Orientation & Planning

Orientation & Planning

Orientation

Coming from the north, two roads lead to the Southern Coast: the Hummingbird Highway from Belmopan, and the Coastal Road (also sometimes, misleadingly, called the Coastal Highway) from La Democracia on the Western Highway. The Hummingbird Highway is paved and is the most scenic drive in all of Belize. The Coastal Road is unpaved, dusty, or muddy depending on the amount of rain. Despite the name, it does not hug the coast, and in fact you never glimpse the sea from it. Also, the loose gravel roadway is an accident waiting to happen. In short, if you're driving, take the Hummingbird.

The Hummingbird runs 54 mi (89 km) from Belmopan to Dangriga. As it approaches Dangriga, it technically becomes the Stann Creek District Highway, but most people simply refer to the entire road as the Hummingbird Highway. About 6 mi (10 km) from Dangriga is the junction with the Southern Highway, another good, mostly paved road running 100 mi (164 km) to Punta Gorda. The Southern Highway is not as scenic as the Hummingbird, although for much of its length the low Maya Mountains are visible to the west.

Off the spine of the Southern Highway, various shorter, mostly unpaved, roads lead to villages on the coast and inland: from the highway, it's about 4 mi (7 km) on partly paved roads to Hopkins and also to Sittee Village; 25 mi (42 km) to Placencia Village; 5 mi (8 km) to Big Creek; 13 mi (21 km) to Monkey River.

The road everyone loves to hate is the road to Placencia from the Southern Highway. The first section is sometimes called the Riversdale Road, after the small settlement where the road reaches close to the sea. The rest of the route, down to Placencia village, is referred to as the Peninsula Road; though most just call it "the Road." Only short sections—at Seine Bight and Placencia villages and at the Coco Plum development—are paved, and after heavy rains it can be mucky. Even in the best conditions, it's a 45-minute drive from Placencia Village back to the junction with the Southern Highway. For years, plans were floated to pave the road down the Placencia peninsula. At this writing, the Caribbean Development Bank has loaned Belize the money to pave the road, and work is slated to begin any day. Locals, however, say they'll believe it when they see it.

Planning

When to Go

The weather on the Southern Coast is similar to that in central and northern Belize, only a little wetter. On average, for example, the Cayo District has rain, or at least a shower, on 125 days a year, while in Stann Creek District there's some rain on 183 days—usually thanks to late fall and winter cold fronts or summer tropical fronts passing through. Of course, these showers are generally followed by sunshine.

Summer daytime temperatures along the coast reach the high 80s, occasionally the 90s, falling at night to the mid-70s. In winter, daytime temperatures are in the low to mid-80s and drop to the mid- or high 60s at night. On or near the sea, it feels cooler due to the prevailing breezes, which calm only occasionally, usually for a few days at a time in summer. Humidity is high most of the year, typically 80% or more. Water temperatures from November to March are usually in the high 70s. For the rest of the year they're in the low 80s.

Restaurants & Cuisine

Broiled, grilled, fried, sautéed, cooked in lime juice as ceviche, or barbecued on the beach: anyway you eat it, seafood is the life-stuff on the Southern Coast. Restaurants serve fish, lobster, conch, and shrimp, often fresh from the boat, or, in the case of shrimp, straight from the shrimp farms near Placencia.

Expect mostly small, locally owned restaurants; some breezy beachside joints with sand floors, others wood shacks. Placencia has by far the largest number of eateries, with Hopkins a distant second. Most upscale restaurants are in resorts, such as Inn at Robert's Grove and Turtle Inn. The Bistro at Maya Beach Hotel is one of the country's best. And it's worth making a trip to Placencia just to sample the incredible gelato at Tutti-Frutti.

Off-season, especially in late summer and early fall, restaurants in Placencia and Hopkins may close for a few weeks, and on any day the owners may decide to close early if there are no customers, so call ahead. It's also a good idea to make reservations so the cooks will have enough food on hand.

Great Itineraries

If You Have 3 Days on the Southern Coast

Base yourself in Placencia. On your first full day, walk the sidewalk in Placencia Village, hear the latest gossip, and get to know a little of village life. Hang out on the beach at your hotel and get on Belize time, then have drinks and dinner in the village. On your second day, take a snorkel trip to Laughing Gull Caye or another snorkel area, or, if you dive, do a full-day dive trip to Turneffe or Glover's atoll. On your final day, drive, or take a guided tour, to Cockscomb Basin Wildlife Sanctuary. Be sure to stop at the Maya Centre craft cooperative for gift shopping. If there's time, also visit the Mayflower Mayan site and waterfall. End the day with dinner at the Bistro at Maya Beach Hotel.

If You Have 5 Days on the Southern Coast

Drive or fly to Dangriga (the closest airport to Hopkins). While in Dangriga, stop by the Garífuna museum, then proceed by taxi or rental car to Hopkins to stay at one of its beach resorts. On your first full day, relax on the beach in the morning, then tour Cockscomb Basin Wildlife Sanctuary and hike the jungle trails. Be sure to stop at the Maya Centre craft cooperative. Have dinner at one of the local restaurants in Hopkins Village. On your second full day, visit the Mayflower Mayan site and waterfall in the morning, and spend the rest of the day on the beach. On your third day, rise early and drive (or go by taxi) to Placencia. If the weather's good, take a snorkel trip. Have dinner in Placencia Village. On your fourth day, if you dive, do a day dive trip to Turneffe or Glover's Atoll, or go fishing for permit or tarpon. If you catch anything edible, have one of the local restaurants prepare it for you for dinner. Or, simply spend a lazy day in a hammock at the beach and around the pool. On your final day, if you're interested in Mayan sites, do a day trip to Lubaantun and Nim Li Punit near Punta Gorda, or else go on a tour of Monkey River.

About the Hotels

There are two kinds of lodging to choose from on the Southern Coast: small, basic hotels, often Belizean-owned, and upscale beach resorts, usually owned and operated by Americans or Canadians. The small hotels are clustered in Placencia Village, Hopkins Village, and in Dangriga town. The beach resorts are on the Placencia peninsula north of Placencia Village and also near Hopkins. Several of these resorts, including Francis Ford Coppola's Turtle Inn and the Inn at Robert's Grove on the Placencia peninsula, Kanantik between Hopkins and Placencia, and Hamanasi in Hopkins, are among the best hotels in Belize. There also are a small number of vacation rental houses near Hopkins and on the Placencia peninsula.

At least a dozen condo developments have opened, are under construction, or are in the planning stages on Placencia peninsula and near Hopkins. Only time will tell whether all these plans will fully materialize or whether supply will outstrip demand, but it's clear that this area has reached the point where development by large international companies is inevitable.