Oct 12, 20196 min
There is no place in Belize like Placencia. Seriously 😊
Placencia is the only destination in Belize that will give you some of the best beaches in the country - 17 miles of it, easy access to amazing jungle tours, Maya Historic sites, as well as some of the best fishing, snorkeling and Scuba diving tours Belize has to offer.
It is not easy to do all these things from, Ambergris Caye and Caye Caulker, where you would have to fly or ferry to the mainland and then drive to get to an inland tour destination.
Staying in Placencia makes doing land and sea tours very easy and convenient. You can easily drive off the peninsula (all roads fully paved) and sea tours start within a couple of miles offshore.
Oh, did we forget to mention that Seine Bight Village will allow you to experience the rich Garifuna culture and Placencia Village, where Imani's Inn is located, will put you in the heart of the Creole culture with a rich commercial fishing village background?
Placencia really offers quite a unique visitor experience.
Bordered to the west by the Placencia Lagoon and to the East by the Caribbean Sea, let's jump right in...no pun intended. 🏊🏽♀️
You will not find more accessible beaches in Belize other than Placencia. What's a vacation without laying on the beach drinking a cold tropical drink? Make sure to try a freshly cut coconut, the water is out-of-this-world delicious. Add some local rum...and you got yourself a beach party. Tip: local rum is cheap at the local grocery stores. Buy a bottle (or two) and keep in your room. Put them in the fridge with your favorite mixer.
Laughing Bird Caye is arguably the most popular snorkeling destination from Placencia. It sits in a reserve thus the wildlife is well protected - they have park rangers. The Silk Cayes [keys] are three small islands and the tour operator normally takes you to the main island (they are really tiny). These two island tours will allow you to snorkel with turtles, dolphins, sharks (harmless). Ranguana Caye is privately owned and the underwater views are straight from a magazine. Most tour companies also have island hopping tours, where you can experience even more majestic and exotic Caribbean sea life...and of course, you will have food and drinks (Belikin Beers are usually in the cooler and a really great beer, especially on hot days). Recommended Tour Operations: Sea Horse Dive Shop and Go Sea Belize
Barefoot Beach Bar and the Tipsy Tuna Seaside & Sports Bar are the two most popular beach bars in the village since they have been around the longest and offer great service. Other popular beach bars in Placencia include, Cozy Corner (low key, great food), The Shak (just built a Tiki Bar on the beach), Placencia Beach Club (new), Skyfall Terrace Cocktail Bar (the views are breathtaking), Yoli's Over Da Water, Buba Wuba's Grill & Smoke Shak (not on the beach, however on the lagoon). They all serve amazing food and drinks and have their own personalities. Most have some fun daily/nightly events, from Garifuna Drumming, Reggae Night, Karaoke, Trivia Contests...guy recently won over $600 bucks at Buba Wuba with their dice game. Wow!
If you are a foodie or a rumi (local slang for barflies), then Placencia has something to tantalize your palate and keep you tipsy. You will have the opportunity to try local dishes made from: chicken (popular in Belize), pork, beef, lobster (seasonal), shrimp, conch (seasonal) and going as exotic as gibnut (the Royal Rat). Here is a list of some popular local restaurants and eateries around Placencia Village. Belizeans love to socialize, and when they do, they drink. Their main drink of choice is their various local rums (try Caribbean Rum and coconut water, it's yummy). Also, check out the locally made rum (made right in Placencia) Big Titty Rum, which has various flavors of crafted, artisanal rums - find them on the sidewalk at Afrodite Caffe & Bar.
Happy hours (usually 5 - 7 at most bars) include local rum drinks. Most bars also have beer buckets, where you get an ice bucket filled with local beer (normally 6 Belikin beer which is the most popular Belizean-produced beer). You will want to try the local craft beer made by Hobbs Brewing Company, located just north of the Placencia Airport. The beer is becoming quite popular locally and can now be found in many local bars and grocery stores.
There is more.
Twisted Tea Cafe serves some pretty delicious apple ciders and citrus ciders. The Little Wine Bar is quite popular, where you can chill out (figuratively and literally) and drink some great wines and have a meat and cheese platter. Don't forget the checkout Pyramid House Wine Etc. - yes, the building quite literally is built as a Mayan pyramid.
If you are on the wild side, then consider hiring a taxi for the day and bar hop the peninsula. Or rent a golf cart (with a designated driver).
The Monkey River Tour is a great tour to experience a tropical rainforest. It is not far away from Placencia (about 20 minutes boat ride) and you get to witness more of the wildlife and culture of Belize. Take a half or a whole day to see nature trails, crocodiles, iguanas, manatees, birdwatch as well as get up close with the infamous howler monkeys. If you’re lucky you may see a jaguar, tarantula or a tapir. On your trip, you can also learn about herbal medicines, the ecosystem and try some of the local food when you stop in the village of Monkey River (at the mouth of the river).
Prices range around 70 BZ$.
Cocksbomb Basin is the world’s only jaguar preserve. It also has the best jungle hiking trails in the country. Try the rockslide tour offered and specialized by D Tourz, as well as the night tour (freaky fun). Cockscomb is a nature lovers haven set into the jungle with a plethora of wildlife housing pumas, vultures ocelots, tapirs, armadillos, otters along with countless birds. There is amazing nature to see and waterfalls to checkout as you find your way in this incredible preserve. Tip: Jaguars are nocturnal, seeing one during the day is slim to none.
The Placencia Sidewalk was once in the Guinness Book of World Records as the narrowest main street in the world. I believe that it lost that record when they upgraded the sidewalk in 2012. It has been widened to over 4 ft. The sidewalk run the length of the village (about 2 miles) down its spine. There are many cool gift shops, art shops, carving shops, tour shops on either side. It also takes you to just about anywhere you need to go within the village, by having secondary sidewalks leading to businesses on the beach and on the main road.
Here's a cool video to get a good idea about the sailing experience from Placencia
Charter a catamaran for a day or few days and you can sail around the islands and do some breathtaking activities such as deep-sea fishing, snorkeling, and scuba diving some of the most popular snorkel and dive sites in Belize.
Don't want to go all out? Then do a sunset cruise sail.
More than likely you will go up the Placencia Lagoon which will give you some beautiful sunsets.
Take your camera.
This is becoming a popular spot for locals and tourists since it is not too far - a 30-minute drive - get soaked by a couple of waterfalls and take a plunge in some swimming holes. You can even climb up and do a little cliff jumping. The mini-custom-built Maya Temple at the entrance, just off the Southern Highway, is a selfie magnet.
Many of the locals would go to the point, where the municipal pier is located and just relax after a long day, and during the weekend. The sea breeze is cool during the evenings and the swimming ground is exquisite. There are a couple of kiosks that sell drinks and snacks and just at the foot of the pier is The Shak Beach Cafe. In other words, you can spend all day here just chilling out, having drinks, meals, swimming and just relax and mingle with the locals.