A beautiful peninsula in southern Belize, Placencia Village is home to some of the best beaches and activities in the country. Follow this Placencia Village travel guide to help you experience this place at its best.
Beaches in Placencia Village
A gorgeous green peninsula in Southern Belize, Placencia Village has 16 miles of sandy beaches, with the warm Caribbean Sea to the east and the charming
Placencia Lagoon on the west. Placencia is divided into two parts, north of the airstrip and south of the airstrip. The whole of the village can easily be covered on one beach cruiser ride. Its busy part is on the south where visits will find a good amount of restaurants, banks, bistros, coffee shops, banks and guest houses. You will also find the taxi and bus station, and the harbor.
The northern portion of Placencia, on the other hand, includes the Garifuna Village and is less densely populated. It has so many more expensive Placencia Village hotels. Because of its close proximity from the famous Belize Barrier Reef, it has a real surf. The water is clean and clear, and has trade winds that are gently and cooling. Tourists can find many sights that are calming to the spirit, such as the picturesque Belizean sunset on a deserted peninsula beach in Placencia.
Placencia Village Beaches
The beaches along Placencia Village are dotted with small resorts that can arrange dive and snorkel trips for you to the reef, which is about 17 miles away. You can also arrange trips to several small cayes like the Laughing Bird Caye, a mini atoll that has a white sand beach, cooling palm trees and protected swimming and snorkeling. Laughing Bird Caye is also a favorite camping site for reef kayakers who base their expeditions in the village. Tourisys can arrange with their hotel to sail on a catamaran or go deep sea or reef fishing. Placecncia offers many places to stay, from top resorts to low cost lodging. Snorkeling is accessible from practically any point from the beach. Its waters are clean and shallow so just a few steps from the hotel room can already take you to a great snorkel spot.
Placencia Village Activities
Today, Placencia has become one of the main tourist attractions in Belize, especially for those who are stopping over in their Caribbean cruise in the southern part of the country. It is also visited by the Belizeans themselves all across the country, particularly during the holiday season. The peninsula is home to several restaurants, some of which are just set in private home patios along the path between the beach and lagoon. Here are some of the best activities you can do in Placencia Village.
- Laughing Bird Caye National Park – Diving and snorkeling off this long narrow island is not a laughing matter. It is a protected area in the World Heritage site, with the waters surrounding it teeming with a rich and colorful marine life. Since it is only 11 miles from Placencia Village, this has now become a popular tourist destination.
- Whale sharks – From April to July, prime specimens of the biggest fish in the sea are easy to spot near the Gladden Spit. Swimming beside these gentle creatures is a very calmning. Look for special dive packages with the whale sharks offered by resorts and hotels in the area.
- Monohulls and catamarans – Placencia tourism operators offer all the conveniences of a resort or hotel while sailing catamarans or monohulls. visitors can enjoy stunning sunrises and sunsets as their guides navigate through while sand island mangroves. Tourists can pick between a personal crew or barefoot charter.
- Seafood – Tourists can spend their days trolling for Kingfish and Wahoo, or go drop fishing for Snappers in some of the best fishing grounds Belize can offer. You will love the included beach barbecues in many tours Placencia. Guests can taste fresh seafood cooked just minutes after they are pulled from the water.
- Monkey River tour – The tour starts with a boat ride to the mouth of a jungle river. You will see mangroves considered home by iguanas and many birds while their roots shelter turtles, fish and juvenile marine life. If the boat stops at the bank, you can take a natural trail to look for howler monkeys.
Use this Placencia Village travel guide in your next adventure. The good news is that Placencia Village is very accessible, being just a two-hour drive from the Belize capital Belmopan. Its once bumpy road is now completely paved. Remember that it has numerous speed bumps, so it is best to just stick to a low speed for first-time travelers. There is a modern airstrip in the entrance of the peninsula.