How's the kayaking in and around Placencia, Belize and the rafting in and around Placencia, Belize?

There are different companies that offer kayaking trips in Placencia, Belize. There are different hotels that offer kayaking services, too. So all around the peninsula you will find places that have kayaking services as a part of their amenities. In the Belizean Ocean Club, they have a pool there that they use for kayaking. I prefer ocean kayaking, though. That is what I do. There’s a guy who rents kayaks right into the beach. There is a guy at The Tipsy Tuna that rents kayaks, too....

There are different companies that offer kayaking trips in Placencia, Belize. There are different hotels that offer kayaking services, too. So all around the peninsula you will find places that have kayaking services as a part of their amenities. In the Belizean Ocean Club, they have a pool there that they use for kayaking. I prefer ocean kayaking, though. That is what I do. There’s a guy who rents kayaks right into the beach. There is a guy at The Tipsy Tuna that rents kayaks, too. I think it is about US $25 to rent a kayak.
 
Every day you see someone kayaking in the ocean, some days more than others. In the weekends a lot of people go kayaking because they are off from work, but it is very normal and popular to see someone kayaking every day.
 
In the sea there are just tiny waves because the reef protects us from the ocean and large waves, which is why kayaking is a big hit here in Placencia.
 
We also kayak in the lagoon. Mangroves are protected in Placencia so there are lots of mangroves. Recently, the Environmental Association has been rebuilding and restoring mangroves.  The lagoon is open but there are also lots of canals where you can take a detour and see birds. Kayaking in the Placencia lagoon is a really nice experience.

There isn't any rafting nearby Placencia. In order to go rafting, you would have to travel a little way to get to the rivers. But the kayaking and canoeing is excellent because if you're an avid kayaker, there are islands just offshore in the Caribbean.  I would say “avid” because it's breezy, although there are no major waves. Windblown waves are there every day and so you have to be a pretty good paddler. 
 
The interesting thing about Placencia is...

There isn't any rafting nearby Placencia. In order to go rafting, you would have to travel a little way to get to the rivers. But the kayaking and canoeing is excellent because if you're an avid kayaker, there are islands just offshore in the Caribbean.  I would say “avid” because it's breezy, although there are no major waves. Windblown waves are there every day and so you have to be a pretty good paddler. 
 
The interesting thing about Placencia is that it has a lagoon on the other side of the sea, which is protected water---at least protected from the winds to the extent that the Caribbean might be open to it.  You can go kayaking and canoeing both ways: you can be out on the Caribbean and going out to islands that are maybe 3 or 4 miles offshore, or you could just go in the lagoon and you're surrounded by mangroves after mangroves. You'd also see all kinds of different interesting wildlife in the lagoon, which stretches for about 16 miles that you can explore, all with the view of the Maya mountains to the west in the distance.
 
We tried to make kayaking in the lagoon a popular thing for tourists to do, but it didn’t catch on that much. What we end up doing is having people do go out at night sitting in the lagoon out in their pontoon boats or something similar and watching the sunset and just anchor in the lagoon. It's incredible setting to be sitting out there peacefully.

 

(Sailing around  the lagoon and mangroves of Placencia, Belize, pictured.)