When you consider what you want in a family vacation, your list probably includes lots of fun outdoor activities, opportunities to see animals, great food and a relaxed, family-friendly atmosphere. You can get all that and more when you choose Placencia, Belize, as your tropical family vacation spot.
Where Is Placencia?
When Belizeans talk about Placencia, they’re referring to the 18-mile coastline of the Placencia Peninsula. Belizeans have long known that Placencia has Belize’s most beautiful beaches. These include the quiet, secluded stretches of Maya Beach in the north, the sleepy fishing village of Seine Bight and the beaches of Placencia Village in the south.
Placencia Village is the main hub of the peninsula. It’s a laid-back, colorful village where you’ll find shopping, dining, nightclubs, adventure outfitters art galleries, and world-class luxury resorts like Chabil Mar.
Things to Do in Placencia
In addition to the wonderful beaches, Placencia has family-friendly outings that all ages will enjoy.
Get On the Water
Belize offers world-class snorkeling, scuba diving and sea kayaking in the waters around the Belize Barrier Reef. Placencia is a short boat trip across the water to the reef or the many uninhabited islands. Spend a day surrounded by an amazing array of fish and sea mammals including sea turtles, whale sharks, stingrays, and manatees.
If you like fishing or want to charter a boat to tour the islands, you can find many great charter services with experienced guides. Take a scenic daytime tour under the tropical sun or a romantic evening cruise.
Get Close to Nature
As a largely untouched expanse of jungle, rainforest and savannah, Belize has rich biodiversity and an abundance of exotic flora and fauna. Almost half the country is protected by a national park, marine reserve or wildlife sanctuary.
Placencia is close to the Cockscomb Basin Wildlife Sanctuary, a spectacularly scenic jaguar preserve that is home to jaguars, ocelots, coatimundi, tropical birds, monkeys, deer, foxes and Belize’s national animal, the mountain tapir.
If you’re into bird watching, Belize will fill your days with sightings. Belize is a nesting and breeding sanctuary for dozens of tropical bird species including scarlet macaws, hummingbirds, herons, and keel-billed toucans.
Learn About History and Culture
For a small country, Belize enjoys incredible cultural diversity.
Spend a day at Hopkins or Dangriga to discover the history of the Garifuna. Take a cooking class or a class in drumming to experience their traditions first-hand.
Visit a Maya village to tour a cacao plantation where you’ll watch how cacao beans are harvested, roasted and processed into world-renowned Maya chocolate.
Belize boasts some of the most important Maya ruins and temples in Central America. Visiting these impressive remnants of a once powerful empire is like a living history lesson.
Stay at the Family-Friendly Chabil Mar Resort
If you want a great Placencia location and all-inclusive family vacation packages, stay at the award-winning, family-friendly Chabil Mar Resort. Our beachfront location and top-ranked tours will help your whole family experience the wonders of Belize.
