Explore The south
Some 16km south of Maya Centre, a newly paved road cuts east from the Southern Highway, heading through pine forest and banana plantations before reaching the sea and snaking south down the narrow Placencia peninsula, immensely popular for its sandy beaches, which are among the best in Belize. Though accommodation throughout most of the peninsula, including the villages of Maya Beach and Seine Bight, is limited to upscale resorts and hotels, Placencia village itself has an abundance of budget options, mostly clustered around the northern end of the Sidewalk which runs parallel to the beach. Shaded by palm trees and cooled by the sea breeze, the village is an ideal spot to relax. However, a recent and unrestrained boom in the property market has led to justified fears for local ecology, along with concerns that the peaceful atmosphere of the peninsula may soon be a thing of the past. Apart from simply hanging out on the beach, Placencia is a good, if expensive, base for snorkelling and diving trips to the southern cayes and reef or a day-trip to the Monkey River.
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Monkey River
Monkey River
One of the best inland day-trips from Placencia takes you by boat to the virtually pristine Monkey River, which teems with fish, birdlife, iguanas and, as the name suggests, howler monkeys. The 20km, thirty-minute dash through the waves is followed by a leisurely glide up the river and a walk along forest trails.
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Diving and snorkelling
Diving and snorkelling
Diving options from Placencia are excellent, but the distance to most dive sites (at least 30km) means that trips here can be more expensive than elsewhere. Trips usually cost around US$90 for a two-tank dive, and US$350 for open-water certification. You could visit uninhabited Laughing Bird Caye National Park, beyond which lie the exquisite Silk Cayes, where the Barrier Reef begins to break into several smaller reefs and cayes, or nearby Gladden Spit, now a marine reserve created to protect the enormous whale shark.
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Other activities
Other activities
Other trips from Placencia can include anything from an afternoon on the water to a week of camping, fishing and sailing. For excellent four- to six-day river and sea kayaking tours, head to Toadal Adventure. For day-trips inland, including trips to Maya ruins, caves and the Cockscomb Basin Wildlife Sanctuary, check with Sea Horse Dive Shop or Trip ‘N Travel (for both, ). If you don’t want a tour, Placencia’s lagoon is ideal for exploring in a canoe or kayak (Bz$70–80 per day, which you can rent from Dave Vernon of Toadal Adventure or a number of hotels, including Seaspray), where it’s possible to spot manatees. You can also snorkel near Placencia Island, just off the tip of the peninsula; here you’ll see a variety of fish and some coral.
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Tour operators
Tour operators
For snorkelling, Sea Horse Dive Shop, near Gas Station Dock (t 523-3166, w www.belizescuba.com), offers the best instruction, excursions and equipment rental. Nite Wind Guides (t 523-3847, e [email protected]) and Ocean Motion Guides near the Main Dock (t 523-3363, w www.oceanmotionplacencia.com) also put on snorkelling and manatee-watching trips.
