Belize, formerly British Honduras, was once the haunt of back-packers and homesick British soldiers. Now it is now a much-sought-after destination for lovers of nature and beautiful beaches. This English-speaking republic is unique - a cocktail of Creole, British colonial, indigenous Maya, Mennonite and Spanish cultures.  The coast is unmistakably Caribbean: silky white-sand beaches and coral atolls, palm trees, turquoise seas, laid-back people, reggae rhythms and rum punch. Belize has the world’s second-largest barrier reef and the undersea world here is a theatre of exotic fish and other marine species living among the coral. Behind the coast in the back-country there are forested highlands cut through by sparkling rivers and waterfalls, with plenty of pools in which to swim.