Belize
The stable, democratic, English-speaking country of Belize lies in the western Caribbean on the coast of Central America. Belize is home to an interesting mix of over ten different cultures including Garifuna, Maya, Creole, Mestizo, East Indian, and German Mennonites. The country also lays claim to hundreds of ancient Maya temples, large tracts of intact tropical rain-forest, and the northern hemisphere’s longest barrier reef.
There is an extensive network of picturesque rivers and cascading waterfalls winding from the Maya Mountains to the Caribbean Sea. Spectacular limestone caves strewn with Maya pottery beckon you to canoe, cave tube, and bird watch. With 40 per cent of the country’s land-mass under some type of protection and dotted with restored and excavated Mayan sites, you are enticed to hike rain-forest trails and climb ancient ruins and temples. Offshore, hundreds of coral sand islands (or cayes) with swaying coconut palm trees and sun-kissed beaches invite you to snorkel patch reefs, dive the Blue Hole and drop offs, kayak, fly-fish, or just relax. A country alive with hundreds of bird species, colourful fish, exotic tropical plants and animals combined with friendly Belizeans throughout colourful towns and villages makes Belize an adventurer’s paradise. Belize was the site of several Mayan city states until their decline at the end of the first millennium A.D.
The British and Spanish disputed the region in the 17th and 18th centuries; it formally became the colony of British Honduras in 1854. Territorial disputes between the UK and Guatemala delayed the independence of Belize until 1981. Guatemala refused to recognize the new nation until 1992. Tourism has become the mainstay of the economy. Belize is an extremely varied country for its size. Inland, the Maya Mountain range is the dominant landscape feature and rises to 3,688 feet at its highest point. The mountains are surrounded by rugged karst limestone hills. Beyond that, most of the north of the country and the entire coastal area consists of low-lying plains. Major rivers erode the Maya Mountains, spreading sediment onto the coastal plains and continually extending out the coastline.
Rainfall varies from less than 50 inches per year with a four month dry season in the north, to over 180 inches per year and a much shorter dry season in the south. The natural vegetation of the country reflects the varied soils and climate with over 49 distinct types of forests identified to date. The pattern of diversity and high environmental quality of the land also applies to the coastal zone and marine waters.
The Belize Barrier Reef is the second largest in the world and the largest in the western hemisphere. It is, however, only part of a complex and largely intact coastal ecosystem of exceptional value. The diversity of the marine zone is exceptional. Three large coral atolls lie outside the barrier reef. The continental shelf off Belize ends abruptly in a drop off that sinks to over 10,000 feet. The barrier reef runs the entire length of the country and supports a tremendous number of patch reefs, shoals and over 1,000 islands called cayes (pronounced ‘Keys’). Most of these cayes, and the entire coastline of the country outside of settlements are protected by huge forests of mangrove.
In terms of government and stability, Belize is unique in Central America. It is a true democracy which operates under the British parliamentary system. As a member of the British Commonwealth, it has an excellent human rights record and freedom of the press is practiced without any censorship.
The population of Belize is very young and over 50 percent is less than 18 years old. Belize is truly a melting pot of Central America. Some of the major cultures represented in Belize include: Creole, Mayan, Garifuna, Spanish, East Indian, Mennonite, Chinese and European/North American. The ancient Maya have fascinated scholars and the general public for centuries. Images of jungle covered ruins and lost cities have fired our imaginations in film and print. Belize offers a unique view of this little known yet much studied civilization because it is home to a wide variety of sites spanning the lifetime of the Mayas.
Punta Gorda is a quiet, secluded town in the south of Belize with a population of 20,000. It is easily accessible by air and road from the North of Belize (i.e. Belize City, Dangrigia, Palcencia etc.) and you can even reach it by boat from Guatemala in the south. Domestic flights between cities are numerous, but are the more expensive way of traveling. The local population is very friendly and will always greet you in the street as you walk by. Making lots of friends is inevitable. Restaurants and food is in plentiful supply and a good meal, with two courses and a couple of drinks may cost as little as $5 USD per head. There are also plenty of good markets to pick up lots of fresh produce through out the week.
San Ignacio is a town set far into the jungle of Belize, 5 miles from the border of Guatemala. Previously visited by the British Monarch during her royal trip 15 years ago, it is a town that is really starting to show up on the world map for adventurers and professionals alike looking for something a little bit different. It is a centre for activities such as canoeing, caving, trekking and a whole lot more. The town of San Ignacio is situated next to its sister town of San Elena in Guatemala and they are separated by the Macal River and Belize’s only suspension bridge, the one lane Hawksworth Bridge. As San Ignacio is also situated tight on the border of Guatemala so it has a strong Spanish influence among its people. It is also the perfect stepping stone from which to visit other countries of Central America that include Mexico, Guatemala, and Honduras.
Students traveling to Belize in the month of March will have the unique opportunity to provide first aid and sometimes even ALS to participants of the infamous canoeing race that starts in San Ignacio and ends at Belize City. For those of you who are brave enough, you can actually enter the competition but we recommend you take out very good health insurance. Hospital attachments are allocated in one of three facilities. Which facility each student is allocated is dependent on the availability of spaces and the individual student’s preferences. One hospital is in Punta Gorda, another is a satellite clinic 5 miles outside of Punta Gorda and the third is in San Ignacio. Medics Away can organize rotations between the three facilities for each student, however over the years of running electives we have learned that students and hospitals are far better off having commitments to just one facility than trying to spread the elective over many. The best compromise for rotations to other facilities is to be placed for the majority of the elective time in Punta Gorda (which is near the satellite clinic anyway) and doing an additional 2 week rotation in San Ignacio at the end of your time in Belize. You can discuss the possibilities of all clinical rotations with the Medics Away Elective Coordinator in the UK (Dr Julian Proctor).
The Discovery Trip includes an over land journey from Punta Gorda to Guatemala to spend a few days in the town of Flores and visit Tikal, followed by a journey by land to San Ignacio to participate in some adventure activities. From there you will then travel to Belize City to catch a boat out to the cayes to enjoy some time on the beach and do some snorkeling. For those of you interested in scuba diving, we are unable to include this as part of the Discovery Trip because different students have varying requirements and not all would be able participates. Medics Away can however assist you with your diving excursions and PADI courses, along with a diverse variety of other excursion. Details of all adventure trips can be found on the Belize Activities page
All of our electives are tailored for the individual, with different students spending different amounts of time in Belize and having different requirements. A typical elective of 8 weeks includes hospital rotations, accommodation, a medical kit, visa and vaccine advice, travel and indemnity insurance advice, and a Discovery Trips.
Medics Away electives can be arranged for any duration. Students need to tell us how long they want to go to Belize for and how much of that time they wish to spend in the hospital, or on independent travel. All students should have travel insurance and for British students we only recommend the BMA Elective travel insurance which covers students for needle-stick injuries, HIV and in cases where a student fails their exams and cannot go on their elective (the equivalent cover is provided by alternative companies for other foreign nationals). British, U.S., Canadian and Australian students will not require a visa prior to traveling to Belize, and will be issued a 90 day travel visa on entrance into the country. Students should always carry an extra $50 USD with them when they depart from Belize to pay for any taxes the airport will charge you. All students should have the relevant vaccines such as Hep B, Hep A, yellow fever, typhoid, tetanus and polio; more information can be found on the Travel Doctor‘s website. Anti-malarial prophylaxis will also need to be taken if you wish to travel into the jungle. Further details of all required prophylactic medication is provided upon making a reservation. For more information about Belize, our Belizean elective or anything elective related then please go to our Elecitves page, email us at or phone. We are sure that you’re going to have a great elective and an amazing experience.