Drum lessons
Garifuna rhythms.
Flickr user Walter Rodriguez — CC BY 2.0 · Pitxiquin — CC BY-SA 4.0 · Pitxiquin — CC BY-SA 4.0
A quiet coastal village strung along a long beach in southern Belize, founded by the Garifuna people in 1942 after a hurricane destroyed their previous village. They are still most of its people, with their own language, drums and food, making it one of the best places to learn about their culture, which UNESCO lists as intangible heritage. The village has small drumming schools where visitors sit with teachers to learn the Garifuna rhythms, and family kitchens that teach hudut, a coconut fish soup with mashed plantain. On 19 November the country marks Garifuna Settlement Day with a re-enactment of their landing on the beach. The beach is long and calm, with colourful fishing boats on the sand, and behind the village rise the Maya Mountains and the Cockscomb forest, so it makes a base for both sea and forest. The streets are dirt and the village is easy to cycle. Most food is fish and coconut; ask about ingredients if a dish has meat. Mosquitoes and sandflies are plentiful at dusk.
Garifuna rhythms.
Coconut fish soup.
Colourful boats.
Stann Creek coast, about an hour north of Placencia
Every 19 November the country marks the Garifuna arrival in Belize with a re-enacted boat landing on the beach, drums and dancing.