Does that photo below make you dream of summer days at the beach? Well, that’s not summer in Placencia. It’s how things look right now, winter in Belize while it’s freezing in North America.
The weather outside is frightful in some parts of the USA and Canada as we trudge through another month of winter. Through the northern parts of North America, people are pulling out the heavy jackets and gloves.
This is the time most travel sites like ours see their traffic pick up as those same people start entertaining the idea of an escape from the cold. At first it’s kind of nice, the pretty snow on the trees, the wardrobe you haven’t worn for a while. But by the fourth or fifth time you’re shoveling the snow and digging your car out, you’re not singing “Let it Snow” anymore.
There are some destinations we cover that see big temperature swings throughout the year, but in much of Central America it’s either dry or rainy. The air temperature and water temperature stay relatively constant and there won’t be a cold day in the weather forecast. So if you want to shed the layers and dive in clear blue water, keep flying past Florida and land in Belize.
Above is a map showing the expected lows in February in the USA. It’s still pretty balmy down in southern Florida, but blue on that map is freezing (below 0 Celsius) and most of the purple parts are going to be below zero Fahrenheit. This is after a January where it snowed in northern Florida and New Orleans and the mid-Atlantic saw nearly two weeks of sub-freezing temps.
That photo at the top though is what it looks like when you step out of your airport transfer at Chabil Mar Villas in Placencia, Belize and stroll down to the beach to check it out. After you settle into your luxurious villa and make a welcome drink with the complimentary rum, here’s what your view from the hammock might be like:
You’ll experience highs in the 80s, lows in the 70s, and you can sit outside when a waiter is bringing you fruity cocktails or your seafood dinner. You might even need to turn on the air conditioning at some point.
You won’t have to “get used to” the ocean water here. It’s the warm Caribbean and the temperature hardly drops at all in January and February. You can still go snorkeling or scuba diving comfortably with just a bathing suit on the world’s second-longest reef.
Packing for winter in Belize won’t take a lot of thought or a huge suitcase. Bathing suits, t-shirts, shorts, and flip-flops will cover most of your time in the country. You might want to bring a long-sleeve shirt for the evenings, but you’ll only need a coat for your departing trip to the airport.
If you walk across the road to the dock and head into the jungle on a Monkey River tour, you might even work up a sweat as you spot howler monkeys and learn about the medicinal plants in the rainforest from your local guide. For other activities, check out this article on what’s going on in February in the country.
Belize has a higher frequency of flights in the winter vacation period, including on Westjet and Southwest. The major carriers fly to Belize City too. Check the options here from your own airport.
Then within this country the size of New Hampshire, the two domestic airlines are practically air buses, touching down often at multiple points that are only 15-20 minutes apart. There are frequent flights to Ambergris Caye in the north and Placencia in the south.
This is the one English-speaking country in Central America as well (it received its independence from Great Britain in 1981). So you’ll never have a communication issue when you’re trying to get a problem taken care of or you want to line up a special experience.
See our luxury travels in Belize section for more info on this attractive country and our friends at Chabil Mar have a spot on the country’s best mainland beach waiting for you. See their Belize vacation packages and specials for some fun adventures on and off the water.
If you decide to trade the parkas and snow boots for winter in Belize, let us know how it went!
Article by Timothy
Timothy Scott is the founder and editor of Luxury Latin America and has been covering the region as a travel journalist since the mid-2000s. He has visited each country we cover multiple times and is based in a UNESCO World Heritage city in central Mexico, where he owns a home. See contact information here.
