For those looking for the real rainforest of Belize, beautiful beaches, and fascinating local culture, a trip to the Stann Creek district in southern Belize is in order. This section of the country has not been high on the list of advertised destinations, but that is all beginning to change. Of course this means more and more resorts will come along, changing life here ever so slightly. However, as more people arrived in response to the moon to my app print (world of the Meyer) movement, many new doors of financial opportunity are opening for the locals. This movement is a tourism plan that involves five countries to collaborate and encourage special tours for visitors. The Southern District of the country has a lot to offer, especially to those who are looking for this Maya World. As well as being one of the richer rainforest in the country with more than 120 inches of rain per year. Stann Creek offers white sand and blue sea, waterfalls, jungle pools, line 8 trails, a vast cave system, and a plethora of hidden Maya cities of the past. Divers are discovering the southern keys and their opulent undersea life and enjoying the beautiful remote locations without the congestion found in the more traveled areas of the Caribbean.

Stann Creek district begins just after "Over the Top Bridge", on the Hummingbird Highway, where the surrounding lush rainforest is thick with tropical plants, delicate ferns, bromeliads, and orchids. As you get closer to Stann Creek, the rainforest gives way to vast groves of citrus. Stann Creek is not the smallest district in Belize but, but it's next in line.

The primary industry in the Stann Creek district is agriculture. Over the millennia, rivers and streams cut through the Maya Mountains have deposited a rich layer of fertile soil, making the coastal and valley regions ideal farming areas. The banana industry, once final in the area, was wiped out by a disease called "Panama Rot" many years back. However, with new technology, a strain of bananas has been developed which appears to be surviving and promises to grow into a profitable operation. Stann Creek's citrus industry produces Valencia oranges and grapefruit, which are then processed into juice, one of the Belize's most important exports. The business center of the citrus industry, Dangriga has rebounded with figure since being wiped out by hurricane Hattie in 1961. The town itself bears little resemblance to its big brother, the least city. Dangriga has a bright potential in agriculture.

The Communities of Stann Creek District of Belize

There are several communities and attractions in Stann Creek:

Dangriga

Hopkins

Sittee River

Maya Beach

Sien Bight

Placencia

Independence

Cockscomb Basin Wildlife Sanctuary

Driving to Stann Creek

For those who drive to Stann Creek, the Hummingbird Highway passes picturesque villages beautiful orchards, and jungle landscapes, all on a comfortably paved road. An alternate route for the more adventurous is the Manatee Road. This is an alternate route into StannCreek district and onward to Dangriga, or this southern highway. To use the Manatee Road you must check conditions before you head out during wet weather. This is a dirt road and can charm you with beauty one moment and jar your teeth loose the next. Many short wooden bridges, with no rails are large enough for a single vehicle only. Sections of the twisting road are lined with jungle on each side.

On the Manatee Road, sometimes called the coastal road, you may see washed out sections where streams have carved channels into the road, but you will be rewarded with the site of a Mayan villages, towering forests, and distant looming mountains.

 The People of Stann Creek District

Through the other black Caribs were dominated by the Europeans confined to the islands of St. Vincent and St. Dominic, they never stopped their fight for freedom. They were persistent warriors, and under the leadership of a good valiant fighter, they continued to battle. But with European firepower against their bows and arrows, they were no match. The Caribs were per down in 1796, and to try to contain them, the victors moved about 5,000 captives, once again to the Bay Islands off the coast of Honduras.

From the time that ships flying the Spanish flags began to use the ocean to export the richest of the New World of Spain, the Bay Islands were thrust into the middle of the fight over who would control these sea-lanes. At one time or another, the fight included Dutch, English, French, and the US ships, either higher teen or smuggling goods in and out of what's been considered personal territory. The Bay Islands off Honduras shifted ownership regularly as all of these countries by for control of the sea-lanes. After arriving in the Bay Island, the Caribs, still seeking peace, began wondering in their dugout canoes and over the years began to settle in coastal areas of Honduras, Guatemala, Nicaragua, and southern Belize. In 1802, the beginnings of a settlement at Stann Creek started with 150 Caribs. The isolated band supported itself by subsistence fishing and farming. In 1823 of civil war in Honduras brought more Caribs headed for Belize. They landed and began what has been a peaceful, poor community but only recently, after more than 150 years, has the area become a thriving cultural Center, thanks to the efforts of the whole community, including the mine and the Caribs. The black Caribs are known today by the language they speak, Garifuna. According to a dictionary that dates from the 1700s, very few words are African; most are Caribs. The Garifuna continued to practice what was still familiar from their ancient African traditions in their cooking, dances, and especially music, which consisted of complex rhythms with a call and response pattern that was an important part of their social and religious celebrations. An eminent person in the village is still the drum maker, who continues the old traditions, along with making other instruments used in these often nightlong singing and dancing ceremonies.