There is no road here, and there never will be. The reef runs for about three hundred kilometres along the coast and is the largest barrier reef in the northern hemisphere. Charles Darwin, who never saw it himself, described it from reports as the most remarkable reef in the West Indies. Beyond the main barrier lie three atolls, rare in the Caribbean, including Lighthouse Reef with its famous Great Blue Hole, a perfectly round underwater sinkhole that Jacques Cousteau made famous in the early 1970s.
So for a rider, this is the point where the bike stays on land. Belize City is the main jumping-off point, along with the town of Dangriga further south and the islands of Caye Caulker and Ambergris Caye, which are reached by water taxi. Leave the bike somewhere secure on the mainland and take a boat. Divers and snorkellers can see turtles, nurse sharks, rays, enormous schools of fish and coral gardens; on Half Moon Caye, a colony of red-footed boobies nests in the trees. West Indian manatees graze in the shallow lagoons closer to the shore.
The riding in Belize itself is short but varied. The country is small and the main roads, such as the George Price Highway west towards the Guatemalan border and the Hummingbird Highway south-east to Dangriga, are the highlights. The Hummingbird, in particular, winds through the Maya Mountains with jungle on both sides, citrus plantations and limestone hills, and is considered one of the most scenic roads in Central America. Expect speed bumps in villages, sudden potholes and slow-moving trucks. English is the official language, which makes things easy.
Fuel and supplies are available in Belize City, Dangriga and Belmopan, the capital. The hurricane season runs from June to November and the rainy season can make some secondary roads muddy and slow, so the best time to visit is between late November and April. Try rice and beans with stewed chicken, fresh conch in season and a cold local beer after a day on the water.