Attractions

The main activity in Dangriga is a slow walk up and down the main north-south thoroughfare. If you tire of watching the endless procession of people and listening to the colorful mix of English, Creole, and Garífuna, head a block or two over towards the sea and cop a seat in one of the town's oceanfront parks. If you're looking for a more active adventure, you'll have to head out of Dangriga, but your options are plentiful.

The only true attraction in the area is the quaint little Gulisi Garífuna Museum (tel. 502-0639). Although small, this is worth a visit. Spread around several rooms here you'll find interpretive displays of Garífuna history, culture, and daily life. Three separate documentaries are shown continually on televisions in the different rooms. There's a gift shop here, as well as paintings by prominent Garífuna artists like Benjamin Nicholas and Pen Cayetano. The museum is located 1 mile (1.6km) west of town, on the road out to the Hummingbird Highway. It is open Monday through Friday from 10am to 5pm and Saturday from 8am till noon. Admission is BZ$10 (US$5).

If you're staying in Dangriga for any period of time, you may also want to visit any number of the relatively nearby attractions, including Guanacaste National Park, Blue Hole National Park, Caves Branch, Hopkins Village, and Cockscomb Basin Wildlife Sanctuary.

Attractions on the Hummingbird Highway

Located just off the highway in the tiny settlement of Pomona Village is one of the most important and renowned factories in all of Belize, Marie Sharp's. The factory is small and simple, and depending on the time of year and demand, they may be making any number of their various hot sauces, jams, and chutneys. It's best to call in advance to arrange a tour (tel. 522-2370). If you're lucky, you'll get to meet Marie herself. The tour is free, but you'll want to bring some money to stock up on the sauces.

Tucked a few miles off the highway is Five Blues Lake National Park. The main feature of this park is a stunning cenote, whose various hues of blue give the park its name. All around the park are forested lands and distinct karst hill formations, and a series of trails leading through them. The park is run by the folks from the local community of Saint Margaret's Village. The park and small village are located on Lagoon Road, just off the Hummingbird Highway around Mile Marker 32. There are about 3 miles (5km) of well-marked trails in the park. You can also take a refreshing dip in the lake, or rent a canoe for a leisurely paddle. Admission is BZ$8 (US$4). Camping is allowed inside the park for BZ$6 (US$3) per person. Some simple accommodations and restaurants are also available in Saint Margaret's Village. For more information, check out the park and community's website at www.5blueslake.org.

Gales Point & the Manatees

Gales Point is a small Creole fishing village about 25 miles (40km) north of Dangriga. It is a peaceful little village where you can get in tune with one of Belize's traditional cultures and its slower pace of life. The village stretches along a narrow peninsula that juts into the large brackish Southern Lagoon, which is also called Manatee Lagoon because the manatees that inhabit the water of the lagoon bring most people to Gales Point in the first place. Ask at the Manatee Lodge or around the village, and for BZ$60 to BZ$80 (US$30-US$40) you can hire a small boat to take you out to where the manatees usually feed. The boats generally will hold up to eight people, so the more people you can line up, the less it will cost each of you. You can also ask around in the village about renting a canoe to paddle yourself out to where the manatees feed. I prefer this option, although be sure to get a lightweight modern canoe, as the traditional carved tree-trunk dugout canoes are a bear to paddle. Canoe rentals should run you around BZ$10 (US$5) for a half-day. Although previously encouraged, swimming with the manatees is no longer allowed. The contact is potentially dangerous for manatees and humans alike, and it's best to just enjoy a pleasant sighting of these gentle water mammals. In addition to the manatees, this is a fabulous bird-watching spot, and if you're lucky you might even see a jabiru stork here.

Other possible trips from Gales Point include visits to the beach or some nearby caves and nighttime turtle walks. The beach on either side of the Manatee River is a major nesting site for the hawksbill turtle. The turtles generally lay their eggs from June to August. These tours generally cost between BZ$60 and BZ$120 (US$30-US$60) for the boat and guide.

Gales Point is one of several villages in Belize to have a community-based ecotourism homestay program (tel. 209-8031). Rooms in local villagers' homes are very basic and often do not have running water or flush toilets. The rates are BZ$10 (US$5) for a single and BZ$15 (US$7.50) for a double. You can also camp in Gales Point at Metho's Camping (no phone) for BZ$6 (US$3) per person. By far the best lodgings in Gales Point are found at the Manatee Lodge (tel. 877/462-6283 in the U.S. and Canada, or 220-8040 in Belize; www.manateelodge.com), a tidy little hotel, with a fabulous location at the very end of the peninsula. If you decide to eat any place other than the Manatee Lodge, check out Gentile's Cool Spot (no phone).

Gales Point is also home to renowned drum maker Emett Young, who runs the Drum Making and Maroon Creole Drum School (no phone). If you're interested in a lesson, which costs about $10 an hour, or making your own drum, which will take around 4 days, ask around town for Emett.

To drive here from Dangriga, head out of town to the Hummingbird Highway towards Belize City. At the village of Melinda, you'll see the turnoff for Manatee Road and Gales Point.

To get here by bus from Dangriga, you will have to take a Belize City-bound bus using the Manatee Road. These buses do not always enter the village of Gales Point. Ask in advance; if the bus doesn't enter the village, you will have to hike or hitchhike the final 1 1/2 miles (2.4km) out onto the peninsula. From Belize City, you can take one of the Dangriga-bound buses using the Manatee Road. Again, ask in advance if the bus enters Gales Point village or not.