The far south: rivers, cacao farms, villages, and the most remote cayes in Belize.
Toledo is the southernmost and wettest district, and the least visited. Punta Gorda, known as PG, is a small, relaxed port town on the bay. Inland are rivers, rainforest and villages where families grow cacao, and some will show you how chocolate starts.
Offshore, the Sapodilla Cayes sit at the very end of the barrier reef, a long boat ride from PG, with clear water and very few visitors. We come here with travellers on their second or third trip, or with time to go slowly.
Cacao
A morning on a family cacao farm, from pod to roasted bean to cup.Check before you travel
The Sapodilla Cayes
Part of the UNESCO reef system, at the southern end of the reef. Fees apply.Check before you travel
Rio Blanco and the rivers
Swimming holes and river walks inland.
Village stops
Visits arranged with the villages themselves, with someone to introduce you.
PG on market day
The town at its busiest, with produce brought in from the villages.
Onward to Guatemala
Boats cross the bay to Puerto Barrios and Lívingston for those continuing.
Boat and flight times are ranges and depend on the weather and the operator. How we get around
We choose places to stay for the setting, the people running them, and how they fit your plans.
Toledo is wet. Even in the dry season, expect rain, and in the wet season roads to some villages can be hard going.
Lodges are fewer and simpler than further north. The trade-off is a part of Belize that almost nobody else on your flight will see.
Drums in the evening, hudut for supper, and the boat to the outer cayes in the morning.
A long, thin peninsula with a lagoon on one side, the sea on the other, and whale sharks in spring.
