In December, Garifuna drumming rolls across the southern coast as the Christmas season begins. Kitchens from Belize City to San Ignacio steam with tamales, and strings of lights go up along the piers of San Pedro.
This is a month for beach days on the cayes, ruins and rivers in the west, and a Christmas table that is unmistakably Belizean.
What is the weather like in Belize in December?
December is warm along the whole Caribbean coast and in the water, with rain easing after a much wetter November. Belize City sits in the mid-80s for afternoon highs and slides into the upper 60s at night, and the sea at the cayes and along the southern coast stays well into the low 80s or right around 80.
| Month | Belize City average high (°F) | Belize City average low (°F) | Belize City rain days | Sea at San Pedro (°F) | Sea at Placencia (°F) | Sea at Corozal (°F) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| November | 85.5 | 71.0 | 11.4 | 84.1 | 83.3 | 83.7 |
| December | 84.2 | 69.3 | 10.3 | 82.4 | 80.7 | 80.4 |
| January | 83.2 | 68.0 | 10.3 | 81.4 | 81.0 | 80.1 |
The change from November is easiest to feel in the rain. November in Belize City is a clearly wetter month, while December brings roughly half the rainfall, though showers still fall on a good number of days and a light rain jacket earns its place in the bag. Evenings are mild enough to eat outside, and the nights feel a touch fresher than they did a month earlier.
The sea has cooled since November, most noticeably at Corozal and Placencia. At San Pedro, on Ambergris Caye, the water holds a little more warmth than it does at either of those two.
By January the sea at all three places sits within a degree or so of one another. Inland, around San Ignacio and the Cayo District, there is no sea at all, and the days are for forest, rivers and ruins rather than the shoreline.
Where to go in Belize in December
Belize is a small country with a coastline of about 240 miles on the Caribbean Sea, and it is the only country in Central America without a Pacific coast. December choices come down to the reef and cayes, the southern coast, the quiet north and the green interior.
San Pedro and Ambergris Caye
San Pedro is the town of Ambergris Caye, and the sea here is the warmest of the three coastal places in the weather table. The Belize Barrier Reef, the longest in the western hemisphere at about 200 miles, runs just offshore and includes Ambergris Caye among its islands.
Hol Chan Marine Reserve lies off the caye. In Zone A, fishing is not permitted, and snorkeling and diving are allowed on payment of a fee. Shark Ray Alley is part of the same stretch of reef that visitors know. In town, December means Christmas lights, rum cake and street food, with the mood leaning festive from the first days of the month.
Placencia and the southern coast
Placencia is a long, narrow peninsula village with a beach on one side and a lagoon on the other, and it is the base for Gladden Spit. The Gladden Spit spawning aggregation draws more than 30 species of fish, including grouper and snapper, that gather in the thousands at full moon. It also draws one of the largest predictable whale shark congregations in Belize, an important tourism resource for Placencia and nearby communities.
Farther up the coast, Hopkins and Dangriga are Garifuna towns, and Christmas season is when drum and dance traditions are often on display. The sea here is a little cooler than in November, which suits a day outdoors.
Corozal Town and the north
Corozal Town sits on its bay in the far north, and the Spanish-speaking, Mestizo side of Belizean life is strongest here. The sea has cooled since November but remains soft on the skin.
This is a place for slow waterfront evenings, plates of fresh seafood and the Christmas rhythm of a small town rather than a resort strip. Sarteneja, a fishing village on the same northern coast, shares that unhurried feel.
San Ignacio and the Cayo District
San Ignacio anchors the Cayo District, where the land turns to forest, rivers and Maya sites. Cahal Pech, right by town, is a collection of 34 structures, and its tallest temple rises about 82 feet over the plazas. Xunantunich and Caracol are other Maya sites in the region, and Mountain Pine Ridge adds pine forest and waterfalls to the map.
With the sea absent, the Cayo pace is set by the trail, the river and the market. Rain still falls on a number of days in December, so mud and a cloudy sky are part of a forest day.
What to do in Belize in December
Christmas leads the calendar, and the water and the ruins fill the days around it.
Christmas and New Year
Christmas Day and Boxing Day are public holidays in Belize, and the season builds toward them with house lights, church services and tamales wrapped in banana leaf. Fruit cake, rum cake and sorrel, a red drink steeped from hibiscus-like calyces, show up on tables across the country.
In Garifuna communities such as Dangriga and Hopkins, drumming and Jankunu dancing, with its masked dancers, are often part of the holiday season. New Year’s Eve brings parties and fireworks to the cayes. A few days later, George Price Day on January 15 adds another public holiday, honoring the country’s first Prime Minister, George Cadle Price.
On and under the water
The reef is the main stage. Snorkelers and divers head to Hol Chan Marine Reserve off Ambergris Caye, where Zone A allows snorkeling and diving on payment of a fee. Farther south, Gladden Spit is where thousands of fish gather at full moon and whale sharks come into the story.
Out among the islands are Lighthouse Reef, Glover’s Reef and the Turneffe Islands, all part of the Belize Barrier Reef system. Sea temperatures in December are comfortable, and the light is clear enough that reef colors stand out.
Maya sites and the rainforest
The Cayo District is the base for Cahal Pech, Xunantunich and Caracol, three very different Maya places. The forest around them is full of birdsong, and December’s lighter rain suits a day among the stones.
Other Maya sites, including Lamanai and Altun Ha, are spread across the country. Belize City is the largest city and a place to see the country’s working side, with markets and Creole food, such as rice and beans with stew chicken.
Is Belize busy in December?
December has two moods: the weeks leading up to Christmas, and the holiday stretch from Christmas through New Year’s, when school vacations send families traveling and Belizeans head home to see relatives.
The cayes are the places where the holiday mood is most visible. San Pedro and Placencia are lively with lights, music and dinner tables full of visitors, and the sea is warm enough to keep everyone outside. Dock-side restaurants, beach bars and snorkel boats are part of that picture.
Southern Garifuna villages, such as Hopkins and Dangriga, have their own rhythm. Families come back for the holidays, and drumming and dancing may carry into the evening. Corozal Town and Sarteneja in the north live at a smaller scale, with seafood, quiet waterfronts and a Mestizo Christmas.
In the Cayo District, San Ignacio mixes visitors and locals around the market and the river, and the Maya sites are open for the trip. Belize City is the transit hub, and its holiday mood has more to do with family and church than with beaches. The days before the holidays give a gentler introduction to the country, while Christmas week and New Year’s are the stretch to plan around.
What to pack for Belize in December
Packing for December is mostly about the coast: warm days, mild nights, a sea that is still comfortable and showers that come on some days. Inland, in the Cayo District, the same light clothes work, with footwear that can handle forest paths and a bit of mud. Evenings by the sea are mild, and a light layer is plenty.
- Lightweight, breathable clothes for daytime highs in the mid-80s.
- A light layer for evenings on the water, when lows reach the upper 60s.
- A compact rain jacket, since rain still falls on a good number of days.
- Swimsuits and snorkel gear for the reef, where the sea stays comfortable.
- Sturdy shoes with grip for the Maya sites and forest trails of the Cayo District.
- Sun protection for long days on the water and in the open plazas.
Good to know before you go
The U.S. State Department rates Belize Level 2, “Exercise increased caution”, because of crime, and says the south side of Belize City has historically had the highest concentration of violent crime.
The Atlantic hurricane season runs from June 1 to November 30, so December falls outside the official hurricane season. Belize has no Pacific coast, so only the Atlantic season applies. Daylight lasts a little over eleven hours in mid-December in Belize City, so dusk comes early and evenings arrive sooner than in summer. Check the State Department’s advice for each region before you go.
Is December a good time to visit Belize?
December suits travelers who want warm sea, reef time and a festive mood, and it fits the cayes, the southern coast and the Cayo District especially well. San Pedro and Placencia give the reef and the water, and San Ignacio gives forests and Maya sites.
Compared with November, December brings less rain and a slightly cooler sea. November is wetter in Belize City and its sea is warmer everywhere in the table. January is very close to December: Belize City has the same number of rain days, the air is a shade cooler, and the sea at San Pedro dips a little lower while Placencia is nearly level with December.
What marks December in Belize is the Christmas season layered onto the reef and rainforest. It means tamales steaming at holiday tables, Garifuna drums in the south, lights on the cayes, and a month that begins right after the Atlantic hurricane season closes.
Sources
- NOAA NCEI, GHCN-Daily station BHM00078583 (Philip S. W. Goldson International Airport, Belize City), normals 1991-2020 computed from the daily record (https://www.ncei.noaa.gov/access/services/data/v1?dataset=daily-summaries&stations=BHM00078583), checked October 11, 2026
- Open-Meteo Marine API, average 2015-2024, checked October 11, 2026
- sunrise-sunset.org, sunrise and sunset calculated for the 15th of the month, checked October 11, 2026
- Wikipedia, Public holidays in Belize (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Public_holidays_in_Belize), checked October 11, 2026
- Wikipedia, Climate of Belize (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Climate_of_Belize), checked October 11, 2026
- Wikipedia, Geography of Belize (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Geography_of_Belize), checked October 11, 2026
- Wikipedia, Hol Chan Marine Reserve (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hol_Chan_Marine_Reserve), checked October 11, 2026
- Wikipedia, Cahal Pech (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cahal_Pech), checked October 11, 2026
- Belize Fisheries Department, Gladden Spit and Silk Cayes Marine Reserve (https://fisheries.gov.bz/gsscmr/), checked October 11, 2026
- U.S. Department of State, Belize Travel Information, Entry and exit requirements (https://travel.state.gov/), checked October 11, 2026
- Belize Immigration Department, Visitor's permit (https://immigration.gov.bz/permits/visitors-permit/), checked October 11, 2026
- Tropic Air, Belize immigration and visas (https://www.tropicair.com/belize-immigration-visas/), checked October 11, 2026
- Maya Island Air, Belize visa requirements (https://www.mayaislandair.com/belize-visa-requirements/), checked October 11, 2026
- U.S. Department of State, Belize Travel Advisory, Level 2, March 11, 2026 (https://travel.state.gov/), checked October 11, 2026
- NOAA National Hurricane Center, Climatology (https://www.nhc.noaa.gov/climo/), checked October 11, 2026