Placencia is a laid back beach town on a 16-mile peninsula in southern Belize. And with some of the best beaches in Belize, it makes perfect sense that people flock here for a laid back vacation. However, a “relaxing” vacation has never been our style. And there are so many more things to do in Placencia then lay on a beach. There are aquatic adventures, jungle reserves and plenty of small villages nearby to fill your days with. Whatever you choose to do, there is something to do in Placencia for everyone!
When to Visit Placencia
November thru May is the dry season and is considered the best time to visit Belize as the weather is most stable. However, with so many things to do you could easily visit Placencia year round and find something to do in any type of weather (as long as you don’t mind being wet). So our opinion of the best time to visit Placencia is whenever your weather at home is cold. This beach vacation destination will make you happy by comparison so long as your weather at home is cold 😉
Getting There and Around
There are plenty of direct international flights into Belize City, the only international airport in Belize. These flights tend to be pretty inexpensive and frequent in the winter months. From Belize City, you can take a small plane to Placencia. However, we found these plane tickets to be a bit pricy. It was cheaper for us to rent a car, drive from Belize city (3 hours) and stay the weekend. This option also allowed us to save on hotel pricing as we could stay farther out of the city and still have a car to get around with.
If you do fly in to Placencia, taxi prices are relatively cheap. $5 will get you to most places in town and $30 for out of town destinations. Golf cart rentals are popular in Placencia. However, this really isn’t the most economical way to travel as the prices compare to car rental prices.
Things To Do in Placencia
Relax on the Beach
Cost: FREE | Time: Whatever floats your boat
Placencia really does have the best beaches in all of Belize. They are sandy, with clear waters. However there are times in the year when the seaweed blooms and washes up on shore. And sand flies can be a problem at more natural beaches. However, if you visit between seaweed blooms and visit a beach where they spray for flies, you can’t find a better beach. So consider staying at a beachside bungalow or resort as having quick access to the beach here is a major benefit.
However, all beaches in Belize are public, so you can stay anywhere and have access to any beach via one of the public beaches in town – if you’re willing to walk. So don’t be surprised if you’re staying on a “private” beach and you’re joined by some strangers. Additionally, you can choose to visit some of the public beaches in town like along the town pier or outside of a beachside bar.
Window Shop in Placencia
Cost: FREE, until you buy something | Time: 1-2 hours
Placencia has some charming shops along the Placencia sidewalk – one of the narrowest streets in the world. Lots of them focus on arts and crafts from locals in the area. While we aren’t really ones for shopping, these shops were pretty cool and we enjoyed seeing the different crafts.
Cockscomb Wildlife Basin
Cost: $5 USD/person | Time: 2.5 hours
Placencia is a great place for outdoor activities and surprisingly there are plenty of things to do in Placencia that don’t involve the ocean. Hiking in Cockscomb Wildlife Basin is one of those amazing things! This is a sanctuary focused on tracking and safeguarding the jaguar population. However, don’t gets your hopes up over seeing one as you probably won’t. They are nocturnal and notoriously hard to spot.
While you likely won’t see a jaguar, there are plenty of beautiful things to see in this area. There are several waterfalls that you can swim under. You can even rent tubes at the welcome center and float around in the rivers.
However, most people come to Cockscomb for hiking. There are miles of beautiful trails here. The Ben’s Bluff lookout is one of the most popular hiking trails. There are several peaks in the park that allow you to hike in different jungle environments and get some nice views. You could easily spend a full day enjoying the different activities in this park and we wish we would have!
Visit a Secluded Island
Cost: $125+ USD/person | Time: Full day tour
There are several companies in Placencia that offer island hopping or boating tours. Most of these tours are full day or sunset tours. If you take a sunset tour, you likely will not make any stops. But the day tours typically involve stopping at one or more of the outer islands and some even add in activities like snorkeling. Placencia tour operators don’t have a great online presence and will cancel tours frequently due to conditions or lack of participants. So the best was to choose a tour is to wander town a day or two before you want to depart and ask questions of all the operators.
Scuba Diving or Snorkeling
Cost: $100+ USD/person | Time: Full Day tours
If you don’t visit Caye Caulker or Ambergris Caye, Placencia is the next best place for scuba diving and snorkeling in Belize.
You can snorkel from any of the beaches if you bring or buy your own masks like we did. We even saw some rays! There are also several outfitters that will take you to sites with better aquatic life off shore.
If you want to dive in Placencia, most dive shops bring you to some of the nearby Cayes so you can dive the Mesoamerican Barrier Reef (2nd larges reef in the world, next to the Great Barrier Reef). We found it easiest to visit the dive shops a day or two before we wanted to dive as most tours only go out if there are enough people to fill the tour. So unless you are willing to pay an extra fee to take a “private” dive, make sure your plans are flexible if you plan on diving in Placencia.
Monkey River Tour
Cost:$80USD/person | Time: 1.5 hours
This boat tour will take you along the Monkey River to see howler monkeys. But if you’re lucky, you’ll see more than just monkeys. Other animals along the tour include insects, crocodiles and birds. If you haven’t explored the jungles of Belize on your own, this is a great way to get a taste with the help of a professional spotter.
What To Pack For Placencia
Don’t forget to pack refillable water bottles. Most tap water in Belize is undrinkable. However, hotels and rentals generally provide drinkable water for you to fill up on each day.
With all the amazing things to do in Placencia that involve water, it’s not a surprise that we’re recommending swimsuits. Additionally, consider buying a quick drying towel so that you can take multiple dips each day.
With all the outdoorsy things to do in Placencia, make sure you have a good pair of walking shoes so that you can go hiking or walking inland.
Don’t forget a waterproof camera (or phone case) so that you can take photos while snorkeling or floating down a jungle river.
Where To Stay In Placencia
If you are staying in Placencia, consider staying at a beachfront accommodation. There sure are plenty of them along this narrow peninsula. We stayed a bit out of town in order to get a cheaper price on beachfront digs. There is plenty of free parking in town so if you are traveling with a car, staying out of town and driving in is a good option to save money. Beachfront hotels in town are a bit more pricy in town or at resorts.
Additionally, look for stays that include things like kayaks, snorkel gear, bikes, or golf carts. Lots of places include access to these extras which can make your stay even more enjoyable.
What to Budget For Placencia
Placencia is one of the more expensive locations we visited in Belize, which is likely due to the large expat and tourist populations. However, it’s still a very cheap place to visit. You can easily find a place to stay ON THE BEACH for under $200 USD/night. If you are willing to stay away from the beach, you can find hotels or rental homes for $40 USD/night – hostels are even cheaper.
Food in Placencia is expensive near the beach. By expensive, think $25/person. And this food is very American. However, if you eat in the central part of town or – better yet – from a street food vendor, you’ll save tons of money and have some good Belizean food. We bought a lot of tacos and juice from a vendor for under $5/person.
The two of us spent $310 to visit Placencia for 2 nights and 3 days, excluding our rental car and flight costs. Click here for our full Belize budget.
We hope this will help you to plan an amazing vacation to the charming and adventurous country of Belize. Placencia was our favorite stop! And if you have any questions about visiting, we’d be happy to help, just leave them in the comments section below.
