This is the classic Belizean combo, often pre-booked in a pair of upland–lowland sister resorts and offering all kinds of “best-of-both-worlds” activity packages for both short and lengthy stays. Those who don’t enjoy the whirlwind-tour style of travel, staying in a new hotel every day, will appreciate only having to make one move: between the hills and the ocean breeze.

Beach-and-reef-oriented lodges are found on Ambergris, Caulker, the Atolls, near Dangriga, and up and down the Placencia Peninsula. Soak up the salt for four or five days, then move west, where your daily adventures will be shaded by a ceiling of lush, bird-filled canopy instead of the shiny surface of the Caribbean to which you’ve become so accustomed on your scuba outings. A large number of interior jungle resorts and adventure camps are available in Toledo, Cayo, and Orange Walk Districts, depending on your budget and preferred activities. Always ask about surf-n-turf packages, which sometimes include some kind of discount.

Depending on your desires, you can make either surf or turf the more active part of your vacation, then relax during the other half. For instance, if you begin in the mountains, going out on vigorous paddling and walking tours every day, you can choose to treat the latter, beach half of your trip as a kind of “reward,” relaxing sore muscles, working on your tan, and swapping war stories with fellow guests. Or vice versa: dive, snorkel, and dive some more for four or five days, then head upcountry to watch birds from your balcony all day and ponder the remarkable similarities between reef and rainforest.