Toledo District - Toledo District

Division of Belize by district

The Toledo District located in Belize.

Regions

The Toledo District

The 4413 km² district of Toledo used to be called the forgotten district, as it was sometimes inaccessible for months during the rainy season. Only an expansion of the Southern Highway in recent years led to improvement. Nevertheless, there are still many places in the Maya Mountains without electricity or continuous transport links. Just 30,000 people live here in this district. Individual tourists get their money's worth, because if you are looking for what is still undiscovered, you will find it here. On the coast there is a lot of Caribbean flair under the influence of the Garifuna culture, the landscape in the southwest is the Maya Mountains. Here you can find old and new settlement areas of the Maya. There are often plantations, but organic farming is increasingly being used. Cocoa in particular is on the advance with a variety of products from cocoa wine to organic chocolate.

places

Many places have little more than 500 inhabitants, but thanks to their seclusion they offer a lot of peace and nature:

Other goals

Ruins of Uxbenka

This district is also rich in other sights. To be mentioned here are:

The Mayan ruins

At first glance, the Mayan ruins in the region may not be as spectacular as Tikal or Caracol. But that is certainly due to the not very advanced excavation work. In many cases, however, an architectural style that is unique in the Maya world can be seen here in the region. Most of the buildings were erected by carefully fitting the stones into place without the use of mortar. In Pusilhá there are also the remains of the only stone bridge in the entire Maya world, and Uxbenká is already a highlight, although hardly exposed. Here is a brief overview of the most important systems:

  • Lubaantun - A crystal skull was allegedly found here.
  • Nim Li Punit - One of the most important religious centers
  • Pusilhá - Here you can see the remains of the only stone bridge of the classical Maya.
  • Uxbenká - The oldest center located on three hills with a fantastic view.
  • Uxbentun - Remote religious center
  • Xnaheb - twin town of Nim Li Punit
  • Wild Cane Caye - One of the largest Mayan port facilities

The nature reserves and parks

The caves

The southern islands and cayes assigned to the Toledo District

background

The history of human settlement begins here before Christ. It is true that so far there have not been as many archaeological studies here as in Cayo District or even in Mexico. However, numerous large sites of discovery mean that one or the other major surprise can be expected. It seems that the first big city deals with the trade center Uxbenká formed at the Maya Mountains. Here the trade route from the highlands flowed into the lowlands and thus the access to the sea. There could be contacts to metropolises like Tikal in Guatemala be detected. In the first year at the latest. AD originated in Pusilhá in the far south another metropolis. This always seems to have retained its independence from the big power blocs. Numerous trade routes by land and water and one of the most fertile regions of the Maya world gave the region abundant growth. So it quickly emerged directly on the coast Wild Cane Caye one of the largest sea ports in the Maya world. At the end of the classical period in 700 AD, numerous other large cities such as Lubaantun. But already 200 years later the big cities were given up here too. Only the system of Wild Cane Caye was over the time until the arrival of the Spaniards in the 16th century. operated. However, as this the northern trade routes after Chetumal or better Santa Rita sections, this port was also given up. For a long time the region was poorly or not at all inhabited. This only changed in 1835 with the arrival of the Garifuna, who found an ideal settlement area on the coastlines and founded several cities. In the 20th century came from Guatemala, El Salvador and Honduras often Maya in the district to find a new home here. With the construction of the Southern Highway, the country was then also opened up in terms of transport. But when the first highway was built, the floods of the rainy season in the region were not taken into account. The result was that entire sections of the route were impassable in the rainy season and the district was inaccessible for months. That is why people still like to speak of the "forgotten district" today. Only a complete overhaul and new construction of the route brought improvement. But the construction is not yet complete, and entire bridges are repeatedly washed away in the rainy season, so that 100% accessibility cannot be guaranteed in the long term.

climate

Most of the rain falls in the rainy season between June and November. It is mostly dry between February and May.

JanFebMarchAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec  
Mean highest air temperature in ° C282930323232313131303029O30.4
Mean lowest air temperature in ° C181920212223232323222120O21.3
Precipitation in mm1601009090150580750700520300220200Σ3860

language

The official language is English. Everyone speaks this language here too. But the three major populations here are Kekchi-Maya, Mopan-Maya, and Garifuna. As a rule, they speak their own language in addition to English. In addition, there are also a few languages ​​such as Kriol or Plautdietsch.

getting there

A good first port of call is Punta Gorda (Belize). Here you can find your way around and then explore the district.

By plane

Punta Gorda has an airport that runs several times a day from Tropic Air[1] and Maya Island Air[2] is approached.

By bus

With Novelos Bus Line & James Bus Line is it possible from Indepedence, Dangriga, Belmopan and Belize City to arrive or to leave the Toledo District in the direction of this city. This is also possible several times a day to and from Punta Gorda. Depending on the size, other places are visited less often or only by arrangement, as they are on the Southern Highway.

In the street

The central traffic artery is the Southern Highway. You cannot reach Punta Gorda via this if you simply follow the Southern Highway from the north. The road network in the district is generally manageable.

By boat

The two agencies Requena's Charter Service and Pichilingo connect Punta Gorda with Puerto Barrios in Guatemala. The crossing takes about 1 to 2 hours in both directions and runs once or twice a day from the custom dock in the east of the city.

mobility

In the street

The central traffic artery is the Southern Highway. You cannot reach Punta Gorda via this if you simply follow the Southern Highway from the north. The road network in the district is generally manageable. An all-terrain vehicle is essential for some roads. Even the Southern Highway is not completely paved, and bridges are repeatedly washed away in the rainy season.

By bus

With Novelos Bus Line & James Bus Line is it possible from Indepedence, Dangriga, Belmopan and Belize City to arrive or to leave the Toledo District in the direction of this city. This is also possible several times a day to and from Punta Gorda. Depending on the size, other places are visited less often or only by arrangement, as they are on the Southern Highway.

Since a lot of things have not yet been developed for tourists here, you should usually not do without a local guide. These can often be found at the sights. If you want to be on the safe side, it is well advised to organize this beforehand through the Belize Tour Guide Association. Especially for the south, the only official German-speaking guide in Belize, Bruno Kuppinger, is a recommendation. They can also arrange a car through their own car rental company. In addition, the Sun Creek Lodge is an ideal starting point to explore the district from here. Contact: Sun Creek Lodge [3] (Tel: (501) 614-2080)

Tourist Attractions

  • nature - Here there are good opportunities to experience not only an exciting world of birds but also large mammals in the wild.
  • Caribbean - Fantastic beaches on the coast and the islands and the reef invite you to swim, dive and snorkel, are on the doorstep and leave nothing to be desired. Fishing enthusiasts will also get their money's worth here.
  • Mayan ruins - Many have not yet been or only partially researched. But they are remarkable in terms of size and architecture and are definitely worth a visit.
  • caves - They are also available here and some are spectacular and hardly explored.

activities

  • Relax - Whether in the rainforest, on the rivers, on the coast or on the islands: Here you can still find the rare places that are so cut off from the outside world that you can switch off undisturbed. Especially the islands in the Port Honduras Marine Reserve and Sapodilla Cayes Marine Reserve are unique.
  • Wildlife observation - If the possibilities under water are not enough, you will find it on land. Due to the low population density, the region is still undeveloped in many areas and in every point an ideal place for nature observation of all kinds. But here, too, human intervention is increasing, and where there is still dense rainforest today, there will be a small field next year . Therefore, it is good to know that there are a variety of well-maintained protected areas, such as the Sarstoon / Temash National Park or that Bladen Nature Reserve.
  • Trekking -
  • Boat tours -
  • Culture -

kitchen

The restaurants are usually simple and a distinction is only made in the dishes fish, chicken or meat, but this does not usually reduce the quality. On the contrary, especially in small towns, real delicacies are served here at good prices. Marie Sharp's Habanero Pepper Sauce is not missing on any table in Belize. This extremely hot sauce has eloquent names such as "No Wimps Allowed" (roughly "forbidden for wimps") or "Beware" (caution). Fish is recommended.

nightlife

Anyone looking for nightlife in the Toledo District will actually only be in Punta Gorda (Belize) find it. Some smaller villages like San Pedro Columbia can also serve with a pub, but they usually do not go beyond the charm of a corner pub. But if you really want to let it rip, you should go to Belize City or San Pedro (Belize) do.

security

The crime rate is negligibly low, especially in the smaller towns.

There are crocodiles and poisonous snakes, so careless handling is certainly not appropriate. But in view of the fact that humans are not on the menu of these animals, careful behavior appropriate to the rainforest and appropriate clothing should guarantee sufficient protection. The "most dangerous" are almost the mosquitoes, so mosquito repellent should not be omitted. Dengue fever, which is occasionally transmitted by mosquitoes, cannot be prevented by vaccination. However, other diseases can be prevented:

  • Malaria prophylaxis should be carried at least in an emergency.
  • A typhoid vaccination should be carried out beforehand.
  • The hepatitis A, B, tetanus and rabies vaccination should be refreshed.

Web links

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