Best Places to Eat ¨ Rumfish (p215)
¨ Jungle Farm Restaurant (p227)
¨ Mojo Lounge & Bartique (p215)
¨ Loggerheads Pub & Grill (p204)
¨ Chef Rob’s (p204)
Best Places to Sleep
¨Belcampo Belize (p226)
Thatch Caye Resort (p197)
¨Maya Beach Hotel (p213)
¨ Coconut Row (p201)
¨ Tobacco Caye Paradise (p196)
Southern BelizeWhy Go?Southern Belize is the country’s most absorbing cultural melting pot, with a strong Garifuna influence around Dan-griga and Hopkins, and Belize’s largest Maya population down in Toledo. Nature is rich here too, where open savan-nah and citrus-filled farmland give way to forested hills dotted with Maya villages and ruins.
Adventurers will find no shortage of opportunities to get off the beaten path in Toledo’s jungles. Trekkers with deep pockets can choose from a number of five-star jungle lodges tucked away in remote corners, or you could stay at local guesthouses in the small villages and communities of the Deep South.
Then there’s the beaches of villagey Hopkins and chilled-out Placencia, with opportunities for diving, fishing and slacking. The south also has an alluring string of offshore cays all boasting stunning coral reefs, where snorkeling, boating and diving enthusiasts can experience Belize’s nau-tical wonders while avoiding the crowds (and the signifi-cantly higher price tags) of the Northern Cayes.
When to Go ¨Dec–Apr Rainfall ends and weather is at its mildest.
¨May–Jul Shoulder season sees fewer tourists and you can eat lobster starting June 15.
¨Aug–Sep Dog days of summer, with hot weather, occasional showers and bargains galore.
Includes ¨ Dangriga . . . . . . . . . . .190Mayflower Bocawina National Park . . . . . . .195Central Cayes . . . . . . .195Hopkins . . . . . . . . . . . .199Sittee Point . . . . . . . . 203Maya Center . . . . . . . 205Cockscomb Basin Wildlife Sanctuary . . 206Placencia . . . . . . . . . . 208Punta Gorda . . . . . . . .218
Honduras (2mi)Puerto Cortés,
Guatemala (10mi)Puerto Barrios,
Guatemala (3mi)Lívingston,
S E A
Gulf ofHonduras
C A R I B B E A N
BayAmatique
eizBel
Sittee River
erR iv
Macal
River
Chiquibul
Branch
River
Moho
River
DISTRICTSTANN CREEK
BELIZEDISTRICT
CAYODISTRICT
TOLEDODISTRICT
Barranco
San Miguel
Indian Creek
Manatee
Silk Grass
Sittee Point
MéndezModesto
BankRed
Gales Point
La Democracia
Maya CenterSittee River
DANGRIGA
SeineBight
Big Creek
Mango Creek Independence
RiverMonkey
Big Falls
BlueSanta Cruz
San PedroColumbia
Creek
San Antonio
Punta Gorda
BELMOPAN
88º30'W89º00'W
88º30'W89º00'W
16º00'N
16º30'N
17º00'N
Nim Li Punit
Lubaantun
National ParkRio Blanco
Caye National ParkLaughing Bird
ReserveMarine
Water CayeSouth
ReserveMarine
Port Honduras
Marine ReserveSapodilla Cayes
Forest ReserveColumbia River
ReserveNatureBladen
ReserveForest
Nature ReserveTapir Mountain
ReserveForestVaca
National ParkEligio Panti
Nojkaaxmeen
Forest ReservePine RidgeMountain
ReserveArchaeologicalCaracol
ParkNational
Chiquibul
Chiquibul
PaynesCreek
ParkNational
Temash-SarstoonNational Park
ai nsoun
aM
ayM
t
16º00'N
16º30'N
17º00'N
Northern
SouthernLagoon
Lagoon
CayeWaterSouth
TobaccoCaye
PompionCaye
RanguanaCaye
SnakeCayes
SilkCayes
HuntingCaye
StannCreek
North
GU
ATE
MA
LA
Forest ReserveMango Creek
Forest ReserveMango Creek
Forest ReserveSwasey Bladen
ReserveForest
Deep River
Forest ReserveMaya Mountain
MonumentPeak Natural
VictoriaForest Reserve
Sittee River
National ParkBlue Hole
ReserveSibun Forest
ReserveForest
Manatee
(3675ft)Victoria Peak
(3687ft)DelightDoyle's
PlateauVaca
stal (Man
at
bird
Hwyernts
We
Hwy
Sout
hern
Hwy
Hw
yee)
Coa
Humming
ReefGlover's
Caye
SouthDeep
SanctuaryBasin Wildlife
Cockscomb
Thatch
National ParkBocawinaMayflower
Hopkins
Placencia
10 miles020 km0
South
ern Belize
South
ern Belize G
South
ern Belize B
eliz
e HiG
HliG
Ht
S189
Honduras (2mi)Puerto Cortés,
Guatemala (10mi)Puerto Barrios,
Guatemala (3mi)Lívingston,
S E A
Gulf ofHonduras
C A R I B B E A N
BayAmatique
eizBel
Sittee River
erR iv
Macal
River
Chiquibul
Branch
River
Moho
River
DISTRICTSTANN CREEK
BELIZEDISTRICT
CAYODISTRICT
TOLEDODISTRICT
Barranco
San Miguel
Indian Creek
Manatee
Silk Grass
Sittee Point
MéndezModesto
BankRed
Gales Point
La Democracia
Maya CenterSittee River
DANGRIGA
SeineBight
Big Creek
Mango Creek Independence
RiverMonkey
Big Falls
BlueSanta Cruz
San PedroColumbia
Creek
San Antonio
Punta Gorda
BELMOPAN
88º30'W89º00'W
88º30'W89º00'W
16º00'N
16º30'N
17º00'N
Nim Li Punit
Lubaantun
National ParkRio Blanco
Caye National ParkLaughing Bird
ReserveMarine
Water CayeSouth
ReserveMarine
Port Honduras
Marine ReserveSapodilla Cayes
Forest ReserveColumbia River
ReserveNatureBladen
ReserveForest
Nature ReserveTapir Mountain
ReserveForestVaca
National ParkEligio Panti
Nojkaaxmeen
Forest ReservePine RidgeMountain
ReserveArchaeologicalCaracol
ParkNational
Chiquibul
Chiquibul
PaynesCreek
ParkNational
Temash-SarstoonNational Park
ai nsoun
aM
ayM
t
16º00'N
16º30'N
17º00'N
Northern
SouthernLagoon
Lagoon
CayeWaterSouth
TobaccoCaye
PompionCaye
RanguanaCaye
SnakeCayes
SilkCayes
HuntingCaye
StannCreek
North
GU
ATE
MA
LA
Forest ReserveMango Creek
Forest ReserveMango Creek
Forest ReserveSwasey Bladen
ReserveForest
Deep River
Forest ReserveMaya Mountain
MonumentPeak Natural
VictoriaForest Reserve
Sittee River
National ParkBlue Hole
ReserveSibun Forest
ReserveForest
Manatee
(3675ft)Victoria Peak
(3687ft)DelightDoyle's
PlateauVaca
stal (Man
at
bird
Hwyernts
We
Hwy
Sout
hern
Hwy
Hw
yee)
Coa
Humming
ReefGlover's
Caye
SouthDeep
SanctuaryBasin Wildlife
Cockscomb
Thatch
National ParkBocawinaMayflower
Hopkins
Placencia
10 miles020 km0
1 Placencia (p208) eating, drinking, slacking and snorkeling at the mainland ‘cay you can drive to’ .
2 Mayflower Bocawina National Park (p195) Hiking, zip-lining and waterfall rappelling in the jungle .
3 Thatch Caye (p197) living like a posh castaway on
this idyllic eco island resort .
4 Deep South (p217) immersing yourself in the Maya culture and chocolate-making in remote toledo District .
5 Hopkins (p199) listening to Garifuna drumming under the full moon in this laid-back beach village .
6 Cockscomb Basin Wildlife Sanctuary (p206) Mountain-biking or jaguar-spotting on the trails with a Maya guide .
7 Glover’s Reef Atoll (p198) Kayaking and diving at this wonderfully remote atoll .
Southern Belize Highlights
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