Placencia is a beautiful village located about  twenty-five minutes flight time south of Belize City. It is a place that is so peaceful you'll never forget it. Many of the visitors return year after year with their family and friends. 

This pristine beach peninsula is long and narrow paralleling the southern coastline for nearly 16 Miles. It is separated from the mainland by the Placencia Lagoon. From head to foot, its eastern shoreline is embraced with the country's prettiest stretch of beach. The western shore borders the vibrant lagoon and all of its wildlife. 

Unlike any other destination in Belize, Placencia has two different horizons, literally and figuratively. One unveils a world of magnificent beaches, crystal-clear waters, spectacular diving, and pristine cayes. The other reveals wildlife, inland adventures, and a skyline of the Maya Mountains. 

You will quickly learn, this is no ordinary place. 

Getting to Placencia is easy, and can be interesting. You can fly there on Tropic Air - The Belize Airline . 

Or, you can drive. Driving is the most interesting and scenic. No matter where you're driving from, the route is picturesque. The roads are reasonably good and can be an adventure. But then again, most people coming to Belize enjoy a little adventure. From the Southern Highway, the hard packed dirt road heads east towards Riversdale (some maps show it as Riverside).  Bending to the south, the road curves down the peninsula through Maya Beach, Seine Bight and on to Placencia Village at the road's end. 

Placencia offers a full range of resorts and rental cabanas from $15 US/night to $300US/night. My favorite lodge with private beach cabins is Ranguana Lodge in the heart of the village. Best hotels on the high end are Zeboz, Robert's Grove and Turtle Inn.

Placencia is also fast becoming an area for top fly fishing. The area boasts recognition as "Grand Slam" territory for fly fishermen. Inland waters and offshore cays teem with fish. Bonefish, snook and trophy size permit are caught on a regular basis around the flats. The second largest living reef in the world is only 19 miles away from Placencia Village and during the spring and fall months, marlin and sailfish migrate just outside the barrier reef.  If you like bottom fishing, there's plenty of that too. 

There are plenty of beautiful islands just off the coast of Placencia. These cayes offer an excellent barbeque get away. 

There are professional licensed tour guides within Placencia village. Placencia also offers several dive and snorkel shops along the peninsula. inland attractions such as the Cockscomb Basin, Victoria Peak, Monkey River, Red Bank, and ancient Maya ruins are all within easy reach. 

For starters, you should plan to visit the Cockscomb Basin Wildlife Sanctuary. Today, it is recognized as the only real jaguar preserve in the world, and said to have the densest population of jaguars in existence. The sanctuary lies in a 100,000-acre expanse of forest rimmed on three sides by mountainous ridges including Victoria Peak looming in the west. The basin is a honeycomb of trails offering adventurous hikes, waterfalls, canoeing and marvelous bird-watching. The main attraction, of course, are the cats of the Cockscomb. In addition to the elusive jaguars, there are ocelots, pumas, margays and jaguarundis. Other exciting wildlife to watch for are howler monkeys, red-eyed tree frogs and nearly 300 species of birds, including scarlet macaws, chestnut-brown Montezuma oropendolas, Agami herons and the keel billed toucan.