The Internet offers some of the best and most up-to-date information on Belize. For Ambergris Caye, you can't beat AmbergrisCaye.com. Particularly helpful is the site's newsgroup, where recent visitors to the island compare notes.
The Belize Tourist Board provides some information about Ambergris Caye. The annual magazine, Destination Belize, published for the Belize Tourism Industry Association and available from the Belize Tourism Board for US$5, offers a good overview of all of Belize, including Ambergris Caye, but of course as a tourism industry sponsored publication it contains only positive information.
Contact Belize Tourist Board, P.O. Box 325, Belize City, Belize, C.A., tel. 011-501-2-77213, fax 2-77490, e-mail btbb@btl.net. Or, tel. 800-624-0686. The BTB's Web site is at http://www.belizenet.com.
Most guidebooks to Belize have good coverage of Ambergris Caye, but due to publishing lag times, the information is rarely completely current. Among the best guides are the following:
Belize Handbook, by Chicki Mallan and Pattie Lange, Moon Travel Handbooks, 4th edition, 1998, 328 pages, US$15.95. An old friend now back in an edition updated by Chicki Mallan's daughter, Pattie Lange. Well-organized, good maps, well-researched, though lacking some hotel and other information on fast-changing Ambergris Caye. A new edition will be out sometime in 2001.
Explore Belize, by Harry S. Pariser, Hunter Publishing, 4th edition, 1998, 372 pages, US$16.95. Comprehensive guide with details not available in most other guides, though now badly dated.
Belize, Adventures in Nature, by Richard Mahler and Steele Wotkyns, John Muir Publications, 1997, 384 pages, US$18.95. This eco-oriented guide has good coverage of the cayes and water activities. Apparently not going to be republished.
Rough Guide to Belize, by Peter Eltringham, 2nd edition, 2001. A tour de force of meticulous research and detailed information, by a guy who has spent a great deal of time in Belize. US$15.95
Belize First Guide to Mainland Belize, by Lan Sluder, 2000/2001. Visit the real Belize -- the mainland. This guide tells you everything you need to know to have a great visit. All hotels and attractions rated one to five stars. 288 jam-packed pages and 75 photos and maps. US$14.95
Fodor's Belize & Guatemala Guide, Belize section updated and revised by Lan Sluder, 2000. "The King of Guidebooks." Smartly written and carefully research. US$15
UpClose Central America, Belize section updated and revised by Lan Sluder, 2001. If you're a tightwad, this budget guide is for you. US$20
Belize Traveller's Map, ITMB. The best general map to Belize, updated 1998. US$8.95
Ambergris Caye, British Ordnance Survey topographical map, 1:50,000-scale. Not as up to date as we'd like, but the best available professional map to Ambergris Caye. US$14 folded, or US$22 flat (shipped in tube).
Belize Topographical Map, British Ordnance Survey, 1:250,000-scale. Beautiful map, in two flat sheets, with Belize City and town maps on reverse sides. US$35 (shipped in tube).
Savanna's Bohemian Guide to Ambergris Caye, by Savanna Redman, 1995. An advertising flyer, poster-sized, but with an interesting three-dimensional map of the main part of the island. Available in some gift shops in San Pedro. Price varies. (Available occasionally in San Pedro.)
Most of these guidebooks and maps are available from BELIZE FIRST/Caribbean Coast, 287 Beaverdam Road, Candler, NC 28715 USA, e-mail BZEFIRST@aol.com Prices are as shown, plus for shipping/handling US$3.75 for the first item and US$2 for each additional item (in the U.S., Canada, Mexico and Belize). For delivery outside these countries, S/H is US$8 for the first item and US$4 for each additional. E-mail your order and we'll ship on invoice within 48 hours via Priority Mail or Air Mail. Payment must be in US funds.
What to Expect | What It Costs | Beaches, Diving, Snorkeling & Fishing
Hotels | Restaurants & Nightlife | Tours, Trips & Activities | Boat Charters
This page, and all contents, are Copyright © 1996-2001 Belize First Magazine. All rights reserved.
