Roaming Middle Belize, Post 26-18
- sondrawinter
- 6 days ago
- 5 min read
Updated: 17 hours ago
During our last few days in the Placencia area we visited Monkey River and prepared for some off-the-grid cruising. After departing Placencia we visited Lagoon Cay and the Pelican Cays which is where The Hideaway is located.
Friday, April 24 through Thursday April 30, 2026
Placencia Area
Friday through Sunday morning
Tour of Monkey River
On Saturday we took a tour of Monkey River, located 13 miles south of Placencia.
We departed from the DTOURZ dock with the owner’s father at the helm at 8:30 and sped on down to the village of Monkey River.
Once there, a local guide, Zing got onboard. He grew up in the village and shared some history of the area. From about 1891 to 1981 it was a bustling town, with a population of around 3,000 people. Crop blight, changes in government, over hunting and Hurricane Iris have turned the town into a small village that now has a focus on eco-tourism.
While Doyle’s father skippered the launch, Zing pointed out lots of bird and plant species seen along the banks of the Monkey River.
The variety of brush and trees along the river was incredible. Zing had a great eye for finding the birds and crocodiles along the river and would light up whenever he found something new to show us.
Further up the river, we pulled up to a bank and Zing led us on a walk through the jungle, giving more details about the plant and animal life found along the way. It was such a treat to walk through that jungle forest, looking up at very tall trees. Eventually we made it to an area where a few troops of howler monkeys were way up in the trees. Someday, I will get a video up on our YouTube page of the monkeys howling (you can opt to subscribe to the page so that you can see the video when it is ready).
Scenes from our jungle walk.
After the jungle walk, we floated back down to Monkey River Village, said goodbye to Zing and had lunch at Alice’s. It was another delicious typical Belizean meal, where you are served the one item that is on the menu for the day.
On the ride back to Placencia, we slowed down in two areas that are known for manatees to hang out. We struck out at the first location but saw the largest manatee I’ve ever seen and her calf at the second spot.
It was a really nice tour providing a great opportunity to see sights we could not see from Utopia. Having a local who loves nature give us a tour was a treat.
Wrapping up Shore Chores
Since arriving on Monday, temperatures in Placencia were a bit on the warm side, even for locals. Although the highs were in the mid-eighties, the heat indices crept up to 100° F. It was in this sunny, hot weather that we completed our town chores along Placencia Road, the main street where one can find grocery stores (which do not sell much produce), fruit & vegetable stands, hardware stores, and the local food shacks. The touristy restaurants, gift shops and hotels are found along The Sidewalk.
Friday morning, we completed our provisioning then returned in the afternoon to pick up our laundry from Mara’s. Her property was very tidy, the clothes were returned clean and folded, but the price was the highest we have paid for laundry, and she asked to push back our pick up time an extra 24 hours.
On our last morning here, we took our garbage to shore and took a stroll around town knowing that we will not be making any land walks for several days.
Lagoon Cay
Sunday through Thursday morning
Placencia to Lagoon Cay | |
Sunday, April 26 13 miles | 12 NM
| From our anchorage in Placencia Harbour, we exited to the north along the Placencia beach and traveled north east a few hours to Lagoon Cay. After setting anchor we jumped in the water to cool down and to double check the set of the anchor. It turns out that our anchor slid down a steep slope into a deep sandy bowl, so we swam back to the boat and moved up another 70’ and had good holding for our stay here. |
This was a lovely, quiet place to spend three nights at anchor, although there was some wraparound swell when the night winds shifted from the south. The first night we were the only boat there. The next morning one monohull and four charter catamarans showed up, however all the charter boats moved on in the afternoon. We had met Scott from the monohull back in Southwater, and he and Deanne invited us over to Nikki for sundowners. It turns out that they are heading to the same marina in Guatemala as us. On the last night we shared the anchorage with one bareboat charter catamaran.
Our non-boat chore time was spent exploring the mangroves by dinghy or snorkeling around the cay. While here we saw several large rays and one very small shark along with lots of little fish, coral, and cute birds.
Pelican Cays
Wednesday afternoon through Friday morning
Lagoon Cay to Pelican Cays | |
Wed, April 29 4.6 miles | 4.0 NM
| After a morning of chores and doing some work, we pulled up anchor around 1 p.m., weaved around shallows (it is amazing to be in 70’ of water while being adjacent to very shallow sandy patches or reef) and grabbed a mooring ball in the Pelican Cays about an hour later. |
Exploring Pelican Cays
Similar to when at Lagoon Cay, we explored the area by dinghy seeking out good places to snorkel in the morning, then spent the early afternoon in the water checking out coral and fish. When not admiring the underwater views, we often swam around the area for exercise or just to keep cool.
Dinner at Hideaway Caye
During our 2018 charter sail trip we thoroughly enjoyed a visit to Hideaway Caye and were looking forward to returning to this little gem, and it did not disappoint. A young couple from Florida purchased the island twenty years ago and operate a restaurant in this very remote location for at least the last ten years. Jimmy and I both ordered snapper (the other two choices were coconut fried chicken and a grilled shrimp plate). Usually, their daughter is bringing home the fish that is served for dinner, but ours was caught by her father, Dustin and prepared by her mother Kim. There was one other group dining at the restaurant, a bareboat charter of seven people from Florida and Arizona. They also have a single cabana available to rent for those looking for a quiet getaway.
Dustin chatting with his guests | Sondra enjoying the atmosphere | Sunset at Pelican Cays
I have really enjoyed the pace of cruising this year, with our ability to slowly meander these beautiful islands within the Belize Barrier Reef. There is some questionable weather coming in soon so we, and several other cruisers, plan to head west from the Pelican Cays to hide out in Sapodilla Lagoon.
Post 26-18
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