Belize does not have the drop-head breathless scenery of highlands Guatemala or Costa Rica, but Belize's small population, uncut forests, and diverse ecosystems provide a uniquely Belizean brand of beauty. Emory King's Driver's Guide to Beautiful Belize and the ITMB Traveller's Map will keep you from getting lost.
# 1 Hummingbird Highway
Hands down, this road from Belmopan to near Dangriga is the most beautiful drive in Belize, and beyond the first 19 miles near Belmopan, it is also the best road in Belize. (The remaining 19 miles are due to be resurfaced "soon.") The beginnings of the Maya Mountains, green and lush, are interrupted by the occasional citrus farm. You can't see them, but these limestone hills are laced with vast networks of caves.
# 2 Road to Caracol
The road to Caracol begins with the bone-jarring routes from Georgeville or San Ignacio into the North Georgia-like scenery of the Mountain Pine Ridge. But once beyond Augustine/Douglas DeSilva, the real beauty begins. It is a vast and unpopulated area, close to Guatemala, and the road, though improved, is still no superhighway. When the butterflies are flying and the sky is blue, this is a magical, if rough, trip to the ruins of Caracol.
# 3 Road to Sarteneja and Progresso Lagoon
This little-traveled area of northern Belize provides glimpses of beauty to make up for the unpaved roadway. En route from Orangewalk Town, you'll enjoy seeing the Progresso Lagoon, prosperous Mennonite farms, and the isolated villages of Chunox and Sarteneja, on the Bay of Chetumal. On your return, if past the Progresso Lagoon, you turn right instead of going back to Orange Walk, you can visit the village of Copper Bank and, in good weather, the ruins of Cerros.
# 4 Road to Chan Chich
Most people fly to Gallon Jug, but driving is a better way to see some of the real Belize (advance permission is needed to travel the private parts of this route). This part of Orange Walk District is a country of Mennonite and other farms, small rural villages, and wild bush. As you drive through Programme for Belize and Gallon Jug lands, you'll likely see oscellated turkeys and other rare wildlife. This is also one of the region's last remaining mahogany forests. The road to Lamanai, which turns off at San Felipe Village, is also a great drive.
# 5 Road to Gales Point and Southern Lagoon
The new coastal highway, or "shortcut" from Democracia to Stann Creek, is mostly an awful road, dusty in the dry season and muddy or flooded after rains. But the short section of unpaved road, from around Melinda about 10 miles north of Dangriga, to Gales Point, ending at the Colonial-style Manatee Lodge, is loaded with simple charm and unexpected beauty. The charm comes from the small, unspoiled Creole village of Gales Point, and the beauty from the Southern Lagoon, home to crocodiles, jabiru storks, and manatee.
# 6 Roads to Maya Villages near PG
While not an area of tremendous scenic beauty, the roads off the Southern Highway to the Maya villages near San Antonio and beyond are an education in history and culture. In rainy weather, the roads can become impassable even for four-wheel drives. Regrettably, some timbering activity by a large Malaysian company is going on in this area.
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