After a week in Belize in summer 2022, this is what I learned to pack and not pack during its rainy months. I share tips based on my experience and after looking at dozens of other Belize packing lists.
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Belize Rainy Season at a Glance
💦 Wet Season Months: June-November
🌧 How much rain should I expect? Belize’s rainy season is known to have brief, but sometimes intense rains. I traveled in August and it rained every day, but mostly in 5-10 minute intervals and only about 2-3 times a day. The rain was often heavy and abrupt, but short-lived.
This Belize travel guide has more general basics and travel tips on the country.
About My Trip
To give context to this packing list, here’s what you need to know about my trip:
🌴 Half island, half mainland. I spent 4 nights in Ambergris Caye (island) and 3 nights in San Ignacio (mainland), so I packed for jungle and ocean. This is my 1-week Belize itinerary.
✌️ 2 travelers. I traveled with one other friend, so I didn’t have to account for kids or a larger group when packing.
🎒 Carry-on only. I packed everything into a carry-on and small backpack. I didn’t check a bag.
The most challenging thing to pack for Belize is the popular ATM cave tour because it involves hiking, climbing, swimming and spending a few hours inside a cave. This ATM cave guide outlines what to pack and expect.
What to Pack for Belize
Clothes
- Swimsuits (2+). Belize is known for snorkeling and swimming docks, so you’ll likely be in the ocean every other day if not every day. You’ll also need swimsuits for the ATM Cave tour.
- Tops/shorts that dry easily. The rain can be abrupt, so you will likely get wet unexpectedly. Clothes didn’t dry fully in my resort rooms and mid-ranged resorts didn’t provide hair dryers. Consider avoid bringing jeans.
- Rain jacket. I brought my light rain jacket that I like and use for every rainy destination.
- Sturdy sandals. Since it can rain suddenly, it’s convenient to be in sandals. Belize doesn’t have the best street or road infrastructure, and it can be hilly. You’ll want to be comfortable walking. I was happy in my Chacos and my friend raved about her Merrell’s many times.
In San Ignacio, most of the hostels/resorts are on a hill, about a 15-30 minute walk from the downtown area.
- Athletic shoes. I preferred walking around in my Chacos, but you’ll need this for any tours involving hiking, horseback riding, etc. I wore my running shoes for those.
- Water shoes (optional). If you’re doing the popular ATM cave tour, you’ll want water shoes. I bought these water shoes and thought they were great.
Accessories
- Sunglasses. I brought my solid sunglasses that works well when I’m being active.
- Waterproof phone case. You’ll want this for the rain and any water activities such as a snorkeling/scuba boat ride. I bought this waterproof phone case, which doubled as a purse for me. For a sturdier phone case purse, I also usually bring a crossbody phone purse.
- Quick-dry towel. For the island, you’ll likely go for a swim near a hotel you’re not staying at. For mainland, you’ll need towels for the ATM cave tour. I brought these quick dry towels and have brought them on multiple trips.
All beaches in Ambergris Caye are open to the public. I did not stay at any of the swimming docks/beaches I visited. This meant that I couldn’t use their towels and my hotel didn’t provide one.
- Dry sacks. These came in clutch for separating my wet clothes from the dry ones. I bought these cheap dry sacks specifically for this trip and used them a lot.
- Bag appropriate for tours. Depending on your activities, you’ll need to consider what’s a good bag to bring (e.g., a bag you can comfortably carry while on a horse or hiking, a beach bag, a bag you can hold onto while on a golf cart).
Personal Care
- Bug spray. You’ll especially need bug spray for jungle tours in Belize. I almost went through my entire travel-sized one since I also needed it whenever I ate outside (a lot of Belize restaurants are in the open air). I bought and like these bug repellent lotion and think they work better than a spray.
- Reef-safe sunscreen to protect the corals, but you can buy regular sunscreen if you don’t plan to go into the ocean. This reef-safe sunscreen, also available in some REIs, is relatively easy to apply compared to other reef-safe sunscreens I’ve tried.
Bringing bug repellent and reef-safe sunscreen will be cheaper than buying it in Belize. This Belize cost breakdown has some other tips to reduce cost on your trip.
- Anti-itch cream. In case your bug spray doesn’t 100% work. I use this anti-itch stick for its portability.
- Motion sickness meds (optional). If you’re going to an island, you’ll likely have to travel by water taxi, boat or small plane at some point, so if you get easily motion sick like I do, it’s best to bring some meds.
- Sleeping mask and ear plugs (optional). Some resorts, including the ones I stayed at, were still busy enough that I could hear children screaming from the pool. I used my sleeping mask and ear plugs every night.
What Not to Pack for Belize
- Jeans. They won’t dry quickly if you get caught in the rain.
- Charging adapter. If you’re from the US, you won’t need one for Belize.
- Umbrella (maybe). I brought one and never used it. My light rain jacket was adequate. If it rained hard enough, the wind usually made the umbrella useless and/or I would just wait it out since the rain doesn’t last long.
- Hiking shoes. I considered bringing a pair for all the tours that involved hiking, but none of the terrain warranted hiking shoes. They were all doable in athletic shoes, including the ATM cave tour and horseback riding to Xunantunich.
Belize Planner and Packing List Template
To help make your travel planning easier, you can download my template for free and use it as a starting point. The template has country-specific information shared in this post.
The template is built on Notion, which is what I use for all my travel planning (I’m not paid to say this; I just like the tool). If you don’t have Notion, creating an account is free.
If you have any questions or thoughts, feel free to leave them in the comments below!
