At Melinda, 27km past Middlesex and only 14km from Dangriga, an improved dirt road heads north to the small Creole village of GALES POINT . The village straggles along a narrow peninsula jutting into the Southern Lagoon , a large body of shallow water which - along with Northern Lagoon , to which it's connected by creeks - forms an essential breeding ground for rare wildlife, including jabiru storks, turtles, manatee and crocodiles. The area is bounded on the west by the limestone Peccary Hills, riddled with caves, and the shores of the lagoons are cloaked with mangroves. Gales Point is also a centre of traditional drum-making ; you can learn to make and play drums at the Maroon Creole Drum School, run by Emmett Young and Randolph (Boombay) Andrewin.

Deborah Callender, who runs the Orchid Café (tel 614-5621), also publishes the village newsletter, and if you're serious about staying here you should call her for information first. There's a range of accommodation ; s everal houses offer simple bed and breakfast rooms (US$15-25), while Gentle's Cool Spot restaurant has a few basic rooms (US$10-15) and Metho's Coconut Camping (US$3.50 per person) has space in a sandy spot. The most luxurious accommodation is at the Manatee Lodge (tel 220-9040, www.manateelodge.com ; US$60-80), a two-storey colonial-style building right at the tip of the peninsula; rooms (all non-smoking) are spacious and comfortable and the meals are superb. Gales Point is served by most buses on the Belize City-Dangriga route; other traffic passes the junction, 4km from the village.