CELA Belize · San Ignacio, Cayo District
The Belize experts, since 2010.
San Ignacio is CELA's home base, and our full-time Belizean staff have welcomed students here since 2010. Belize is English-speaking and easy to navigate, with hospitals, farms, jungles, reefs, and Maya ruins in one small country. Your team meets you when you land.
- open-enrollment programs
- 8
- program length
- 1–12 weeks
- official language of Belize
- English
- needed for US and Canadian citizens
- No visa
For Faculty-Led Groups
Bring your class to Belize.
Most of the students we welcome to Belize travel with their professor. Tell us what your course needs, and our team in Belize builds the program around it, from clinical sites and guest lecturers to the people your students should meet.
For Individual Students
Programs in Belize
Every Belize program includes housing, daily breakfast, in-country transportation, airport transfers, and 24/7 staff support. College credit is available through Culver-Stockton College ($599 enrollment fee). You cover lunch, dinner, airfare, and personal expenses, except where a program includes more meals: Tropical Marine Ecology includes all meals, and Wildlife Health and Conservation includes breakfast and dinner.
- 01
Community Health Nursing Clinical Internship
2 weeks · $3,380
View program - 02
Nursing 4-Week Experience
4 weeks · $6,360
View program - 03
Global Perspectives in Health
2 weeks · $3,380
View program - 04
One Health: Public Health in the Tropics
4 weeks · $6,360
View program - 05
Large Animal Veterinary Practice in the Tropics
2 weeks · $3,380
View program - 06
Wildlife Health and Conservation
2 weeks · $3,380
View program - 07
Tropical Marine Ecology
10 days · $3,380
View program - 08
Internships
1–12 weeks · Varies by placement
View program
Dates and tuition
| Program | Length | 2027 dates | Tuition |
|---|---|---|---|
| Community Health Nursing Clinical Internship | 2 weeks | July 10 – July 24, 2027 | $3,380 |
| Nursing 4-Week Experience | 4 weeks | June 26 – July 24, 2027 | $6,360 |
| Global Perspectives in Health | 2 weeks | June 26 – July 10, 2027 | $3,380 |
| One Health: Public Health in the Tropics | 4 weeks | June 12 – July 10, 2027 | $6,360 |
| Large Animal Veterinary Practice in the Tropics | 2 weeks | June 12 – June 26, 2027June 26 – July 10, 2027July 10 – July 24, 2027 | $3,380 |
| Wildlife Health and Conservation | 2 weeks | June 12 – June 26, 2027 | $3,380 |
| Tropical Marine Ecology | 10 days | July 24 – August 2, 2027 | $3,380 |
| Internships | 1–12 weeks | Flexible, 1 to 12 weeks | Varies by placement |
$500
Deposit (non-refundable)
$30
Application fee
$599
Transcript fee (optional), through Culver-Stockton College
0%
Interest-free payment plans available
Why Belize
Where CELA began.
- Location
- San Ignacio, Cayo District, Belize
- Housing
- Shared rooms, same gender, WiFi available
- Support
- Full Belizean staff in the Belize office, 24/7 staff support
- GoAbroad Best Custom Programs in Belize 2025
- Forum on Education Abroad affiliate
- MOU with the Belizean Ministry of Health
Belize is English-speaking, sits on the Caribbean coast, and is small enough that in two weeks it starts to feel like home. San Ignacio, in the Cayo District, is surrounded by farms, jungle, rivers, and Maya ruins. It's not a resort town. It's a real community, and while you're here, you're part of it.
CELA didn't arrive in Belize from somewhere else. It started here, with founders who worked alongside Belizean educators, veterinarians, and community health workers. Our office is in San Ignacio, and our programming managers are from the Cayo District. When you visit a farm, a clinic, or a conservation site, you're introduced by someone who has known the people there for years. That's what makes this different from a packaged program.
Our staff live here, know everyone, and make sure you feel welcome from the moment you arrive. Our relationships with the Ministry of Health, the Ministry of Agriculture, the Community Baboon Sanctuary, PACT, and the Belize Zoo come from years of showing up and doing good work together.
Never traveled internationally? Belize is a wonderful place to start. English is the official language, we take care of the logistics, and you'll be with other students who are just as excited, and maybe just as nervous, as you are.
Our Belize Team
The people who will welcome you.
Our team lives and works in Belize. Many of our hosts, guides, and drivers have been with us for a decade or more.
Rhonda Castillo
Logistics & Operations Manager
Anna Hoare
Belize City Coordinator
Roger "Raj" Hyde
Programming Manager
Emeli Noble
Business and Financial Officer
Deneva Penados
Programming Manager
Lisbeth "Aide" Sanchez
Community Health & Logistics Support Assistant
Community Partners
Relationships built over years.
Community Baboon Sanctuary
Grassroots conservation sustaining Black Howler Monkey habitat through community land management.
PACT (Protected Areas Conservation Trust)
Funding the management and sustainable development of Belize's natural and cultural resources.
Forest Department, Government of Belize
Sustainable management of Belize's natural resources.
Tumul K'in Center of Learning
A Maya organization promoting sustainable development through intercultural education in Toledo.
Friends of Conservation and Development
Community-based conservation recognized nationally and internationally.
NICH (National Institute of Culture and Heritage)
Protection and promotion of Belize's cultural heritage and archaeology.
Belize Bird Rescue
Care for sick and injured birds on their private reserve in Cayo District.
Belize Botanic Gardens
45 acres of native plants between the Maya Mountain foothills and the Macal River.
The Belize Zoo
Home for orphaned and rehabilitated wild animals since 1983.
Ministry of Health
CELA holds a Memorandum of Understanding with the largest provider of public health services in Belize.
Ministry of Agriculture
A working relationship supporting our veterinary and agricultural programs.
Values
- 01
Sustainability
Building better understanding of Belize's rich cultures and biodiversity.
- 02
Respect
Treating everyone with dignity, equality, kindness and trust.
- 03
Teamwork
Working together through cooperation, dedication, respect and open communication.
- 04
Collaboration
Actively pursuing cooperative relationships.
Questions?
Tell us what you're studying and what you hope to get out of your time in Belize. We'll help you find the right fit.
Request information