Once the center of the ancient Maya empire, northern Belize now marks the intersection of laidback Caribbean culture, vibrant jungle, and placid Central American farmland. It’s the type of place where the clock slows on arrival, your retirement savings go further, and where locals are friendly and English-speaking… all just a quick flight from the United States.
Read more about northern Belize—a destination consistently ranked among the world’s best places to retire overseas—in this Overseas Haven Report.
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Life in Northern Belize is as diverse as its amazing landscape. Northern Belize has benefited from its diverse population. Over the years, locals and expats have built their homes and lives beside secluded tropical rivers, amid noble hardwood forests, upon bucolic traditional farms, within sleepy rural villages, and along breezy Caribbean seashores. The new wave of North American expats is now making this discovery. They are attracted to a simple, friendly life in a place that is refreshingly off-the-radar.
Bocas has been regarded before as little more than a slum. To be fair, some corners of the town could leave you with that impression, but things are changing here. The government is beginning to take note of the tourism potential and is investing in infrastructure accordingly. As recently as a decade ago, paved roads, sewage treatment, and even slightly reliable electricity had yet to arrive to town. Today, Bocas is more attractive than ever before and continues to improve thanks to the locals, tourists, and foreign residents alike.
Improvements in infrastructure are ongoing and at a steady pace.
Small-scale, start-up tourism businesses have begun to take hold here, becoming the best option for a Caribbean escape in Panama. From cheap backpacker hostels and bars, to extensive forest, yoga, or adventure retreats, a trip to Bocas can be a “roughing it” experience or a luxury relaxation. Improvements in infrastructure are ongoing and at a steady pace. Even recycling has now been recognized as a necessity if they are to save their pristine sand and surf.
Come nightfall, Bocas buzzes with activity. Hostels, bars, and hostel-bars are full of visitors from around the world, eating, drinking, socializing, and enjoying live music.
You could even do business in Bocas if you know what you’re doing and can find the right market niche or demand, and do well for yourself. As for real estate, you can find properties at prices from both sides of the spectrum; old buildings from failed businesses, renovated houses, or luxurious forest mansions designed by acclaimed architects.
Bocas has beauty, charm, and progress. Bocas is never boring.
This carefree, stunning destination has a character and a magnetism all its own.
Since being handed control of the canal from the United States, Panama has blazed a trail of economic advancement and prosperity, a course it’s still on today. The results are plain to see: a recently expanded canal, skyscrapers left and right (and new ones being built), and additional lines for the city metro system getting established…
Panama is synonymous with growth and is well on the way to achieving its goal of becoming the logistics and transportation hub par excellence for the region.
Pereira, one of the cities that make up the Coffee Triangle, along with the nearby cities of Armenia and Manizales, has stunning scenery, picturesque small pueblos,bountiful natural resources, and many opportunities for hiking, photography, horseback riding, and much more.
These Special Panama Reports arm you with all the tips, tricks, and firsthand insider intelligence you’ll need to decide whether the Azuero Peninsula could be home for you or not. Every report includes broad budget comparisons, insights into the communities and how your life would be within them, and much, much more.
Our Azuero Peninsula Bundle includes:
Tagaytay sits atop a ridge that runs along the north side of beautiful Taal Lake and the Taal Volcano. Although it is only about an hour’s drive from the sprawling metropolis of Manila, there is nothing urban about Tagaytay. It’s a small mountain resort town surrounded by breath-taking scenery.
Pedasí, Panama | Overseas Haven Report 
Northern Belize | Overseas Haven Report 
Tralee, Ireland | Overseas Haven Report 
