19 Best Sights in The Deep South, Belize

Lubaantun, which lies beyond the village of San Pedro Columbia, is southern Belize's premier Maya site. The Late Classic complex was rediscovered in 1924 by German archaeologist Thomas Gann, who gave it a name meaning \"place of fallen stones.\" Lubaantun must have been an awe-inspiring sight: on top of a conical hill, with views to the sea in one direction and the Maya Mountains in the other, its stepped layers of white-plaster stone would have towered above the jungle like a wedding cake. Lubaantun's structures are notable for their rounded corners and precision cutting, with no mortar needed to fit the stones together. No one knows exactly what function the structures served, but the wealth of miniature masks and whistles found suggests it was a center of ceramic production. (The altars so common to other Maya sites are nowhere to be found here.) The trio of ball courts and the central plaza with tiered seating for 10,000 spectators seems like a Maya Madison Square Garden, and you'll occasionally see kids kicking around a soccer ball here. There's a small visitor center at the site. Although this is southern Belize's largest Maya site, visitors are few during the week, and you might find you have the whole place to yourself. Most tour operators in Punta Gorda can arrange trips to Lubaantun, or you can visit by rental car, an easy trip down the San Antonio Road.

Nim Li Punit, a Late Classic site discovered in 1976, has 26 unearthed stelae, including one, Stela 14, that is 30 feet tall—the largest ever found in Belize and the second largest found anywhere in the Maya world. It's a fact that the original names of most Maya complexes in Mesoamerica are lost to the ages. In a right and rite of first modern encounter, the archaeologists rediscovering each site conferred their own descriptive Modern Mayan, Spanish, or English names on them, and here is another example: Nim Li Punit, which means \"Big Hat\" in the Kek'chi Mayan language, is named for the elaborate headgear of a ruler pictured on Stela 14. Shady trees cool you off as you walk around the fairly small site (you can see it all in an hour or so). Stop by the informative visitor center on the premises—it's one of Belize's best such facilities—to learn more about the site and to inquire about hiring a guide. Nim Li Punit is near the Kek'chi village of Indian Creek, and children (and some adults) from the village usually come over and offer jewelry and crafts for sale. It is easily accessible via a short dirt road off the Southern Highway.

The Mopan Maya village of San Antonio, 35 miles (56 km) west of Punta Gorda, is Toledo's second-largest town, with a population of about 1,000. Despite the town's name, St. Louis, the French King Louis IX is its patron saint. It was settled by people from the Guatemalan village of San Luis, who brought their devotion to their patron and protector with them. The impressive village church, built of stones carted from surrounding Maya ruins, has a stained-glass window donated by another city with a connection to the saint: St. Louis, Missouri. Cacao harvesting has brought a bit of development, prosperity, and infrastructure to San Antonio not seen in the region's other Maya villages. Yet, the people of San Antonio haven't forgotten their ancient heritage: each June 13, they take to the streets for a festival that dates back to pre-Columbian times. The San Antonio waterfall sits a mile outside of town. It cascades a scant eight feet over smooth limestone and is a popular gathering spot for picnickers (and hummingbirds). The road to the Guatemala border—still no official border crossing, but one day, perhaps—passes through San Antonio Village, making access easy. No official accommodation options exist here, but overnight stays can be arranged with local families through the Toledo Ecotourism Association (T.E.A.).

Hot springs, freshwater lagoons, caves, and hiking trails dot the 6,000-acre Agua Caliente Wildlife Sanctuary. The sanctuary is known for its water birds, including ibises, herons, egrets, woodstorks, and kingfishers. A half-mile boardwalk gives access to the visitor center. Navigating the trails can be tricky; use a local guide or one affiliated with an area tour operator. During the dry season you can hike under the forest canopy and through wetlands to the warm springs at the base of the Agua Caliente hills. During the rainy season, canoes are available for hire.

Although the Maya are by far the largest ethnic group in rural Toledo, the district also forms part of Belize's Garifuna homeland. Barranco, a small village of fewer than 150 people about an hour by road from Punta Gorda, is the largest Garifuna center in this part of the country. This southernmost coastal village in Belize has electricity, a couple of shops, a bar, a police station, a health clinic, and a school. Old-timers lament that young people don't want to stay in Barranco; they leave for the bright lights of Punta Gorda, Belize City, or beyond. In fact, remittances sent back home from those who are working elsewhere contribute substantially to the village's economy. One local kid who made good was Andy Palacio, the famed punta rock musician. A guided village tour includes, in addition to a visit to Palacio's gravesite, stops at the Dabuyaba (Garifuna temple), the House of Culture, and a cassava factory. Lunch in a local home is also possible. TIDE Tours, PG Tours, and other tour operators offer trips to Barranco, or you can drive yourself.

See spices such as cardamom, vanilla, nutmeg, clove, cinnamon, and sandalwood growing at this spice farm just off the Southern Highway at Golden Stream. Black pepper is grown in enough quantity (about 10,000 pounds of peppercorns per year) for commercial sales in Belize. The spice farm is part of a 500-acre tract now producing mostly citrus fruits. Visitors are given a guided tour of the farm on a cart with seats pulled by a track tractor; walking tours are also available. The last stop on the tour is the drying room, full of wonderful spice aromas. Tours generally start every hour on the hour from 8 to 4, but it's advisable to call ahead. The restaurant accommodates tour groups and other visitors. The farm is a popular shore excursion for cruise ships that call at Harvest Caye at up-the-coast Placencia.

Ever been freshwater snorkeling? Check out the Bladen River in the Bladen Nature Reserve. The river snakes through the reserve, allowing for excellent kayaking, canoeing, swimming, and, yes, some freshwater snorkeling. The 100,000-acre Bladen Reserve is comanaged by the Belize Forestry Department and the Ya'axche Conservation Trust, an environmental NGO based in Punta Gorda. Bladen is the centerpiece of the Maya Mountain Corridor, creating a crucial link in the last remaining large, intact block of forest in the region. Additional parts of this corridor are protected by the Cockscomb Basin Wildlife Sanctuary, the Columbia River Forest Reserve, and the Chiquibul National Park and Forest Reserve, all bordering Bladen. Tours of the Bladen Reserve also are given by interns from a private reserve managed by the Belize Foundation for Research and Environmental Education (BFREE). Camping and simple bunkhouse accommodations are available for around BZ$100–BZ$120 per person per day, meals included. Additional charges apply for transportation, canoe rental, and laundry.

Don't miss Blue Creek, a beautiful stretch of river dotted with turquoise swimming holes as well as an anchor village split between Mopan and Kek'chi Maya. A path up the riverbank leads to the dramatic caves of Hokeb Ha (\"where the water enters the earth\"). A Peace Corps volunteer stumbled upon the cave and a collection of ceramic jars in 1973, leading historians to suggest that the site was a center of earthenware production. Locals are fond of billing the caverns as another Actun Tunichil Muknal, a reference to the famous Maya cave site in the Cayo region. That's a stretch, although you need the same physical stamina to tackle this one as you do the \"ATM\" caves in the north.  It's too dangerous to visit on your own. Always go with a licensed tour operator. Water levels can change unexpectedly, and the excursion requires being a strong swimmer. TIDE Tours and other operators offer trips to Blue Creek, providing lights and other necessary equipment for the cave trip.  Don't swim in the river at night—the fer-de-lance, a highly poisonous snake, likes to take nocturnal dips.

Punta Gorda's landmark is its four-sided clock tower, the symbol of this low-rise city. It sits in a triangular park officially called the Central Park of Heroes but known simply as the \"Central Plaza\" to residents. Murals depicting Toledo's culture and nature adorn the base. \"Meet me at the clock tower,\" say locals who make it their convenient rendezvous point. Use it to get your bearings, but don't always count on the clock to give you the correct time.

One of the largest undisturbed tropical rainforest areas in Central America is the Columbia Forest Reserve in a remote area north of San José Village. The karst terrain—an area of irregular limestone in which erosion has produced sinkholes, fissures, and underground streams and caves—is difficult to navigate, so the only way to see this area is with a guide and with advance permission from the Belize Forestry Department. It has extremely diverse ecosystems because the elevation ranges from about 1,000 to more than 3,000 feet, with sinkholes as deep as 800 feet. You'll find areas of true \"high bush\" here: old-growth tropical forest with parts that have never been logged at all. Much of the rich flora and fauna of this area has yet to be documented. For example, one brief 12-day expedition turned up 15 species of ferns never found before in Belize, along with several new species of palms, vines, and orchids. Check with the Toledo Tour Guide Association at the BTIA visitor information office in Punta Gorda to try to find a guide to take you to this remote reserve.

Copalli, a smooth Belizean rum, comes from the grounds of the Copal Tree Lodge, a few miles outside Punta Gorda, and has quickly gained prestige in international circles. Copalli’s organic process bypasses the molasses stage, distilling the rum directly from sugarcane, rainforest water, and organic yeast. The end results are a white rum and a barrel-aged rum, equally smooth. A two-hour mixology class gives you ideas for mixing farm-fresh ingredients with your rum cocktails. A half-day distillery tour guides you through the rum-making process and includes a tasting and lunch. Both tours require advance reservations and are open to nonguests of the lodge.

From cacao beans to final candy bars, you can see how chocolate is made at Cotton Tree Chocolate, a small chocolate factory on Front Street in Punta Gorda. It's associated with Cotton Tree Lodge. You'll get a short guided tour of the chocolate-making process and you can buy bars of delicious milk or dark chocolate. Cotton Tree Lodge also offers guests a program on sustainable cacao growing, producing, and harvesting.

One of Belize’s best known East Indian communities is home to 500 descendants of laborers who arrived from the Indian subcontinent to work the local sugar mill and plantations in the 19th century. The town was founded as Toledo Settlement by 14 families who fled the former Confederacy following the American Civil War and took up sugar production. The industry in the southern part of the country died out by the early 20th century as facilities in northern Belize began to harvest and process sugar more efficiently. Save for the remnants of the old sugar boiler and a small Confederate cemetery, the American edge to Forest Home’s history is little in evidence any longer. The Indian side of the town’s history lives on and is documented in Ethleen’s House of Knowledge, a small museum dedicated to the East Indian community here.

Destination signs with big concrete block letters have become all the rage in Belize. PG has been bidding its visitors Welcome to Punta Gorda, Toledo District since long before anyone else came up with the idea. A colorful, flat, 10-sided sign with illustrations of eight people who represent Punta Gorda's (and Belize's) multicultural population sits at the north entrance to town. Posting a pic on social media of you and your traveling companions in front of the sign might elicit a \"Huh? Where? Isn't Punta Gorda near Fort Myers in Florida?\" query from your followers. Let them know you're not in Florida anymore.

This tiny national park (500 acres) has a big waterfall—the Rio Blanco, which splashes over rough limestone boulders into a deep pool; you can jump into it for a refreshing swim. The waterfall can be reached via a well-marked hiking trail. Upstream a short distance from the falls is a nice area for a picnic, shaded by trees and flowering bushes. The park is managed by residents of nearby Maya villages including Santa Elena, Santa Cruz, Golden Stream, and Pueblo Viejo. You can visit on your own, though Punta Gorda tour operators include Rio Blanco in their offerings.

You could find yourself in this Kek’chi Maya village of 400 people if you book one of the area homestays with the Toledo Ecotourism Association (T.E.A.). Residents here are accustomed to visitors and actively participate in its programs. St. Michael is the patron of the town; his statue stands guard over the altar in the parish church. The aroma of homemade tortillas wafts from homes as you walk down the street. The Rio Grande becomes a veritable beehive of community activity on laundry day.

Belize's largest Kek'chi Maya community is the village of San Pedro Columbia (population 700). It's a cheerful cluster of brightly painted buildings and thatched houses off the San Antonio Road. Several local women sell handwoven embroidery.

The Maya site of Lubaantun is two miles away.

The unusual facade of the local Catholic church is made up of stones said to be taken from Lubaantun.

One of the wildest and most remote areas of Belize is the Sarstoon-Temash National Park, between the Temash and Sarstoon Rivers in the far south of Toledo District on the border of Guatemala. Red mangroves grow along the river banks; animals and birds rarely seen in other parts of Belize, including white-faced capuchin monkeys, can be spotted here, along with jaguars (if you're lucky), ocelots, and tapirs, along with more than 200 species of birds. The only way to see this 42,000-acre area is with a guide by boat. Contact the Sarstoon-Temash Institute for Indigenous Management (SATIIM), which manages the park in conjunction with the Belize Forestry Department, for a guide, or check with the BTIA office on Front Street in Punta Gorda, home to the Toledo Tour Guide Association. SATIIM, among other things, is involved in efforts to oppose oil and gas exploration in the Sarstoon-Temash.  The park has been in dispute as part of Guatemala's long-standing claims to Belizean territory. Belize maintains firm control. Check with the institute for developments, although the matter should not affect you as a visitor.

Catholics make up a plurality of Belize's population at large, but they command a majority in this region, with Maya and Garifuna elements incorporated into the liturgy. Punta Gorda's Catholic church may not be architecturally distinctive, but it is notable for its masses in the Garifuna language the second Sunday of each month and in the Mayan language the fourth Sunday of the month. The Jesuit priests here also provide outreach to 36 area Maya and Garifuna communities that lack their own churches. St. Peter Claver, the church's patron, was a 17th century Spanish missionary who advocated tirelessly for the rights of indigenous peoples in the New World.