The Southern Coast

As always in Belize, the transition from one landscape to another is swift and startling. As you approach the Hummingbird Highway's end in coastal Dangriga, the lush, mountainous terrain of the north gives way to flat plains bristling with orange trees. Farther south the Stann Creek Valley is Belize's San Fernando Valley, where bananas, the nation's first bumper crop, and most other fruit is grown. Equally startling to the change in scenery is the cultural segue: whereas San Ignacio has a Spanish air, the southern coast is strongly Afro-Caribbean.

Tourist dollars, the staple of contemporary Belize, have largely bypassed Dangriga to land 35 mi (56 km) south in Placencia, the region's most striking destination. Several years ago there were only three small resorts north of Placencia village. Now there are about 20, stretching up to the village of Seine Bight, Maya Beach, and beyond. Plans are in the works for hundreds of new condos and a number of hotels. Owners of small beach resorts and inns are cashing in, selling out to developers, who are in turn combining several small tracts into one, hoping to put together larger residential or resort projects. Many believe that the tipping point for the Placencia peninsula has been reached and that the new wave of resorts will be larger, more upscale, and more multinational.

The paving of the Southern Highway from Dangriga all the way to Punta Gorda (except for a short stretch near Golden Stream) has made the region much more accessible. Off the main highway, however, most roads consist of red dirt and potholes, and the road from the Southern Highway to Placencia is one of the worst.

Real estate sales are a driving force in Placencia, Hopkins, and elsewhere along the coast. The lure is the beaches. The Southern Coast has the best beaches on the mainland, although as elsewhere inside the protecting Barrier Reef, the low wave action means the beaches are narrow and there's usually sea grass in the water close to shore. (Sea grass—not seaweed, which is an algae—may be a nuisance for swimmers, but it's a vital part of the coastal ecosystem, acting as a nursery for sea life.) Much of the seafront land north of Placencia village has been divided into lots awaiting development; if things continue at this pace, the area will one day rival Ambergris Caye as Belize's top beach destination.

Less »