Orange Walk Town is the capital of the Orange Walk district in Northern Belize.Orange Walk Town is a little over an hour from the airport in Belize City, up the Northern Highway. The Highway is also known as the Belize-Corozal road, and runs right through the center of town. There is a toll booth on the approach to the Town from Belize City (or simply Belize, as the locals put it). The road is generally in good condition, although like anywhere in Northern Belize, one must be careful in the wet season while driving off the main roads and highways. During the sugar cane season, watch out for the many large cane trucks.Recently in 2012 the highways were renamed and the Northern Highway is now the Philip Goldson highway.Walking is the best way to get around the downtown area. The market area between the Corozal road and Main Street gets going early in the morning. There are many small to medium shops and restaurants. Do not miss the carts selling breakfast tacos. Walking anywhere in the town is fairly safe, especially in groups, and the people are friendly and will be happy to chat. The best attraction in the area is Lamanai, the Mayan ruins up the river. You can catch a boat or bus tour from Orange Walk. The boat will be easier on your kidneys, as the road is quite rough. The river tour is also a great way to see crocodiles, fruit bats,spider monkeys and hundreds of different bird species including many species of herons. Many of the hotels here can arrange the tour for you.Corozal is a short drive to the north with its beautiful bay, and Chetumal, Mexico just past that. Progresso lagoon is also a great place to visit.The Belize Bank on Main Street will change Euros and US Dollars, but not Mexican Pesos. Scotia Bank was similar. To change Mexican Pesos into Belizean Dollars, go to the store called Baba’s, that faces on the main square (near the clock tower). Inside Baba’s there is a teller window where Pesos can be changed to Belizean dollars at a reasonable rate. There is no indication on the outside of the store that this service is available.There will be many street vendors selling tacos and the like in the morning. Try them. While you are in Belize, be sure to have some salbutes – fried corncakes, tomatoes, chicken – available at a couple of places along main street. There are a lot of Chinese restaurants in Belize, and they are usually pretty good, especially the bigger ones. Of course, the staple of Belizean cuisine is barbequed chicken, rice and beans, flour tortillas and potato salad. That is dependent on where you go for a meal. Orange Walk population are a mixture of different cultures and each ethnic group still prepare and eat their tradtional meals so at the Fort Cairns market square you will be able to find different types of traditional food.One of the oldest traditional restaurants in town is the San Francisco Restaurant where delicious Mestizo meals are prepared and is managed and owned by Mrs. Elvira Briceno. We have other local restaurants like Juanita’s where you can enjoy a delicious “Cowfoot Soup” and they open as early as 6:00am.Nahil Mayab Restaurant is also open for service and is centrally located near the Shell Gas Station. They prepare delicious local, American and Europeans dishes.One of the places to eat in Orange Walk is the Lamanai Riverside Retreat. The menu emphasizes seafood. There are no vegetarian options on the menu, but the staff are happy to work out a vegetarian plate.Drive through the surrounding countryside. Be sure to visit some of the smaller towns in the district – August Pine Ridge, San Pablo, San Narciso, etc. Mennonite communities abound. You can recognize them by their perfectly tended farms.2nd Class buses (no airconditioning, and usually no “trunk” for suitcases) run regularly from Orange walk to Belize City, usually no more than 2 hours one way. From Belize City, you can connect to almost anywhere else in the country. While avoiding Belize City is desireable, it is almost unavoidable if you want to make bus connections to other locations.Buses from Orange Walk go to Sarteneja multiple times a day, but often don’t leave from or stop by the bus station in town. The best place to catch the bus to Sarteneja is from the bus stop outside the Banquitas House of Culture on Main Street right by the turn off that goes over the New River and onwards towards Sarteneja. Looks for the bright blue bus with “Sartneja” painted on the front. Cost is $10B.

Airport: ORZ Orange Walk Airport Cities in Belize

Country: Belize