Placencia - Belize

Sixteen miles of natural sandy beach, a wilderness of coral-studded cayes, a virgin mangrove-fringed lagoon, nearby jungle rivers, pristine rainforest, Garifuna, Creole and Mayan cultures, and ancient Maya ruins make Placencia the ideal location for the adventurous traveler.

Southern Belize is still relatively undeveloped, making it a paradise for the nature lover. Snorkel and dive our uncrowded pristine reef, fish our rivers, flats, lagoons and the open sea, kayak the mangroves in our lovely lagoon, see an abundance of wildlife on the Monkey River tour, hike the Cockscomb Jaguar Preserve, visit the Maya ruins of Lubaantun and Nim Li Punit, or just grab a hammock and relax on the beach!

"Placencia Sidewalk"

4,071 feet long and 4 feet wide - according to the Guiness Book of World Records, the narrowest main street in the world!

The Placencia Sidewalk is the heart of Placencia Village, an artery that linked the visitors, residents, businesses and homes of Placencia Village.

Click here for History of Placencia Sidewalk.

History of Placencia:
Placencia has a long history of occupation starting with the Maya who established at least 14 sites around the Placencia Lagoon. These were principally engaged in the making of salt as well as participating in the extensive coastal trade.
In the seventeenth century, Placencia was settled by the English Puritans who were originally from Nova Scotia and latterly from the island of Providencia. This settlement died out during the Central American wars of independence in the 1820's.
The Spaniards that travelled the southern coast of Belize gave Placencia its name. At that time Placencia was called Placentia, with the point being called Punta Placentia or Pleasant Point. The Placencia Peninsula was resettled in the late 1800's by the Garbutt family, who decided to settle and eventually own most of the Peninsula. In 1894 Abner Westby, whose family originated in Scotland, came to Placencia and purchased land from the Garbutts. He was later joined by a younger member of his family, John Eiley. The Cabral family, originally from Lisbon, Portugal, closed their business in Sao Paulo, Brazil and the Caribbean and sailed to the southern part of Belize on two schooners, The Colibri and The Jane. Soon they began doing business with and eventually married into the Placencia community. In the early 1900's the Leslie's, originally from Rotan, also came to Placencia.
Placencia prospered and soon became a village, earning its livelihood from the sea. On June 20th, 1962, the fishermen of the Village came together and formed the Placencia Produces Cooperative, which is still in operation today, to provide the village with competitive prices for their seafood production. In the early 1970's Placencia was provided with electricity (although sometimes less than 110V) from the generators of the Cooperative, and eventually in 1993 the Belize Electricity Limited assumed that role, providing 110V and 220V to supply the increasing demand.
Placencia is as culturally diverse today as it was in its formation. Walking down the sidewalk on any given day you will see and hear people from all over Belize and the world gracing thelittle village. The people in Placencia are united in their love for the sea and in their commitment to tourism and development.
Since 1990, Placencia has made large and sure strides toward making it one of the most popular tourist destinations in Belize. Hurricane Iris that hit the village on October 8 of last year (2001) set Placencia back a bit but today Placencia is back on the track of tourism.

History of Maya Beach:
Maya Beach is a small community located 8 miles north of the village of Placencia and stretches about 2 miles along the Placencia Peninsula. Maya Beach was a Canadian development founded in 1964. Today the community consists of ex-patriots from America and Canada, along with Mayans, Spanish, and Creole.
Its layout offers water access from canal, lagoon, and beachfront. The lagoon side of Maya beach provides a panoramic view of Cockscomb Range and Victoria Peak.

History of Seine Bight:
Seine Bight village is located about 5 miles north of the village of Placencia and stretches about 4 miles along the Placencia Peninsula. It is one of six Garinagu communities in Belize. The name Seine Bight originates from the type of net, called a seine, used by the fishermen that used the area for drying and salting their catch and bight meaning a depression in the coastal line.
The inhabitants of Seine Bight are descendants of people who originated in St. Vincent. These people who were the result of a mixture of Africans who had been intended for slaves and the local Carib Indians of St. Vincent. The Garinagu people had a long journey to reach the shores of Belize, being sent first to the island of Balliceaux, then on to Rotan before a group finally came to Belize. These arrived in Belize on November 19th, 1832. They settled in Seine Bight about the year 1869. They were led from Riversdale by Emmanuel "Walpy" Moreira. Two other groups followed: John Martinez who settled in the southern area called Santuario, and Mateo Augustine who settled in the northern division called Augustine Ville. Many more came to the village in the 1950's when the Blair Atoll operation, which produced rice & copra, was closed down.
Seine Bight now has a population of over 800 people and is still predominantly a community of Garinagu. They speak English, but still maintain the Garifuna language, which is an African dialect with a strong mixture of French, Spanish and English words. Today they preserve their cultural drumming, dances and customs and welcome visitors to share their culture.

Activities in Placencia

Fishing:
Placencia offers variety of fishing adventures, and is fast becoming a prime destination for fishing enthusiasts, as well as hard core fishermen, and women.

In the last five years Placencia has seen an increase in the number of fly fishermen to the area, who come for the thrill of catching that elusive permit, tarpon, snook or bonefish. With this sudden demand for experienced guides, the fishermen of Placencia have met the challenge, and the word is out.

Placencia also offers other types of fishing. For the novice fisherman, drop fishing for snapper, grouper and jack allows for one to practice the art of the hitch. Trolling inside the barrier reef for barracuda, king mackerel, is popular, and for the avid fisherman trolling for game fish like wahoo, tuna and dorado outside the Barrier Reef is on the rise.

Snorkeling:
Beginner or experienced - adult or child, Everyone can enjoy snorkeling in Placencia's 80 degree Caribbean waters! Between the Placencia Peninsula and the Barrier Reef extends 20 miles of underwater canyons and mountains - the tops of these mountains create the extensive range of cayes. Some of the cayes are capped with mangroves and abundant bird life.

Other cayes have been created by crushed coral and shells - the pretty white sand islands you see on postcards! Laughing Bird Caye, Pumpkin, Ranguana and the Silk Cayes to name just a few...
Within the Inner Cayes and along the Barrier Reef there are many cayes to choose from - your tour guide will know the perfect spot and take you out to that white sand island where you can ease in to snorkel the coral reef, rest in the shade of the palm trees and enjoy your tropical lunch.

Diving:
The Barrier Reef separates itself further and further from the mainland - resulting in ranges of coral mountains and 90 - 110 foot channels. The edge of the reef provides a barrier to contain gentle waves, a slow southerly current moving at 1/2 knot and providing safe conditions for divers.

The official count names a minimum of 20 dive sites accessible from the Placencia coast.

Explore a private aquarium of parrot fish, blue tangs, grunts, sergeant majors, needle fish, trumpet fish and butterfly fish. Abrupt drops reveal sleek tarpon, a graceful ray or a mouthful of barracuda.

Whale Sharks make an appearance in May each year in the Placencia area - these 30 to 40 foot black and white shark feeds on plankton, pelagic crustaceans, squid and tiny baitfish just by moving through the water.

Click for more information on Whale Shark Diving.

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