Cockscomb Basin Wildlife Sanctuary
The world's first jaguar preserve — Cockscomb Basin protects one of the highest densities of jaguar in Central America, with private guided night tracking, river walks and jungle lodges.
DGA · MZPB · Belize
Dangriga Airport
Dangriga — Hopkins & Dangriga. 15 min to Hopkins / 5 min to Dangriga center.
Runway
1097m
Surface
Asphalt
Elevation
3m
Hours
6am-7pm
Book your private flight to Dangriga
Airport at a glance
Dangriga — Belize
Dangriga is the Garífuna capital of Belize, and that is not a marketing line — it is the cultural centre of a people whose presence in Central America began with a forced deportation from St Vincent by the British in 1797 and whose language, music and cuisine UNESCO recognises as Masterpieces of the Oral and Intangible Heritage of Humanity.
Garífuna Settlement Day, 19 November, commemorates the 1832 arrival of Garífuna settlers from Honduras by dugout canoe, and it is re-enacted every year on the beach at Dangriga at dawn. It is the most powerful public event in Belize.
Dangriga is also where punta rock was invented — the electrified evolution of traditional Garífuna punta, developed here in the late 1970s and now the popular music of the whole Central American Caribbean coast.
At 2 metres elevation, formerly known as Pelican Beach Airstrip. ICAO: MZPB. Coordinates: 16°58′57″N, 88°13′50″W. Daylight operations, served by Tropic Air and Maya Island Air.
This is a short daylight-only coastal strip: Cessna Caravan and Islander class.
Getting there
Dangriga Airport — Getting there
| Belize City | ~20 min | ~2 h |
| Placencia | ~15 min | ~1.5 h |
| Punta Gorda | ~35 min | ~4 h |
| San Pedro | ~35 min | — |
Nearby
Things to do near Dangriga
Tobacco Caye is a two-acre island directly on the barrier reef, about 20 minutes offshore by boat, with a handful of simple guesthouses and the reef literally at the doorstep — you snorkel from the beach. It is one of the few places anywhere you can sleep on the reef itself.
South Water Caye Marine Reserve, part of the UNESCO World Heritage listing, covers a stretch of reef and cayes south of Tobacco with some of the best diving in Belize and far fewer boats than Ambergris.
Glover's Reef Atoll, further out, is one of only four true atolls in the western hemisphere and among the most pristine reef environments in the Caribbean.
Hopkins and the mainland. Hopkins, 30 minutes south, is a Garífuna village strung along a beach road that has become the more relaxed alternative to Placencia — drumming schools, good food, and a long stretch of sand with almost nothing built on it.
Cockscomb Basin Wildlife Sanctuary, the world's first jaguar preserve, is about an hour inland. Mayflower Bocawina National Park, closer, has waterfalls, Maya mounds and Belize's longest zipline.
Billy Barquedier and the Hummingbird Highway north of Dangriga make up one of the more beautiful drives in the country, through the foothills of the Maya Mountains.
The name Dangriga means "standing waters" in Garífuna, for the rivers that slow and pool as they reach the sea here. The Gulisi Garifuna Museum, on the edge of town, is the best single introduction to the culture anywhere in Central America — language, drum-making, cassava processing and the history of the 1797 deportation, presented by the community rather than about it.
Inland, the Stann Creek Valley is Belize's citrus belt, and the road up it through the foothills is lined with groves. It is also where Marie Sharp's habanero sauce is made — a small factory that grew into the condiment on every table in the country, and which runs visits.
Glover's Reef Atoll, furthest offshore, is one of only four true atolls in the western hemisphere and among the most intact reef environments in the Caribbean.
Mayflower Bocawina National Park, twenty minutes inland, combines three waterfalls, unexcavated Maya mounds and the longest zipline circuit in Belize, and it sees a fraction of the traffic of the better-known parks further north. The Antelope Falls trail climbs steeply to a viewpoint over the whole coastal plain, with the cayes visible offshore on a clear day.
North of Dangriga the Hummingbird Highway runs through the foothills of the Maya Mountains towards Belmopan, past citrus groves and limestone caves, and is generally considered the most scenic drive in the country.
South Water Caye Marine Reserve
One of Belize's finest marine reserves — South Water Caye's diverse ecosystems include barrier reef, patch reefs, seagrass beds and mangrove cayes, with extraordinary diving and snorkeling.
Jungle Lodge Experience — Dangriga
Exclusive jungle lodge stays in the forest behind Dangriga — private nature guides, birding, river trips and authentic Garifuna cultural experiences in Belize's cultural capital.
Premium Birdwatching — Hopkins & Dangriga
World-class birdwatching in the Dangriga area — the mangroves, forests and cayes hold over 500 species including the jabiru stork, keel-billed toucan and scarlet macaw.
Diving & Snorkeling — South Water Caye
Private dive and snorkeling excursions from Hopkins and Dangriga to South Water Caye — pristine barrier reef with excellent visibility, abundant reef fish and regular pelagic encounters.
Night Jaguar Tracking — Cockscomb
The world's first jaguar preserve — Cockscomb Basin's camera trap network and expert tracking team offer a private night expedition following fresh jaguar tracks, with the realistic possibility of a sighting in the purest darkness.
Helicopter — South Belize Aerial
Private helicopter over south Belize from Dangriga — the Cockscomb jaguar sanctuary, Hopkins beach, the South Water Caye atoll and the Placencia Peninsula from above, ending with a landing at Silk Cayes.
Deep Dive — South Water Caye Walls
South Water Caye Marine Reserve's outer walls plunge to 30m+ — eagle rays, Caribbean reef sharks, vast schools of horse-eye jacks and some of the densest coral cover in the Caribbean.
Where to stay
Hotels near Dangriga
When to fly
When to fly
Southern Belize is wet. Dry season roughly February to May; wet June to November, heaviest June to October. Hurricane season June to November with peak risk August to October.
FAQ
Dangriga Airport — Frequently asked questions
Where is Dangriga Airport?
At Dangriga, Stann Creek District, at 2 m elevation. Formerly Pelican Beach Airstrip. ICAO: MZPB.
How long is the flight from Belize City to Dangriga?
About 20 minutes, against roughly two hours by road.
What is Garífuna Settlement Day?
19 November, commemorating the 1832 arrival of Garífuna settlers from Honduras by dugout canoe. It is re-enacted at dawn on the beach at Dangriga.
What is Tobacco Caye?
A two-acre island directly on the barrier reef, about 20 minutes offshore, where you can snorkel straight off the beach.
How do I get to Hopkins?
About 30 minutes south of Dangriga by road.
What is punta rock?
The electrified evolution of traditional Garífuna punta music, developed in Dangriga in the late 1970s.