Southern Belize
The Toledo District in Southern Belize boasts the country’s largest protected rainforest area and is home to Belize’s largest Mayan population, along with Garifuna, Creole, Mestizo, and growing North American communities. Just as diverse ecologically, offshore, it offers premier diving, snorkeling, fishing, and sailing in the Deep South. Furthermore, inland, adventurers can kayak, river-tube, explore waterfalls, and visit Maya ruins like Lubaantun and Nim Li Punit.
Toledo District and its principal town, Punta Gorda, evoke a sense of wonder shaped by nature’s phenomena. Mountains, jungle, and sea combine to create a stunning backdrop for this off-the-beaten-path locale. Meanwhile, lush green valleys stretch across the landscape beneath the foothills of the Maya Mountains. The verdant jungle on the town’s outskirts shelters clusters of Maya villages to the west.
Punta Gorda’s eastern shore, the Bay of Honduras, gently ripples against the craggy shoreline. Rustic and beautiful, the last sizable town in Belize spells out “explore.” And in P.G., as the locals call it, there’s more than your fair share to discover.
History & Culture
What is so special about the Toledo District? In addition to superb inland and offshore attractions, is its unique mix of inhabitants. For thousands of years, the region was home to the Maya. Today, the population comprises friendly villagers from a mix of different backgrounds, making Toledo a multi-cultural Mecca. Creoles, East Indians, Garifuna, Maya, Mennonites, and Mestizos are all inhabitants sharing a common ground. A sizeable number of North Americans and Europeans also now make the area their home.
Dining and nightlife in and around town include music and a delicious potpourri of mixed cuisine. Exotic dishes such as wild game or a Garifuna seafood dish served with coconut milk, cassava bread, and hudut, as well as Creole rice & beans and stew chicken, which is Belize’s national dish.
A few decades ago, this popular outpost located approximately 200 miles from Belize City was reachable only by boat. Today, breathtaking scenery unfolds in flight or on the road to P.G. About eight daily commuter flights make the one-hour trip to Punta Gorda’s airstrip from Belize International or Municipal Airports.
Belize Chocolate Festival (May 16th to 18th, 2025)
One of the cultural highlights of Punta Gorda Town is the 3 Days Annual Chocolate Festival. The festival is a showcase for chocolate producers in Belize to promote the many uses of chocolate in daily life. The range of uses demonstrated includes; personal care, culinary arts, and beverages and much more. This is one of the biggest festivals in Southern Belize besides the Garifuna Settlement day festivities also held annually on November 19th.
Tours & Activities
The cayes and reefs off Southern Belize’s coast remain pristine, protected by two marine reserves. Just eight miles offshore from Punta Gorda, Moho Caye is the closest of the palm-lined islands, perfect for a day of swimming and snorkeling accessible by kayak or sailboat. Slightly farther, about 18 miles out, the Snake Cayes offer great spots for snorkeling and beach barbecues.
Continuing outward toward the barrier reef, the renowned Sapodillas emerge as a key marine reserve embodying Caribbean beauty and seclusion. Spanning around 125 square kilometers, the area features eight sand and mangrove cayes. Brilliant coral reefs and sheer wall diving provide thrilling opportunities, with sites like the Seal Caye Wall, starting at 20 feet, offering chances to spot eagle rays and whale sharks, particularly from late spring through mid-summer.
Tour Includes
Boat, guide, snorkel gears & lunch$150 Per person, 2 People minimum (Moho or Snake Cayes)
$200 Per person, 4 People minimum (Sapadilla Reserve)
Experience nature at its best at Toledo’s Blue Creek Conservation Area, managed by International Zoological Expeditions. First, trek through a lush green canopy, then walk 80 feet above ground on the rainforest canopy walk to spot birds and wildlife. Next, swim with small fish in clear pools at the Blue Creek Cave entrance, or admire the stunning “Staircase Falls.” Finally, for a thrill, zipline over the creek and canopy—widely considered the best in Belize.
Tour Includes
Transportation, guide & lunchBlue Creek only $100 USD per person, 4 People minimumAdd zipline for $60 USD per person
Lubaantun (Place of the Fallen Stones) is the largest Maya site of southern Belize, composed of 11 large structures, 5 main plazas, and 3 ball courts. There is a large collection of miniature ceramic objects found on site (available to view at the entrance museum). Also, a somewhat unusual architecture at Lubaantun is a black slate structure featuring rounded corners. Here, boxing matches took place to the death, with contestants wearing conch shell knuckledusters.
The Rio Blanco River and waterfall are located near the villages of Santa Elena and Santa Cruz. Thrill seekers can step out to the 20′ cliffs and jump into the swimming hole. There are also hiking trails. Besides the stunning waterfall, Jaguar, ocelot, margay, river otter, and many species of birds and fish live in the park. The area is a viable ecotourism destination generating income for the villages
Tour Includes
Transportation, guide & lunch$110 Per person, 4 People minimum
Located between the Temash and Sarstoon rivers, Sarstoon-Temash is the southernmost national park in Belize. Rare animals, like the white-faced capuchin monkey, make their home here. There are also over 200 species of birds and other wild animals, including jaguars, ocelots, and tapirs, among others.
If you are looking for a truly wild and remote experience, Sarstoon-Temash National Park is the perfect place for you. This is undoubtedly Belize’s last but most virgin frontier. The only way to see the area is by boat, which makes it a truly unique and unforgettable experience.
The tiny Garifuna fishing community of Barranco, about an hour’s drive from Punta Gorda, is the access to the park, a remote 64-sq-mile protected reserve of rainforest, wetlands, estuaries, and rivers lined by towering mangroves and stretching all the way to Guatemala.
Tour Includes
Transportation, guide & lunch
$175 Per person. 2 People minimum
Nim Li Punit is situated on a beautiful hilltop site near the village of Indian Creek, with views of Belize, Guatemala, and the Caribbean. It is 24 miles from Punta Gorda Town. The site is famous for its stelae. More than 25 have been found. One of these stela, the second largest in the Mayan world, depicts a ruler wearing an elaborate, large headdress, inspiring the name of Nim Li Punit, which means “Big Hat” in the Kekchi Maya language.
Next, after visiting Nim Li Punit, it’s on to the village of Big Falls, where you will have a picnic lunch beside the Rio Grande River. After lunch, you will go on a refreshing tubing trip down the river, which includes a break at a local hot spring. Furthermore, an exciting zip line run featuring 6 criss-crossing zip runs across the jungle canopy can be added before river tubing.
Tour Includes
Transportation, guide & lunch$125 Per person, 4 People minimum
Add Zipline for additional $60USD/person
Bladen Nature Reserve is Belize’s most rich and intact block of preserved forest, spanning 100,000 acres in southern Belize. Bordered by the Columbia River Forest Reserve, the Chiquibul National Park and Forest Reserve, as well as the Cockscomb Basin Wildlife Sanctuary, these surrounding ecosystems contribute to this pristine landscape.
Features: Bladen is significant in relation to the observation of topographical development and a truly unspoiled jungle of biodiversity. The Keyhole Cave is an aesthetic feature within Bladen, along with a partially excavated ancient Maya site.
This no-take zone is managed by the Ya’axche Conservation Trust, which encourages researchers and students to visit the reserve and take part in ongoing studies.
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