This Central American country may be small – but it’s packed with jungles, wild animals and some of the world’s best snorkeling
by Teresa Levonian Cole: DailyMail.com
Dressed in camouflage and armed with a machete, Narcisio looks every bit a guerrilla. But this is tranquil Belize and Narcisio is a farmer. He uses his machete to chop down the fruits before opening them with a stick to avoid damaging the delicate seeds.
‘Theobromine,’ he says. ‘Food of the gods and packed with 40 times more antioxidants than blueberries.’
He is talking about cacao. We are sitting in a jungle where his trees nestle beneath the canopy and Montezuma oropendola birds flit about, for a bean-to-chocolate experience. ‘Did you know the Mayans were drinking chocolate in 1,800 BC,’ Narcisio asks.
Later, I go to the Maya Centre, where their descendants still grind cacao nibs by hand on stone rollers. They make the most delicious (80 per cent) chocolate I have ever tasted.
Belize is a compact, politically stable country of an impressive cultural richness and biodiversity. Most places are accessible by car and road signs warn of numerous exotic animals crossing, such as tapirs, jaguars, reptiles and armadillos.
Its popularity as a holiday destination is on the rise – helped by the fact that the former British Honduras still has English as its official language.
A 2022 visit by the then Duke and Duchess of Cambridge often crops up in conversation. ‘That is where Kate sat,’ says Narcisio, pointing to the tree stump I now occupy. ‘She said she had no idea where chocolate came from!’
Following in the royal footsteps, my next stop is the village of Hopkins, where I have lunch at The Lodge at Jaguar Reef resort. I enjoy delicious lobster and conch ceviche at its Big Dock Bar, as a manatee plays in the Caribbean waters below.