Belize

City overview

Belize is the only English-speaking country in Central America, and it packs an improbable amount into an area smaller than Massachusetts: the second-largest barrier reef in the world running the length of its coast, hundreds of cayes and three offshore atolls, and a jungle interior full of Maya cities and river caves that were used as ceremonial spaces more than a thousand years ago. Most visitors split their time between an island and the mainland, flying or taking a water taxi between them. The Jewish presence is small and recent. Chabad of Belize opened in San Pedro on Ambergris Caye in 2016 and remains the country's only Jewish institution, serving a handful of local families and a steady stream of travellers. It runs the country's only kosher restaurant, holds Shabbat and holiday services and meals, and is the practical starting point for any observant visitor planning a trip here.