The most magical place on Earth?

FROM the most beautiful sinkhole on the planet to ancient ruins, underwater treasures and secret beaches, this hideaway should be on your bucket list. But it’s not for the faint of heart.

Belize is beautiful.

THIS is one laid-back hideaway that should be on your bucket list.

An independent nation since 1981, Belize is home to the most beautiful sinkhole on the planet, cave tubing, underwater treasures and secret beaches.

The Central American country has six districts and 200 offshore cayes (islands) that are easy — and beautiful — to navigate.

Here are 11 experiences that represent the best of Belize.

1. Dive into The Blue Hole

The Blue Hole.

Serious divers must experience The Blue Hole, a 310 metre-wide sinkhole that is home to diverse marine life like hammerhead sharks and expansive underwater vistas. Made famous by a 1970s Jacques Cousteau documentary, this is the world’s largest formation of its kind. Located 88 kilometres east of Belize City, The Blue Hole is 125m deep — it’s not for the faint of heart.

The corals of the Blue Hole. Picture: Jayhem

2. Be a beach bum

Caye Caulker. Picture: Jon Rawlinson

Leave the crowds behind and escape to Caye Caulker’s quiet beaches. Home to some of the best scuba diving and snorkelling in Belize, it’s an easy water taxi ride away. There are also charming small shops, excellent seafood restaurants and idyllic beaches.

And a bar in the water!

Caye Caulker bar. Picture: Steven Zwerink

3. Step back in time

Xunantunich

Once home to the Mayans, Belize is dotted with ancient ruins. One of the most popular and impressive ruins to visit is the hilltop Xunantunich (“maiden of the rock” in Mayan), near the Guatemalan border.

Accessible by taking a hand-cranked ferry ride over the Mopan River, the ruins were built during the Classic period (200 A.D. — 900 A.D.). The ruins include six plazas, 25 temples and palaces including El Castillo (the Castle), the largest pyramid that towers 40m above the plaza and is adorned with elaborate friezes on the east and west sides.

4. Try ‘The Royal Rat’

Made famous by Queen Elizabeth who sampled the tasty treat during a visit to Belize, gibnut is a large rodent. Nicknamed “the royal rat,” this delicacy can be found at Nerie’s on Freetown Road in Belize City. What started as one tiny restaurant has expanded into a trio of restaurants serving Belizean cuisine like rice and beans, plantains, fresh fruit juices and, for the adventurous, gibnut.

I give you the Gibnut!! Beautiful. #Belize #SaveWildlife #NeedToBeThere pic.twitter.com/V2BMKfbCbN

— Cheska Hill-Wood (@CheskaHillWood) August 28, 2013

5. Enjoy happy hour

Placencia.

One of the best spots to sip local Belikin Beer is Placencia Peninsula. Known locally as “Barefoot Perfect”, Placencia Peninsula is 26km of golden sand, the only golden-sand beaches on mainland Belize. After sunbathing on the beach, soak up the traditional Kriol (Creole) fishing village vibe over an ice cold Belikin lager or stout at local village bars and restaurants, or enjoy a bottle or two with your feet in the sand.

6. Monkey around in the jungle

One of the locals you may come across.

How does spending the night in the jungle sound? Located in the Bermudian Landing village in the Belize River Valley area, Howler Monkey Resort is a riverside lodge where travellers can get up close and personal with nature. There’s a cool trail that traverses the huge monkey sanctuary.

7. Go cave tubing

Cave tubing. Picture: Nick M

Grab an inner tube and float through the Caves Branch River east of the capital, Belmopan. The Nohoch Che’en Caves Branch Archaeological Reserve is home to caves the ancient Maya held sacred. Tubing tours take visitors into the caves populated with stalactites, stalagmites, Mayan cave paintings and aquatic life.

Tours run daily, so stop, er, float by and don’t forget your camera.

8. Feelin’ hot, hot, hot: Sample Marie Sharp Hot Sauce

Caution! Picture: Rebecca Wilson

On most restaurant tables in Belize, diners find a bottle of Marie Sharp’s Hot Sauce, a fiery habanera pepper sauce blended with carrots and onions in varying degrees of heat, from mild to “beware”.

Dabbing some Marie Sharp Hot Sauce on Belizean cuisine is a must. Diners will quickly realise why the sauces are so popular (sales totalled $3.8 million last year). Fans of spice can go on a free factory tour to see how the Belizean makes her famous sauce. The 20-minute tour, sometimes led by Sharp, includes the farm where the raw materials come from and the facility where the sauce is made.

9. Swim with the fish — and more

SNORKEL HOL CHAN MARINE & SHARK RAY ALLEY http://t.co/JSUv8DCYqt #belize #beach #holchan #sharkrayalley #adventure pic.twitter.com/8fAPJP7jZx

— Balaam Eco Adventure (@BalaamEcoTours) May 8, 2014

Considered part of Hol Chan Marine Reserve, Shark Ray Alley is located 1.6km south of the Hol Chan Cut and was once a place where fishermen would clean their catches, which attracted stingrays and nurse sharks. It’s now a prime spot for snorkelling with stingrays, nurse sharks and turtles. Aquatic adventure seekers should visit via a boat and guide from San Pedro or Caye Caulker to visit Shark Ray Alley.

10. Get immersed in Garifuna culture

Hopkins, a coastal village in eastern Belize, is known as the cultural centre of the Garifuna community. Descendants of West African, Central African, Carib and Arawak people, Garifuna culture thrives in Hopkins. Visitors are warmly welcome to dance, learn, drum and indulge in traditional cuisine like tamales and conch fritters.

11. See sunsets and sip sundowners

Ambergris Caye is pure magic at sunset. Picture: Girlguyed

Adjacent to the largest barrier reef in the western hemisphere, Ambergris Caye is a popular place for diving and snorkelling. Ambergris Caye is Belize’s largest island and is also the best place for viewing the sunset with a sundowner. From the cobblestone streets of San Pedro to the beaches, visitors are almost guaranteed a picture-perfect sunset.

This article originally appeared on Cheapflights.com.au.