"Mabuiga" reads the welcome sign greeting visitors who come by bus while those traveling by plane are greeted by expanses of citrus orchards. Both of these announce your arrival to the seaside town of Dangriga.
 
Once called Stann Creek Town, Dangriga is the district capital and the cultural center of the Garifuna people (of Amerindian and African ancestry) who are the majority of a population of about 9,000.
 
Wooden houses perched on stilts to catch the Caribbean breeze sit alongside coconut palms and mango trees giving the place a dreamy, tranquil air about it. With rainforests and the Maya Mountains to its west, cayes and the reef in the Caribbean east, Dangriga is a marvelous spot to spend a few days of discovery.
 
The commercial center of town, which includes 3 major banks, runs along St. Vincent and Commerce Streets, the same street with different names on either side of a bridge that spans the North Stann Creek River. The south bank is busy with boats that shuttle passengers to and from the surrounding cayes while a bustling market occupies the north bank where you can buy fruit, vegetables and fish fresh out of the ocean.
 
CULTURE
Dangriga is full of things to do and see for the culture hungry. The Gulisi Garifuna Museum houses permanent displays that highlight the culture and history of the Garifuna people while the Pen Cayetano Gallery, which opens in November of every year, showcases the artwork of musician and painter Pen Cayetano. Other stops of cultural interest include the Drums of my Father Monument, the National Garifuna Council headquarters, Thomas Vincent Ramos Monument. Several artists and craftsmen who live and work in Dangriga, including painter Benjamin Nicholas and drum maker Austin Rodriguez, welcome visits to their studios.
 
DINING
For the plain hungry, there are restaurants in town catering to tastes that range from local fare to Chinese, to cheeseburgers and fries. Big barrel barbecues appear on the street side in the evenings offering the most delicious fresh grilled chicken served with flour tortillas, beans and coleslaw, all for about US$2.50. For an authentic experience, grab a seat on a rock or a wall near the river and watch Dangriga go by while you refill.

NIGHTLIFE
A handful of nightclubs and bars are worth a visit for the intrepid culture vultures among you. Karaoke with a distinctly country music flavor is popular in the bars while the nightclubs tend toward Punta rock. Upbeat rhythmic Caribbean music dominated by the drums and the keyboards. A modern interpretation of the Garifuna courting dance, punta dancers shake their hips with unhinged dexterity and sometimes at incredible speeds.
 
FESTIVALS
On November 19th the celebrations commence to mark the arrival of the first Garifuna to Belize in 1832. The day (called Garifuna Settlement Day) is celebrated throughout the country, but especially in Dangriga, the cultural capital of Belize. There is traditional Garifuna and Belizean food, live punta music, games and Jonkunu dancers. In addition they reenact “The Landing” by slipping out to sea in boats, then riding the surf onto shore, waving palm fronds and banana leaves to symbolize the cassava that sustained their ancestors. This ritual is rich in music and dance. Christmas and New Year are also celebrated in similar fashion with masked and costumed dancers parading the streets performing the Charikanari and the Wanaragu or Jonkunu (John Canoe) dance. Sporting events include cycling, basketball matches, semi-pro and other football (soccer) tournaments.
 
ATTRACTIONS
• Local Garifuna culture (music, handcrafts, art, and beliefs)
• Youth and Human Development Centre in Dangriga, for handcrafts
• Gallery of Benjamin Nicholas, famous Belizean painter
• Sabal's Community, a Garifuna farm outside the town producing cassava bread and other Garifuna specialties
• The Southern Cayes, eg South Water Caye, Man-O-War Caye and Tobacco Caye, for diving, fishing or snorkeling trips of one day or more
• Cockscomb Basin Wildlife Sanctuary (with its associated Maya Centre Village and 12 self-guided trails), a 100,000 acre forest recognized as the only jaguar preserve in the world, great wildlife, and nearly 300 bird species
• Through Melinda Forest Reserve to Gales Point for manatee spotting in a guided boat trip on the Southern lagoon, and to Bird Caye Bird Sanctuary where guided boat trips are possible to the Northern Lagoon
• Mayflower Archaeological Reserve, in the Maya Mountains foothills, with 3 post-classic Maya ruins (Mayflower, T'au Witz and Maintzunun) and waterfalls Antelope Falls and Three Sisters Fall
• Ocean and river kayaking further south
• Boat trip up Sittee river and visit to 19th century Serpon Sugar Mill