Things to do in Southern Belize
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Cockscomb Basin Wildlife Sanctuary
This is Belize's most famous, and one of its biggest, protected areas - the huge swath of tropical forest became the world's first jaguar sanctuary in 1984. Today it's home to an estimated 40 to 50 jaguars and a vast array of wildlife. Visits are restricted to an eastern pocket where there's an information center, accomodation and walking trails.
Cockscomb became a forest reserve and no-hunting area in 1984. A small part of it was given sanctuary status in 1986, and the rest followed in 1990. The people of the Mayan village of Quan Bank were compulsorily relocated - many now live in Maya Center and make a living from the sanctuary.
The sanctuary itself is not big enough t…
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Maya Mountain Research Farm
Those interested in learning about permaculture, Maya farming techniques and sustainable living should consider an internship at Maya Mountain Research Farm Located in a beautiful jungle valley 2 miles upriver from San Pedro Columbia, the 70-acre organic farm and registered NGO is run by Christopher Nesbitt and his wife Dawn. With the philosophy of promoting fully sustainable food production, the farm offers internships for those interested in learning about organic farming, biodiversity and alternative energy. Accommodations are simple and beautiful: students can choose from a series of rustic cabanas and thatched-roof palapas, all of which come equipped with beds, blank…
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Earth Runnins’
Earth Runnins’ Every now and then, you come across a restaurant run by someone for whom food preparation is a matter of ‘artistry’ first and ‘business’ second. Earth Runnins’ is such a place. At this restaurant, a party of four can order four separate dishes, which, though nutritionally similar in composition (meat or fish, starch, vegetable), are completely different in presentation, texture and flavor; each one offers something worth raving about. The decor is also fabulous, with mahogany furniture and walls painted in rich earth tones, and there’s a fine bar where you can have a few ice-cold Belikins while waiting for your meal.
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St Herman’s Blue Hole National Park
The 575-acre St Herman’s Blue Hole National Park contains one of the few caves in Belize that you can visit independently. The visitors center (where flashlights can be rented for BZ$5) is 11 miles along the Hummingbird Hwy from Belmopan. From here a 500yd trail leads to St Herman’s Cave. A path leads 300yd into the cave alongside an underground river. To explore deeper in the extensive cave system, with its huge caverns and classic Maya ceremonial chambers containing calcified skeletons and artifacts, you must have a guide. Ask at the visitors center.
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Elizabeth Bernadez
Granddaughter of Austin Rodriguez, Elizabeth sells handmade crafts from her home (next door to the Bonefish Hotel), including beautiful dolls dressed in traditional Garifuna outfits, and acrylic paintings featuring various cultural scenes of traditional Garifuna life. Elizabeth also makes jewelry from jadeite, tiger eye and other local materials. A native of Dangriga (‘born here, grown here’), Elizabeth has been doing artwork locally for over 15 years, and is happy to introduce visitors to Garifuna life and culture through the art of its people.
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Gulisi Garifuna Museum
This museum, operated by the National Garifuna Council (NGC), is a must for anyone interested in the vibrant Garifuna people. The museum is 2 miles out of town, but is easily reached by bicycle. It brings together artifacts, pictures and documents on Garifuna history and culture, including film of the original punta rockers, Pen Cayetano and the Turtle Shell Band, in Dangriga back in 1983. The museum hosts exhibitions, workshops and Garifuna language courses, schedules for which can be obtained at its musical website.
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Marian’s Bayview Restaurant
A 3rd-floor outdoor eatery with an amazing view over the Gulf of Honduras, this place is worth visiting for the ambience alone. But add to the mix excellent East Indian cuisine dished up by Marian and her husband Hubert, and some of the wickedest homemade hot sauce south of the Rio Grande (you can bring a bottle home for BZ$5; watch out, it’s a slow burn!), and you’ve got one of the best little restaurants in Punta Gorda. Very popular with locals, visitors and Peace Corps recruits alike.
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Garinagu Crafts
With the mission statement of ‘keeping the black diaspora alive,’ Dangriga native Francis M Swaso’s shop is part crafts store, part museum. The shop sells a wide range of arts and handicrafts made by Garifuna artists, including drums, maracas, paintings and dolls, and displays a number of historical Garifuna artifacts as well. Garinagu Crafts also carries postcards made from prints by local artist Pen Cayetano.
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Tide Tours
Ideally located for exploring Belize’s Deep South, Punta Gorda has a number of certified tour guides who can arrange day trips to places such as Blue Creek, Lubaantun and Nim Li Punit, as well as rent out canoes and kayaks. The best of these are Wild Encounters, Tide Tours and Galvez’s Tours. The BTB office can also direct you to recommended guides.
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Wild Encounters
Ideally located for exploring Belize’s Deep South, Punta Gorda has a number of certified tour guides who can arrange day trips to places such as Blue Creek, Lubaantun and Nim Li Punit, as well as rent out canoes and kayaks. The best of these are Wild Encounters, Tide Tours and Galvez’s Tours. The BTB office can also direct you to recommended guides.
reviewed
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Il Tempio
Multicultural is the first word that comes to mind with this place, built to resemble a cross between a Mexican hacienda and a Maya pyramid, with a set of antique redwood Chinese doors thrown in for good measure. Inside, however, the food is strictly Italian, served by the Roman owner Stefano Parisse. Prices are steep for the area, but meals are expertly prepared. It doesn’t get more eclectic than this.
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Austin Rodriguez
This master artisan carves Garifuna drums from mahogany, cedar and the mayflower tree in his thatched-roof workshop by the water’s edge, southeast of Dangriga Central Market. Though Austin’s drums are sold all over Belize, you can cut out the middleman by going straight to the maker himself. Mr Rodriguez will be happy to answer any questions you might have on the drum-making process.
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Purple Space Monkey
This place is garish, done up in wild shades of hot pink, lemony yellows and key lime greens. But what do you expect from a place called Purple Space Monkey? Free internet, good cuisine (Belizean and Western) and a decent book-swap library. Portions aren’t huge, but they’ll refill your coffee mug (if you ask nicely). Be warned: Wednesday night is karaoke night.
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Marie Sharp’s Fine Foods
Habanero peppers, purchased from local farmers, are turned into the super-hot bottled sauces that adorn tables all over Belize and beyond at Marie Sharp’s Fine Foods, 8 miles northwest of town on Melinda Rd. Casual tours, often led by Marie herself, are offered during business hours, and the factory shop sells hot sauces and jams at outlet prices
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Laughing Bird Caye National Park
There are some great snorkeling and diving opportunities at Laughing Bird Caye. While the coral has suffered damage from hurricanes and careless snorkelers, there's plenty of marine life - from stoplight and queen parrotfish to spotted eagle rays to the semi-tame lemon sharks that feed off barbeque leftovers turfed into the sea by the inebriated.
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Gladden Spit
The Elbow at Gladden Spit is a magical place. For up to 10 days after the full moon, from March to June, awesome but gentle whale sharks (the world's largest fish - up to 18m/60ft long) gather to feast on the eggs of cubera snapper and other fish that spawn in huge quantities at these times. Prepare for a jaw-droppingly brilliant experience.
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Tobacco Caye
Tiny Tobacco Caye is 183m (600ft) long and 91m (300ft) wide, and sits right on the barrier reef. With half a dozen places to stay, you can enjoy snorkeling, diving, fishing or snoring in a hammock. Just west is Man-O'-War Caye, an important nesting site for the brown booby and magnificent frigate bird. Both islands are World Heritage listed.
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Marencos
For a place in southern Belize, Marencos serves up some suspiciously good American-style food, including fine double cheeseburgers, french fries and Coke floats with vanilla ice cream. If it weren’t for the presence of some Belizean dishes on the menu, you might think you’d stepped into a scene from American Graffiti.
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Benjamin Nicholas' Studio
Nicholas' bright, primitivist scenes of wildlife, landscapes and Garifuna history and folklore have made him one of Belize's best-known painters - his art hangs in banks, hotels and public buildings throughout the country. He also lives and works in Dangriga. Stop by the studio to witness his work in progress - visitors are usually welcome.
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Waluco’s
If you’re wondering where everybody is on Saturday or Sunday afternoon, they’re probably out at this big breezy palapa a mile northeast of town, swimming off the pier, eating barbecue and knocking back a few Belikins. It’s normally open Tuesday to Saturday evenings, too, and Garifuna drummers often play here.
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Roots Kitchen
The place in Dangriga to eat like the locals do. In addition to the usual Belizean standards, such as beans and rice with stew beef or chicken, Roots is also known for its Wednesday, Friday and Saturday Garifuna feasts, when chef Delone cooks up fish stewed in coconut milk, served with hudut, a paste made from plantain.
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Roxy Club
To quote a pair of Dangriga-based Peace Corps volunteers: ‘The Roxy is a good place. Stumpy and Penny are very friendly, and Penny makes great panatas (small fish-filled fried tortillas), three for a dollar.’ It’s at the north end of the city, about three blocks north of the police station in Harlem Sq.
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Cedar Street Deli
This is a sight for sore eyes in a country where heart-healthy food is hard to come by. Open for lunch only, it serves salads, homemade lasagna and other distinctly non-Belizean dishes. There wasn’t a sign on the restaurant the last time we went, so look for the red and green doorway on the lower corner of a yellow house.
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Riverside Café
Just east of the Stann Creek bridge, this cafe is the place to meet fishers and the folks who do boat tours to the outlying cayes. Food is good and the fish is always fresh. Don’t expect a full lobster for BZ$25 (the costliest item on the menu); it’s only a Mars Bar–sized tail, tasty but expensive.
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Starlight Restaurant
The best Chinese restaurant in Dangriga, and probably one of the better ones in Belize. Starlight has been in operation for decades, and serves a good variety of traditional Chinese dishes using local ingredients. For some real Sino-Belizean fusion, try the conch chow mein. Lobster noodles are a surprising bargain.
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