Mark Read
Southern Belize is the country's most absorbing cultural melting pot, with a strong Garifuna influence around Dangriga and Hopkins, and Belize's largest Maya population down in Toledo. Nature is rich here too, where open savanna and citrus-filled farmland give way to forested hills dotted with Maya villages, ruins and national parks primed for adventurous jungle trekking.
The beaches of villagey Hopkins and chilled-out Placencia are inviting, with their opportunities for diving, fishing and slacking, while offshore is an alluring string of cays including Tobacco Caye and Glover's Reef. These are less well known than those in the north but here snorkeling, boating and diving enthusiasts can experience Belize's nautical reef wonders while avoiding the crowds and high costs of the Northern Cayes.
Southern Belize may be off the radar for many but you can't say you've truly seen Belize until you've been down south.
These are our favorite local haunts, touristy spots, and hidden gems throughout Southern Belize.
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The Cockscomb Basin Wildlife Sanctuary is Belize’s most famous sanctuary and one of its biggest protected areas. This great swath of tropical forest became the world’s first jaguar sanctuary in 1984, thanks to the efforts of American zoologist Alan Rabinowitz. Today this critical biological corridor is home to an estimated 40 to 50 jaguars and a vast array of other animal, bird and botanical life.
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Two Kekchí families in Big Falls village have opened up their homes as a cultural experience for visitors and both are excellent. The Cal family demonstrates ancient Maya lifestyle from tortilla- and chocolate-making to traditional instruments and an exploration of their self-sufficient garden. With the Chiac family, you can learn to make woven Maya crafts – baskets, hammocks or bags.
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This beautiful 11-sq-mile park of jungle, mountains, waterfalls, walking trails, swimming holes and small Maya sites lies about 16 miles southwest of Dangriga and 12 miles northwest of Hopkins. The walks here are at least as good as the trails most people do at nearby Cockscomb Basin, and you’ll encounter far fewer tourists. You’ll see lots of birds, and the park is home to troops of black howler monkeys.
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The Maya ruins at Lubaantun, 1.3 miles northwest of San Pedro Columbia, are built on a natural hilltop and display a construction method unusual in the ancient Maya world of mortar-less, neatly cut, black-slate blocks. Archaeologists postulate that Lubaantun, which flourished between AD 730 and 860, may have been an administrative center regulating trade, while nearby Nim Li Punit was the local religious and ceremonial center. The Maya site comprises a collection of seven plazas, three ballcourts and surrounding structures.
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Renowned throughout Belize for his art and music, Pen Cayetano's workshop and gallery displays Garifuna artifacts and crafts. It also has works of art and music by Pen, and the textile artwork of his wife, Ingrid, available for sale. Among the unique items are drums made of turtle shells, which sell for around BZ$50.
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This museum, operated by the National Garifuna Council (NGC), is a must for anyone interested in the vibrant Garifuna people. It brings together artifacts, pictures and documents on Garifuna history and culture, including an exhibit on the life and music of the late Garifuna musician Andy Palacio. A free guided tour is included with admission. The museum is 2 miles out of town; ask any bus heading out of Dangriga to drop you here.
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The Maya ruins of Nim Li Punit stand atop a natural hill half a mile north of the Southern Hwy, near the village of Indian Creek. The site is notable for the 26 stelae found in the southern Plaza of the Stelae. Four of the finest are housed in the stela house beside the visitors center.
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The tiny Garifuna fishing community of Barranco (population 160), about an hour's drive from Punta Gorda, is the access point for Temash-Sarstoon National Park, a remote 64-sq-mile protected reserve of rainforest, wetlands, estuaries and rivers lined by towering mangroves and stretching all the way to Guatemala. The park harbors a huge variety of wildlife including jaguars, tapirs, ocelots, birdlife and manatees in the estuaries.
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The 105-acre Río Blanco National Park, just west of Santa Elena village, is a compact protected wildlife area that's home to a variety of flora and fauna. The highlight for visitors is definitely Río Blanco Falls, a beautiful 20ft-high waterfall leading into a clear swimming hole just a five-minute walk in from the ranger station. Steps lead down to a platform for swimming and a concrete path has been constructed leading to a swing bridge across the river.