Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
rulers and the city's administrative centre, this awe-inspiring edifice soars 240ft above
the river in a series of pyramidal platforms, terraces and facades. As for why the bridge
was constructed at all - the ancient Maya usually crossed rivers by canoe - it seems
likely that this feat of engineering was created solely to form an impressive processional
route to the acropolis.
The Southern Highway south of Dump
The final fourteen miles of the Southern Highway, heading southeast from Dump to
meet the sea at Punta Gorda, is punctuated only by a handful of little villages. Both
Sun Creek
, two miles south of Dump, and
Jacintoville
five miles after that, hold
appealing accommodation options. Otherwise, the only potential diversion is to head
down the unpaved road that branches southwest into the rainforest at Jacintoville, to
reach the
Ixcacao
chocolate farm at San Felipe after three miles, or the coastal town of
Barranco
after eighteen.
6
Ixcacao
San Felipe • No fixed hours; tours and visits by reservation • Chocolate making US$7.50 for two people •
T
742 4050,
W
ixcacaomayabelizeanchocolate.com
Under the irresistible slogan “Chocolate Will Save The Rainforest”, the dynamic and
very welcoming Juan and Abelina Cho have turned their small cacao farm, on the edge
of the village of San Felipe, into a museum-cum-factory-cum-all-round-inspiration.
Visitors to
Ixcacao
can choose between a quick scoot around a grove of cacao trees,
followed by a chance to watch the beans become chocolate in the simple kitchen; an
in-depth tour of the farm; or a wide-ranging programme of hikes and local visits.
Underlying the whole enterprise is a passionate belief in the importance of organic
farming and sustainable agriculture; most of the cacao grown here ends up in Green &
Black's Maya Gold brand. You can also, of course, buy home-made chocolate, and even
drink
chocolate wine
, while the kitchen serves chocolate-based meals, and budget
accommodation
is available (see p.221).
Barranco
18 miles southwest of Jacintoville, 26 miles by road from Punta Gorda • Buses to Barranco leave Punta Gorda at noon on Mon, Wed, Fri &
Sat (1hr)
Set amid forest and savannah, the small and traditional
Garifuna
village of
BARRANCO
,
Belize's southernmost coastal settlement, is home to around 150 people. Most villagers
of working age having left to seek opportunities elsewhere, Barranco is largely
populated by children and the elderly, with Garifuna regularly spoken only by older
people. The culture lives on, however: although virtually all the villagers are Catholics,
the village boasts the country's largest
dabuyaba
(a Garifuna temple, built of poles with
a thatched roof ). It's occasionally used for
dugu
rites, when family members honour the
spirits of their ancestors. Preparation takes many months and the
ceremonies
-
comprising prayers, drumming, singing, dancing and offerings of food - last four days.
SARSTOON TEMASH NATIONAL PARK
The Belizean coastline south of Punta Gorda is flat, with tidal rivers meandering across a coastal
plain covered with thick tropical rainforest, forming a unique ecosystem with numerous
orchids and palms. The
Temash River
is lined with the tallest mangrove forest in the country,
black mangroves
towering more than 90ft above the riverbanks, while in the far south the
Sarstoon River
, navigable by small boats, forms the border with Guatemala. Nominally
protected as
Sarstoon Temash National Park
, the land has, to the dismay of the local Maya,
nonetheless been authorized by Belizean government for oil exploration; for the latest news,
visit
W
satiim.org.bz. It's possible to arrange
tours
through operators in Punta Gorda; some
companies paddle the rivers using inflatable kayaks.
