Punta Gorda and Toledo

Toledo is the far south of Belize, the wettest district in the country and the least visited, and Punta Gorda is its small coastal town, where boats leave for Guatemala and Honduras and a market runs several days a week. Inland are Q'eqchi' and Mopan Maya villages, several of which run community guesthouse programmes where visitors stay with families, along with the Maya sites of Lubaantun, where the disputed crystal skull was supposedly found, and Nim Li Punit with its carved stelae. The district grows cacao, and a chocolate industry has grown around smallholder cooperatives, celebrated with a festival each May.

What you actually see

• Lubaantun - the site of the crystal skull claim, built without mortar.
• Nim Li Punit - tall carved stelae in a hillside setting.
• Maya village homestays - community programmes in Q'eqchi' and Mopan villages.
• The Chocolate Festival - in Punta Gorda each May.

When to go

February to April is the driest, and even then Toledo is wet by Belizean standards, with several metres of rain a year in places. The Chocolate Festival is in May. Roads inland deteriorate quickly in rain.

Honest expectations

It rains a great deal and roads to the villages become difficult; a four-wheel drive helps. Facilities are basic throughout and Punta Gorda has limited accommodation. The crystal skull attributed to Lubaantun has been convincingly shown to be a modern fake, though the story is still repeated locally. Village homestays should be booked through the community organisations.

Nearby

Lubaantun and Nim Li Punit are inland; boats run to Guatemala and Honduras.