2 Best Sights in The Deep South, Belize

This tiny national park (500 acres) has a big waterfall—the Rio Blanco, which splashes over rough limestone boulders into a deep pool; you can jump into it for a refreshing swim. The waterfall can be reached via a well-marked hiking trail. Upstream a short distance from the falls is a nice area for a picnic, shaded by trees and flowering bushes. The park is managed by residents of nearby Maya villages including Santa Elena, Santa Cruz, Golden Stream, and Pueblo Viejo. You can visit on your own, though Punta Gorda tour operators include Rio Blanco in their offerings.

One of the wildest and most remote areas of Belize is the Sarstoon-Temash National Park, between the Temash and Sarstoon Rivers in the far south of Toledo District on the border of Guatemala. Red mangroves grow along the river banks; animals and birds rarely seen in other parts of Belize, including white-faced capuchin monkeys, can be spotted here, along with jaguars (if you're lucky), ocelots, and tapirs, along with more than 200 species of birds. The only way to see this 42,000-acre area is with a guide by boat. Contact the Sarstoon-Temash Institute for Indigenous Management (SATIIM), which manages the park in conjunction with the Belize Forestry Department, for a guide, or check with the BTIA office on Front Street in Punta Gorda, home to the Toledo Tour Guide Association. SATIIM, among other things, is involved in efforts to oppose oil and gas exploration in the Sarstoon-Temash.

The park has been a flashpoint in Guatemala's long-standing claims to Belizean territory, most recently in spring 2019. Check with the institute for developments, although the dispute should not affect you as a visitor.