Just off the coast of Belize lies a dazzling sea world. The second largest barrier reef (largest is Great Barrier Reef in Australia) is found here, waiting to be explored by kayak, snorkel, or scuba.

From everything I had read about Belize City (on the north coast of Belize), it is not a place that a visitor spend much time in. This fact was confirmed when I read the daily Belize newspapers during my visit, noticing that Belize’s only real crime and killing occurred pretty much only in Belize City.

We had also heard about the large number of tourists on Caye Caulker and Ambergis Caye. That, combined with some higher prices on the alternative cayes, helped us to decide to explore the south coast of Belize. We did find some tourists, but mostly just in Placencia, and even there the tourist situation was not overwhelming. In fact, we loved Placencia so much, that we went back again at the end of our trip.

Our other favorite place in Belize is near the coast, but slightly inland. The Cockscomb Basin Wildlife Sanctuary, also known as the Jaguar Preserve, provided us with wildlife, solitude, untamed rainforest, and waterfall swimming holes.

Quick Tips:

Other towns:

There were hardly any foreigners in Dangriga or Punta Gorda – Punta Gorda I highly recommend, Dangriga I do not. I did not visit Hopkins (halfway between Dangriga and Placencia), but I have heard this is the next upcoming hot spot. The owner of my guesthouse in Placencia said that Hopkins is now what Placencia was 25 years ago. In other words, a charming fishing village just starting to get into tourism.

Beaches:

All beaches in Belize are public, just please be respectful if using a stretch of beach in front of a private home or business.

Helpful Websites:

Belize Tourism Board

Belize Online

BelizeNet - check out the Belize Forums!

BelizeIt

Placencia Tourism Board

Read in detail about the highlights and lowlights of our trip in my three other Belize journals:

Belize on per day

Peaceful Placencia

Cayo is Cool

Other tips:

You can drink the tap water in most Belizean towns – really! They have similar treatment systems as USA.

Departure tax is US per person.

Exchange rate is fixed at US=Belize.

We did not find reservations to be necessary anywhere we stayed.

Best Way To Get Around:

Upon our arrival in Belize, we caught a ride with a university group that we met on the airplane from the airport to Dangriga. Normal transport (if not renting a car) would be to take a taxi (US) to bus station, then bus from there.

Buses run often and are reasonably priced in Belize. They are clean and fairly comfortable. See my journal "Belize on per day" for complete Belize transportation details.

After visiting Guatemala, we came back into Belize by boat. To get to Punta Gorda, Belize by boat, we took the 10am El Chato (Guatemala phone #502-948-5525 or 8787, Belize phone #501-722-2870, email: pichilingo2000@yahoo.com) boat from Puerto Barrios, Guatemala - US per person/1 hour. Ask directions in town for the boat dock to Punta Gorda (there is more than one boat dock in Puerto Barrios). El Chato and Immigration are both near dock. There is another company that also does the trip - US.50/2pm – ask at dock (I don’t know company name).

I was unable to get any clear information about taking a boat from Livingston, Guatemala to Punta Gorda, which is why we chose to go from Puerto Barrios.

Our Room:
The simple room needed paint and had buckling linoleum, but it was clean enough. The room had a bed, chair, fan and cable television. There are two buildings with rooms. One is around a small courtyard by the office, and the other is on the ocean. Oceanfront rooms cost more money.

Private or Shared Bath?
There are rooms with both private and shared bath. Rooms with private bath cost more. We had a private bath, but the bathroom was not a separate room, but rather there was just a wall dividing it from the main part of the room. The shower was cold, but was nice for cooling down from the heat and humidity.

The Atmosphere:
The owner of Pal’s Guesthouse, soft-spoken and gray-haired Augustin, remembered my email reservation when we arrived. Before we arrived, he must not have remembered, because he gave away the last room with a shared bath (which we had requested). He did make it right by giving us a room with private bath at the price of one with shared bath. Both Augustin and his daughter tried to be helpful enough when we had questions, but they often did not have the answers. I was also a little disappointed when Augustin did not seem to have much sympathy for some girls in one of his rooms that had their wallets stolen from his room – but they did leave their door unlocked, after all. In general, I think Augustin and his family are good people and are nice to chat with. While reservations are not necessary, I don’t think, Augustin did answer my email reservation promptly.

Food and Other Amenities:
Pal’s Guesthouse does not have a kitchen or restaurant. There are a few restaurants and food shops in Dangriga that are just a short walk from Pal’s. Pal’s did not offer any extras, such as bike rentals. It was strictly a guesthouse. Towels provided. You can drink the tap water at Pal’s, as it is treated by the community water treatment facility.

Location:
Located on the south end of town, two blocks from the bus stop. Walk north from the bus station across the bridge, take first right. Guesthouse is on left down by the coast. Pal’s is in a quiet location, with nice ocean and river views.

Security:
As I mentioned above, some girls in an oceanfront room had their wallets stolen from their room while they were nearby on the beach. They did leave their door unlocked, though. The rooms by the office inside the courtyard are much more secure. Our room was directly next to the owner’s residence, and we heard him one night questioning a man hanging out by the fence. It made me feel very safe.

Prices:
Single/Double/Triple with shared bath = US$8.13/13.50/21.40 per night
Single/Double/Triple w/private bath (no ocean view) = US$16.13/21.80/26.75 per night
Single/Double/Triple w/private bath (ocean view) = US$21.40/32.25/40.13 per night

Our Room:
We loved cabin number 6. It was clean and comfortable. The porch had a chair and hammock, and was peaceful with flowers, trees, and birds dominating the view.

Private or Shared Bath?
Private

The Atmosphere:
We had stopped at Nu’uk Che’il for information on our way up to Cockscomb Basin Wildlife Sanctuary, and had spoken with owners Ernesto and Aurora Saqui. We found them so friendly and helpful (it turned out Ernesto is the director of Cockscomb, and he helped us hitch a ride with some of his employees) that we decided to stay a night on our way down from the preserve.

Aurora is an herbal doctor. She is a caring and wonderful person, amazing to talk to. Both are dedicating to preserving Mayan culture, and helping Mayan people and the environment.

Our great experience caused me to recommend Nu’uk Che’il to a woman I met who was interested in Mayan culture, and who was also suffering from some throat problems. Here are some quotes from her experience:

"You were right- she [Aurora} is so nice, I could sit and talk to her all day. After I unpacked, she gave me a treatment with herbal oil on my neck and pressure points on my hands while she chanted healing prayers! I could even hear her whispering my name, it was so cool."

"We [Ernesto and guest] had an intense conversation for about two hours over development projects created to promote economic growth in rural areas as well as preservation projects like Cockscomb that exposed the Maya villages to an extreme influx of tourism and cultural exchange. He was really understanding and very helpful, honestly concerned about the changes affecting the villages but willing to compromise for the sake of natural preservation."

Food and Other Amenities:
There is a small "restaurant" on the property. Aurora will cook up meals for guests in the family kitchen. Good food at reasonable prices.

As I mentioned, Aurora is an herbal doctor, and you can make appointments with her for treatments. Ernesto and Aurora offer a taxi service to Cockscomb Basin, as well as to/from other places. Ask about the homestay program if you would like to stay with a local family.

There is a small gift shop, with artworks made by Aurora, her sisters, and other local folks.

I highly recommend taking a night hike up the preserve road. You can see all kinds of nocturnal wildlife. We saw nightjars (odd jumping birds) and leafcutter ants. Another guest heard a wild cat during her stay.

Location:
Nu’uk Che’il Cottages is located off the main highway about 1/3 of a mile on the road to Cockscomb Basin.

Security:
Very safe. I don’t think that the property of these respected community leaders would be violated.

Price:
US$21.50 per night for a cabin with private bath, double occupancy.
Triples are US$30 plus tax.
Single bunk beds are US$10 plus tax.
Camping is available for US$3.50 plus tax per person per day.

Our Room:
We had room number 3. It was large and clean with a partial ocean view. After peeking around, I think that room number 1 would have the best view. There was a fan in the room and towels were provided.

Private or Shared Bath?
Shared bath – could be cleaner.

The Atmosphere:
The owner that showed us our room was not terribly friendly. She was not rude to us, but we didn’t feel super welcome. We also heard her yelling at her kids a lot, which was not terribly pleasant. There is a small outside deck, but it is cluttered and the kitchen blocks the view of the water. This is not a guesthouse that is fun to hang around at, but it is adequately clean and cheap, so it is an OK place to stay for one night, like we did.

Food and Other Amenities:
There is a kitchen, and it looked like guests could use it, but I was never told by the owner that I could use the kitchen. Rough Guides guidebook says that Nature’s Way has a "wholefood restaurant" and that they can arrange homestays and tours, but I was not told about any of these services, which I think is a little strange. I have also read in more than one location that Nature’s Way is the headquarters of the Toledo Ecotourism Association, but I did not find any signs or hear any mention of this, so I do not believe it to be true. If it is, they must not want much business to stay so silent about it.

Location:
Nature’s Way is in a great location on the far south end of town, so it is very quiet. It may be a long way to haul heavy luggage, but the trek was easy with light luggage.

Security:
I seemed pretty secure. All rooms are on second floor, which would deter most invaders.

Price:
US$15 per night, double occupancy.

Of Dangriga, my guidebook said that "there’s not a lot to do in town except spend the night and head onward." To me this meant very few tourists, which I found very attractive. I also took it as a challenge. The guidebook writer obviously didn’t spend enough time in Dangriga to find some interesting things to do – maybe I can be the first to discover a hidden gem. Well, I was right about the number of tourists, anyway.

My guidebook also went on to describe Dangriga as a friendly, quiet, fishing town. Unless I was in a different town with the same name, I did not find this to be an accurate overall description of Dangriga, but there were glimpses of it.

Our visit started out well enough. We had met a group of professors and students on the airplane who were also going to Dangriga. They invited us to ride with then on their charter bus – saving us around $30 in taxi and bus fees. I must have good transportation karma from those times that I pick up hitchhikers (to my husband’s dismay).

We had made email reservations at Pal’s Guesthouse. The owner had given away the last shared-bath room (which we had requested), but he remembered my email reservation and gave us a better room for the same price. See my separate entry for Pal’s Guesthouse.

Upon arrival at the guesthouse, we pretty much collapsed into bed after the full day of traveling.

The next day, after a breakfast of a few groceries, we set out to explore the town. We found the town center to be dusty and dirty, but the coastline was pretty and North Stann Creek was filled with all kinds of boats. There was a large fruit and vegetable market on the north side of the creek, near the ocean.

We ate lunch at Roots Kitchen (near Havana Creek on north side), where we were given an enormous amount of food for US$2.50 per person. We had stew chicken, rice, beans, coleslaw, and fried plantains – a truly typical Belizean meal. It was a good but salty meal. We had a nap during a wicked rainstorm, then headed out for a walk to GraGra Lagoon, south of town. I had seen a sign for the lagoon as part of a conservation project. It was around a 20-minute walk to the lagoon, which was pretty from our limited view from the road. We also continued to the end of the road, which was a nice walk and a good escape from town. On the way back, we got a brief glimpse of Garifuna culture. There was a large group of drummers and dancers, one dressed as a bull, chasing the children around. This turned out to be part of an extended New Year’s celebration.

Dinner was nothing great, and again very salty. We ate at the Riverside Café, where I had Fish Teriaki, and Dan had Chicken Fajitas (more like stew). The bill was US$15. We did meet a nice couple during dinner. They took us to show us their guesthouse – the Bluefield Lodge. This was a great guesthouse, which I wish we had known about sooner. The rooms were much nicer than ours, with hot water, and very clean. I liked that the six rooms were all upstairs rooms, past the front desk and watchful owner, Louise – very secure. The price of US$25 (double with private bath) seemed like it would have been well worth it. Louise was a tall beautiful intelligent woman. She and her mother were the friendliest people we met in Dangriga. Louise had all of the information that Augustin at Pal’s GH did not. She helped us immensely even though we were not staying with her. The six of us had a lively and laughter-filled conversation about anything and everything for about an hour, and it was a nice end to our evening.

The less attractive side of Dangriga didn’t show itself until the following day. We first learned from Augustin that one of the rooms (in the building closest to the ocean) was broken in to and six women had their wallets stolen. He was very unsympathetic to the travelers’ situation, and that disappointed me.

Then we had a rather large intimidating fellow approach us begging for money.

Then, we met a man who followed us around town trying to talk to us, claiming to be a tour guide, and wanting to know what our plans were. We told him we didn’t need his "guide" services, but we did chat with him so as not to be rude. He then wandered off to use the telephone – when he caught up to us again he claimed that he made some arrangements for us at our next destination, and he got us some fruit (as he had seen us go to the market area, only to find it closed). We felt obligated to give him some money even though we didn’t ask for his help. I guess it was still so early in our trip that we were exuding an aura of naivety and were good targets.

We did not give him much money, but it turned out to be too much when we discovered that he never made the arrangements that he said he did. We had suspected this might happen, but had hoped for the best anyway. Oh well, it was a learning experience. We had been convinced that something like that wouldn’t happen to us, because we knew there were folks like this and we were suspicious about it. But I think it was the slickness of his doing things for us without our approving it and making us feel obligated that took us by surprise. We were much harder after that, and all feelings of obligation to others were gone.

This ending left me with a bad impression of Dangriga, even though it may not deserve my harsh feelings. I do think Dangriga is a very poor area, dirty and not terribly friendly, with some drug problems (hard drugs, not just herbaceous ones) and associated problems with HIV/AIDS. But if visitors stick with Bluefield Lodge, and use Dangriga as a base for day trips and longer trips to surrounding cayes (rather than as a destination in and of itself), I think they will not find it too terrible. A better choice might be nearby Hopkins village, which I did not visit, but numerous travelers reported that it is a great up-and-coming coastal destination. A guesthouse owner in touristy Placencia said that Hopkins is now what Placencia was 25 years ago.

What it’s like

The village of Placencia is located at the far south end of a 13-mile white sand peninsula in southern Belize. It is said that visiting Placencia is like visiting an offshore caye without leaving the mainland. Originally a fishing village only accessible by boat, Placencia got its start in tourism around 25 years ago. Since then, a road was built all the way down the peninsula, and tourism has become the primary income source for residents.

One of the owners of the guesthouse I stayed in told me that about 15% of visitors to Belize come to Placencia, with the majority going to Ambergis Caye and Caye Caulker. But unlike the shores of the cayes, which are dominated by mangroves, Placencia has miles and miles of sandy beach, a rarity in Belize. There is a definite laid-back Caribbean atmosphere, and the people are friendly. Most of the population is of Creole descent, but there is some diversity as well.

One of my favorite aspects of Placencia is that the main "street" through town is actually a wide sidewalk. Virtually all of Placencia can be reached by strolling up and down the sidewalk, and many activities are happening right next to it.

Stuff to do

Numerous small companies in Placencia offer the same sea activities as on the cayes – fishing, kayaking, snorkeling, sailing, and diving. In addition, though, there are also inland excursions to see tropical forests and Mayan ruins – something not available on a trip to the cayes. With intermittent bad weather, we only got to try out ½ day of snorkeling and ½ day of kayaking – both were excellent! Other activities include perfecting the art of being a beach bum, bicycling, spa treatments, swimming, and overall relaxing.

There were plenty of chances to hear and see live music in Placencia, whether in a restaurant or bar, or just on the sidewalk. When we visited, Placencia had just had its first Art Festival, which I think will become a big event in the future.

Visitor Services

Placencia has all of the services that a traveler could need. There are two banks, a tourist office, grocery stores, internet, and numerous accommodation and restaurant choices.

Southern Transport bus lines service Placencia, as do Maya Island Air and Tropic Air.. The Placencia airport is half-mile from town, so you will need to arrange for a taxi or hotel transfer. There is a boat ferry between Placencia and Mango Creek.

Where to stay

We stayed at Deb and Dave’s Last Resort, a small family-run guesthouse. Deb and Dave Vernon are great friendly people. They are always helpful, and the rooms are budget priced at US$21.50 per night for a double. The rooms and shared bath are super clean, and the water is hot. Outside the guest rooms is a fantastic screened deck with chairs and hammocks, facing a colorful garden of flowers.

Where to eat

Our favorite places to eat were Merlene’s for breakfast, Cozy Corner for lunch, and De Tatch for dinner and a Scrabble game. An absolute MUST is to have a gelato at Tutti Frutti near the dock!

Other information:

To read more about Placencia activities, accommodation, and food, read my journal Peaceful Placencia.

The Placencia Tourism Board website is very helpful.

With the highest known concentration of jaguars, the Cockscomb Basin Wildlife Sanctuary is also known as the Jaguar Preserve. There are three other types of wild cats at Cockscomb in addition to the jaguar – the ocelot, the margay, and the jaguarundi. Other mammals include: tayra (like a weasel), otter, coati, kinkajou, brocket deer, peccary, agouti, paca, anteater, and armadillo. The largest mammal is the tapir, which can weigh up to 600 pounds. There are almost 300 species of birds at Cockscomb, plus red-eyed tree frogs, boa constrictors, fer-de-lance (very poisonous snake) and iguanas.

Cockscomb Basin Wildlife Sanctuary was established in 1986. There are 100,000 protected acres, administered by the Belize Audubon Society. There are mountain ridges on three sides of the basin. The highest point of the park is Victoria Peak at 3675 feet. It is a multi-day trek to summit Victoria Peak – permits required, guides available.

To visit Cockscomb without your own vehicle, you can take the bus to Maya Centre, the gateway town to the preserve. Maya Centre is located 45 minutes by bus from Dangriga, and 1 hour 15 minutes by bus from Placencia. From Maya Centre, it is still six miles by a scorching hot dirt road to Cockscomb Basin. I am an avid hiker, and thought six miles would be easy to walk, but I found that the heat was quite overwhelming when I got there. The most efficient way to reach the preserve is to hire a taxi at the store on the corner of the highway and the preserve road. The price is US$17.50 each way or US$15 round trip. Rangers at the preserve will radio town for a taxi when you are ready to leave. We were lucky and were able to catch a ride with Belize Audubon Society employees for both our trip up and back. I do not know how common this is, or how easy it is to hitchhike otherwise. My impression is that it is difficult to hitchhike as there is not a whole lot of non-commercial traffic (most traffic is taxi or guided tour groups).

Upon arrival at the preserve, we got an extensive orientation by an enthusiastic ranger. Entrance fee for two people, plus a map cost US$12.50 – our room for the night cost US$37. I heard that there are cheaper "dorm" beds available for US$8 per person, but we were told that it was full (an American volunteer for the preserve thought that perhaps that was not true, but we didn’t find that out from her until later). Camping is even cheaper (but we had no tent). Accommodations are simple, with bunk beds and a small side table. The shared bath was ecologically impressive, with composting toilets (no smell) and rainwater shower. The power was solar. There is no food at Cockscomb, so you must bring your own food. A kitchen is available, but you must rent dishes and cookware if you don’t have them (about US$2.50). A screened eating area is available, and there is also a picnic table outside. The best part of the accommodations was the great long porch with plenty of seats.

There are plenty of hiking options at Cockscomb, ranging in length from 0.4km to 5.5km for the shorter trails. The Outlier Trail is 14.0km and the Victoria Peak Trail is 42km. We stuck to the shorter trails. The hike to Tiger Fern Falls (4km round trip) was beautiful but hot. There was a great view from an overlook, and we had a refreshing swim at the falls. We saw otters there as well. The self-guided nature walk (with pamphlet to read) was 2.2km around, and we saw tapir prints and heard and saw a howler monkey. We hiked to another waterfall on the Ben’s Bluff trail, and had another swim. This hike was also 4km round trip. The only other wildlife we saw was a brocket deer from the porch of our cabin during the evening. I think we would have seen much more wildlife if we had stayed longer, hiked earlier in the morning, or hiked on the longer trails. Nobody we talked to had seen a jaguar (they are nocturnal), but many had seen tracks.

What it's like

We only spent one afternoon, one night, and one morning in Punta Gorda. I had promised my husband we would go back to Placencia at the end of the trip (he really liked it there), otherwise I would have liked to stay longer. Punta Gorda was peaceful and beautiful. It is just getting its start in tourism, and still relies heavily on fishing and agriculture. I loved seeing the handmade fishing canoes by the waterfront, and I saw one man riding his bike through town with a HUGE fish slung over his shoulder.

Stuff to do

All around Punta Gorda are Mayan villages, small Mayan archeological sites, national parks, and wildlife preserves. Offshore are cayes and the barrier reef, offering diving, fishing, kayaking, and snorkeling opportunities. There is a Belize Tourism Board office near the dock that has all of the information about activities and tours.

One thing I really liked about Toledo District around Punta Gorda is that the residents and other concerned individuals and groups are making a huge effort to protect the land and sea through sustainable fishing and agriculture and ecotourism. There is also a push to preserve the Mayan culture, while at the same time offering income opportunities.

One organization, TIDE (Toledo Institute for Development and Environment), does all of these things. Check out their website for more information. The TIDE Tours website has some multi-day tours of the area, but it was their day trips that looked more affordable and equally interesting. The Toledo Ecotourism Association also has trips and a guesthouse/homestay program in some of the more remote Mayan villages. Ask at the Belize Tourism Board office for other homestay information.

Where to stay

We stayed at Nature’s Way Guesthouse, which was inexpensive and adequate, but I think a better place could be found in Punta Gorda. Because of my short time in Punta Gorda, I did not have time to explore other options. See my separate journal entry on Nature’s Way for a better description.

Where to eat

Again, we stayed to short of time to have any good recommendations. We ate dinner at Grace’s Restaurant, near the town square. I had the fish burger, which was just OK (US$3.25). Dan’s meal was a much better value: chicken soup (more like stew!) and huge bowl of rice for US$4. He said it was pretty good.

We had an excellent breakfast at a small shop on Front Street on the waterfront (can’t remember name – it was under a bar). The owner was a super friendly new mom – after she cooked for us, she had to take a breastfeeding break. The food was really good and reasonably priced.

Visitor services

Punta Gorda has a bank, numerous hotels/guesthouses, and plenty of restaurants. There is a large and well-stocked grocery store, as well as an internet place. As I mentioned before, the Belize Tourism Board has a Punta Gorda office on Front Street near dock. You will find all of these services on Front Street or within a block or two of the town square.