word – Australia's Great Barrier Reef has endured devastating coral bleaching events in recent years), and its inquisitive sea turtles, vibrantly coloured parrotfish and, between March and June, enormous (and harmless) whale sharks are happy to pose for divers, snorkellers and cameras.

However, discerning travellers are increasingly waking up to the benefits of staying onshore – at least for a while. Perhaps the greatest civilisation of the pre-colonial Americas (sorry, Aztecs) and certainly the most long-lasting, the ancient Mayans thrived in Belize's forested interior, and their stepped temples still emerge from the jungle looking just as mesmerising as they ever did. More modern cultural treasures also abound, while 70% of the land is 'in its natural state', supporting thriving tropical flora and fauna.

Belize's hotel scene is still dominated by boutiques, and those seeking whitewashed 15-floor resorts would be better served in nearby Cancun. Some visitors are also put off by the country's crime rate, but a couple of troubled neighbourhoods in Belize City heavily skew the statistics, and the rest of the country is much safer. With year-round 27°C (81°F) temperatures and a mild rainy season, Belize is an increasingly popular pick for Caribbean island fantasy, astonishing ancient history and a cultural landscape of surprising diversity and depth.

Now read on to discover the 20 best things to see and do in this under-visited corner of the Caribbean...

Mexico has Chichen Itza, neighbouring Guatemala has Tikal, but Belize has an embarrassment of ancient Mayan sites jockeying for your attention. Literally translated as 'stone woman', Xunantunich might just be our favourite – a sprawling temple complex that thrived as Mayan city between 700-1000 AD, a stone's throw from the Guatemala border. Easily accessible from capital Belmopan and the airport in Belize City via the George Price Highway, visitors complete their journey over the Mopan River on a free hand-cranked cable car ferry. The site peaks with El Castillo, the 130-foot (40m) main temple complete with friezes of rain god Chaac. Climb to the top for 360-degree views over the surrounding jungle.

Xunantunich's main temple remains the second tallest building in Belize – and that's because the main temple at Caracol is the tallest. Further south along the Guatemalan border and set on a high forest plateau, the site was one of the great centres of Mayan power between the 6th and 8th centuries – a city that held up to twice as many inhabitants as today's Belize City. Obscured by dense jungle until its rediscovery in 1938, Caracol's soaring palaces and ancient ball courts are extremely under-touristed. That's partly because they lie at the end of a long and bumpy road through thick forest – an adventure in itself.

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Completing our trio of jungle-encircled Mayan complexes is Lamanai, which means 'submerged crocodile' in the Maya language. Just poking out above the treeline, it's perhaps the most Indiana Jones of our three sites, set in northern Belize overlooking the New River Lagoon. Occupied for more than two millennia, the site's tallest temple is not currently climbable, but the nearby Jaguar Temple still offers exquisite canopy views. As with Caracol, the ruins are delightfully crowd-free, and some tourists choose to visit via a river boat excursion that doubles as a wildlife-watching tour.

The Mayans claim chocolate as their own invention (cacao's early history is murky, but they've got a strong case), and today workers at the Maya Chocolate Center outside Hopkins churn out the crumbly candy almost the same way their ancestors did in millennia past. A poster on the wall proudly commemorates the visit of Prince William, now heir to the British throne, and his wife Catherine as part of their Caribbean tour marking the then-Queen's platinum jubilee. The assembled press snapped away as the royal couple crushed the chocolate mix on rollers and sampled the cacao drink once sipped by the Mayan elite. "Che'il Mayan Chocolate," reads the poster, "where everyone's treated like royalty."

Garifuna music is the unofficial sound of Belize – soulful songs in the Garifuna language underpinned by the complex rhythms of Garifuna drums. Various hotels and local tour operators offer Garifuna cultural experiences in Hopkins, where you'll learn how to tap out rudimentary beats on the primero and segunda drums, with the waves of the Caribbean serving up a soothing backing track. Step two is Garifuna dance: spiritual, improvisational motions that require near-constant foot movement. Finish your afternoon by learning to cook 'hudut', a traditional coconut and seafood stew that would put most surrounding restaurants to shame.

By far Belize's best-known natural wonder, the Blue Hole has spent decades on the front covers of guide books, and remains one of the country's main draws. A vast sinkhole stamped like an inkblot on the ocean, it's more than 1,000 feet (300m) across and resides in the middle of Lighthouse Reef, roughly 43 miles (73km) from the mainland. It's almost too big and too blue – the colourful fish and vibrant corals tend to stop at the perimeter, and from down on the water it's hard to get any sense of scale. We recommend taking a tourist flight above the feature, which you can do in a helicopter or light aircraft.

San Pedro proudly claims to be the "isla bonita" in Madonna's 1987 hit of the same name. The singer herself has denied this, but it's telling that it seemed a good fit. The only town on Ambergris Caye and the undisputed heavyweight of Belizean tourism, San Pedro's parasol-covered beaches and over-the-water bars are as close as Belize gets to the resorts of Barbados and Cancun. The real attraction lies just offshore; the Hol Chan Marine Reserve is Belize's best-known dive site, a spread of splendid coral reefs, seagrass beds and mangrove swamps. Submerge at Shark Ray Alley to drift among nurse sharks (pictured) and southern stingrays, both inquisitive species well-used to human presence.

San Pedro's likeable little brother, Caye Caulker is as laidback and low-key as San Pedro is loud and energetic. This tiny backpacker's paradise has no cars, and the only traffic signs tell cyclists to obey the island's motto, 'go slow'. The wonders of Hol Chan are on its underwater doorstep, but don't sleep on the Caye Caulker Marine Reserve, where lucky swimmers could spot turtles and manatees in addition to the usual array of fish. A narrow channel called 'the Split' bisects the isle, and its deep, seaweed-less waters are perhaps the area's best.

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Caribbean islands seem to fit the tourist fantasy more neatly than stretches of mainland Caribbean coast, but you can enjoy the seas of Belize just as easily when based onshore. The Splash Dive Center in Placencia is a great option if you're unsure where to start: their many itineraries include the sprawling reefs surrounding the teeny-tiny Silk Caye (pictured), Laughing Bird Caye and its flocks of belly-flopping pelicans, and the coral nurseries established by Fragments of Hope, a community organisation restoring reef habitats one sprig of coral at a time.

Even when heading inland you should keep your swimsuit to hand. Waterfall pools make particularly idyllic swim spots, and the Maya King double waterfall between Hopkins and Placencia is probably the most popular – two calm pools brushed by trailing vines, one with changing rooms and a jump-off platform. Float on your back to gentle sounds of rushing water and stare up at the thick foliage creating a circular hole in the sky. During the rainy season the fall strengthens to a surging torrent – nature's equivalent of switching on the power shower.

A strange mixture of adrenaline and serenity, it's hard to quite describe the feeling of soaring above the canopy across a steep-sided river valley, impenetrable jungle rising on both sides as far as the eye can see. Seven zip lines criss-cross the South Stann Creek River – a short drive from the Maya King Waterfall and often included in the same tour – sending tourists hurtling between a series of sturdy wooden platforms barely visible among the trees. The rush of wind can feel overwhelming, but remember to look around and take in a view usually enjoyed only by helicopter cameramen filming nature documentaries.

You could see a jaguar almost anywhere in Belize – crossing a road, paddling down a river or even, very occasionally, prowling the outermost streets of a village. But you can bump up your chances by taking a tour through the Cockscomb Basin Wildlife Sanctuary, the world's only dedicated jaguar reserve that also houses jaguarundis, howler monkeys, snakes and more than 300 species of bird. Visitors should, however, manage their expectations. Jaguars are elusive and well-camouflaged, so you're much more likely to see evidence of jaguars – footprints and excrement – than the big cats themselves.

It may sound strange to fly to the home of so many fascinating creatures only to see them in captivity, but the Belize Zoo prides itself on being a rescue and rehabilitation facility as much as a place where children can gawp through glass. The zoo, just off the busy George Price Highway, takes in animals retrieved from the illegal wildlife trade, and enclosures are carefully designed to reflect natural habitats. You'll see animals that, realistically, you'd be exceptionally lucky to see in the wild, including long-nosed tapirs, nicknamed 'mountain cows'; margays and ocelots, both small, spotted, jaguar-like cats; and harpy eagles, giant jungle raptors with notoriously intimidating plumage.

The annoying thing about birds is that, since they can fly, you very rarely get a chance to see them up close. The Belize Raptor Center rescues, rehabilitates and releases injured and orphaned birds of prey, while using non-releasable individuals to impress and educate visitors with daily programmes about these intimidating yet endearing animals. Current incumbents include Akna the black hawk-eagle, Jamin the bat falcon, Ceiba the ornate hawk-eagle, Cora the black vulture (pictured), Luna the spectacled owl and Toothless the white-tailed kite.

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San Ignacio is Belize's eco-tourism hub, and here even the hotels have wildlife sanctuaries. A Tripadvisor Travelers' Choice award winner for 2022 and 2023, the Green Iguana Conservation Project at the San Ignacio Resort Hotel gives guests and non-guests the chance to get up-close with these large and oddly cute reptiles, while learning about the initiative's incubation, hatching, rearing and releasing programme. In Belize, iguanas are hunted as food for part of the year, and 'bamboo chicken', as it is known, remains a popular dish in some quarters. If that doesn't sound like a tasty teatime, fear not – the restaurant on the hotel veranda has a more conventional menu.

Belize has literally thousands of caves, several of which are popular with tourists, but only one of them starred in an episode of Ghost Hunters and appeared at the top of National Geographic's list of the world's top 10 most sacred caves. The Actun Tunichil Muknal Cave – known as the ATM Cave – near the mountain town of San Ignacio is a labyrinthine network of subterranean passages that visitors must hike, wade and swim to traverse. It's also a former centre of Mayan spirituality that still boasts stoneware, skeletons and ceramics. Book tickets in advance – you can't enter the cave without a guide, and there's a cap of 125 visitors per day.

As the name suggests, the St Herman's Blue Hole National Park, just off the Hummingbird Highway, boasts two tourist attractions – St Herman's and the Blue Hole. St Herman's is one of Belize's most popular tourist caves – you can see a portion of the cave without a guide, but we recommend one – and its jagged rock formations look all the eerier when illuminated solely by your headlamps. The Blue Hole (yes, Belize has two of them) is a sapphire-coloured sinkhole superb for swimming, especially if you've spent your morning in a dark and dusty cave.

Cave tubing may sound like an extreme sport, but once your eyes adjust to the light there's something strangely soothing about bobbing through a subterranean cavern on an inflatable tube, the water as calm and still as the stone ceiling. Stalactites will glide past, their tips trailing in the clear-blue water, so keep your headlamps trained as your guide steers your plastic armada downriver. There are several sites in Belize where you can cave tube, and St Herman's Cave is among the most popular.

The Black Hole Drop is almost as terrifying as it sounds. A 90-minute steep uphill hike takes you to the rim of a 300-foot-high (91m) sinkhole, where you'll have plenty of time to peer nervously down at the bottom of the basin while preparing to descend. A series of rappelling ropes and harnesses will then lower you into the pit, as the forest floor slowly emerges from the darkness. Take lunch at the bottom, and then it's rock-climbing and ladders all the way back up. Participants must be relatively fit and possess a strong stomach.

The sprawling mega-resorts of Florida and Dubai aren't really Belize's style, but there's still a great range of high-end stays that offer more personalised luxury. In San Ignacio, in the thick forests of the Belizean interior, the Ka'ana Resort's string of lavish villas and suites provide the perfect springboard for nature and adventure. In Hopkins, a blend of culture and coast, the Lodge at Jaguar Reef offers an over-the-sea bar and private plunge pools, and hosted Prince William and Kate Middleton in their Seafront Suite in 2022. And in Placencia, beach haven and gateway to the Caribbean, the Itz'ana Resort serves up sumptuous spa treatments and three-course dinners on the beach.

The most common way to reach Belize is via the United States, with an overnight layover on the way out and an overnight connecting flight on the way back. Newark, Houston, Dallas, Miami and Atlanta are all useful gateway cities. An alternative method is to fly to Cancun in Mexico, a little way up the coast from Belize, and catch a short flight the rest of the way. Discussions about direct UK-Belize flights are ongoing.

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