The very small Caye Caulker is two islands now since Hurricane Hattie split it just north of the village in 1961.The reef is just a short boat ride from the eastern shore and offers some of the world's most exciting diving, snorkelling and fishing. The ramshackle, colourful Caribbean Belize City was Belize's former capital and is the country's only settlement of any size. The tropical storms which periodically razed the town in the 19th and early 20th centuries still arrive to do damage to its ageing wooden buildings. When there's no storm, Belize City bustles, steams and swelters. Few people come to Belize City for a holiday or to see the sights but it's the transport and commercial hub of the country, so travellers are likely to spend some time here. When you're there anyway, go visit attractions like Battlefield Park, which is always busy with vendors, St John's Cathedral (the oldest Anglican church (1847) in Central America), the Bliss Institute (the city's cultural center), the Paslow Building (post office) and of course the Image Factory Art Foundation (showcasing work by Belizean). The main commercial streets are Albert, Regent, King and Orange Sts. Belmopan is the country's new capital city and lies in the Cayo district, carved out of the tropical jungle in the geographic center of Belize, near the foothills of the Maya Mountains. It has a population of nearly 7000, most of whom are civil servants, and is in the first phase of a 20 year development period.

The most imposing building is the National Assembly on Independence Hill, patterned in an ancient Mayan motif. The Belmopan New Museum has an impressive number of attractions many of the Mayan treasures uncovered throughout Belize's countryside. Go visit the Independence Plaza which marks the center of the city. Next to the plaza is the Market Square where much of the local commerce takes place; vendors sell everything from tropical fruits and tomalleys to Mennonite watermelons and copycat designer jewellery. Or visit the Guancaste National Park, a few minutes out of Belmopan, one of the oldest reserves in Belize. Placencia is perched at the southern tip of a long, narrow, sandy peninsula in Southern Belize but this laid-back beach town is worth every bump and grind of the dirt roads you need to travel to get here. All commerce and activity used to be carried out by boat, thus the village's 'main street' is just a narrow concrete footpath less than 1m (3ft) wide. The main attractions are the beaches and water sports, but there's also fishing, bird and manatee watching, overnight camping on remote cayes and excursions to jungle rivers. Although Belize is a small country; there's always much more to see. Because of the very low-developed tourism you can feel like a discoverer yourself and see places that you've never heard about before.