Belmopan Travel Guide
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52 miles (84km) W of Belize City; 20 miles (32km) E of San Ignacio; 100 miles (161km) NW of Placencia
After Hurricane Hattie devastated Belize City in 1961, government officials figured enough was enough and decided to move the country's capital safely inland. Belmopan is an example of what happens when you build it and no one comes. Conceived as a model city that would become the dynamic center of a growing Belize, Belmopan is actually a sleepy place set 2 miles (3km) in from the Western Highway.
Belmopan is a planned city designed and built from scratch in the jungle at the geographical center of the country. Unfortunately, the planners who designed it didn't count on the people's resistance to moving here. A host of government buildings, including the National Assembly, are laid out according to a master plan, surrounded by residential areas, with everything connected by a ring road. Still, Belmopan has yet to see any substantial growth in its current population of only 7,000 or so. In fact, many government workers make the daily commute from Belize City, as it's an easy shot on a well-paved road.
Most visitors avoid Belmopan entirely, but if you are traveling around by bus, you will at least pass through it. If you get into town late at night, don't despair -- you can easily spend the night and make an early onward connection in the morning. Belmopan also makes a convenient base for visits to the nearby Guanacaste and Blue Hole National Parks, as well as the Caves Branch River and its network of hollowed-out limestone caves. There are also several very comfortable and interesting nature lodges in close proximity to Belmopan.
