Things to Do in Belmopan in June

This bamboo art class sits in San Pedro, a short flight or boat ride from the mainland, and it delivers a hands-on connection to Belizean craft. You will work with locally harvested bamboo, feeling the smooth, polished grain under your fingers as you learn traditional weaving techniques to create a functional basket or decorative piece. The scent of the raw material is clean and slightly sweet, filling the small, sunlit workshop.

This full-day expedition transports you from Belize into the heart of the Guatemalan rainforest to examine Tikal, one of the grandest of all Maya cities. You will hear the echoing calls of howler monkeys and see mist clinging to the towering temple peaks as you climb ancient stone steps worn smooth by time. The sheer scale of the Great Plaza, flanked by immense pyramids, is a humbling sight.

This San Pedro dinner tour is a movable feast that takes you beyond the tourist menus. You will taste the tangy, citrus-marinated kick of fresh ceviche, sample smoky grilled lobster tail brushed with garlic butter, and finish with a slice of rich, rum-soaked cake. The experience moves between a handful of locally-owned eateries, each with its own character, from a breezy palapa to a family-run kitchen.

This guided jet ski tour from San Pedro has a rush of salt spray and engine roar as you speed across the brilliant turquoise waters of the Caribbean. You will feel the warm wind against your skin as you navigate to the large sandbar known as Secret Beach, where you can wade into the impossibly clear, shallow water. The contrast between the open-water exhilaration and the tranquil, waist-deep relaxation at the destination is the core of the appeal.

This combo tour from the Belmopan area delivers two classic Belizean adventures: exploring the imposing Maya temple of Xunantunich and floating through a subterranean cave system. You will see the detailed stucco friezes on El Castillo, the site's main pyramid, and later feel the cool, damp air of the cave as you drift on an inner tube, your headlamp beam illuminating ancient pottery shards and glittering rock formations.

This horseback ride near Belmopan takes you along jungle trails where you will hear the rustle of leaves and the distant chatter of birds, eventually leading to the overgrown mounds of a lesser-known Maya site. The feel of the horse moving beneath you and the dappled light filtering through the canopy creates a sense of discovery. The quiet of the forest is punctuated only by the sound of hooves on soft earth and your guide pointing out medicinal plants.