If you are coming to the area by bus, plan on nearly a full day of travel on either end of your trip south (at least five to six hours from Belize City); consider taking the quick flight from Belize City [1], Placencia [2], or Dangriga [3], to Punta Gorda [4] Punta Gorda.
If you plan on heading into the upcountry Toledo villages [5], you’ll have to come to Punta Gorda first to set up the trip, usually necessitating at least one night in town, maybe more, depending on the limited village bus schedules. Basically, if you really want to explore Toledo District, one or two days ain’t gonna cut it.
You’ll need to set aside at least four or five days, more if you’d like to get out to the cayes [6] or beyond to Guatemala [7] or Honduras [8], just across the bay.
Links:
[1] http://www.moon.com/destinations/belize/belize-district/belize-city
[2] http://www.moon.com/destinations/belize/the-southern-coast/placencia-village
[3] http://www.moon.com/destinations/belize/the-southern-coast/dangriga
[4] http://www.moon.com/destinations/belize/punta-gorda-and-the-toledo-villages/punta-gorda
[5] http://www.moon.com/destinations/belize/punta-gorda-and-the-toledo-villages/vicinity-punta-gorda/upcountry-villages
[6] http://www.moon.com/destinations/belize/punta-gorda-and-the-toledo-villages/vicinity-punta-gorda/southern-cayes
[7] http://www.moon.com/destinations/guatemala
[8] http://www.moon.com/destinations/honduras