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Although Caye Caulker and San Pedro are the only villages anywhere
on the reef, there are a couple of dozen other inhabited islands,
some of them supporting fishing camps or up market resorts and
lodges. Buildings are low-key, wooden and sometimes thatched, and
the group you're with will probably be the only people staying
there. Electricity comes from a generator, and views of palm trees
curving over turquoise water reinforce the sense of isolation.
Prices at these resorts are high, but include transport from Belize
City or the international airport, accommodation, all meals, and
usually diving or fishing.
The virtually uninhabited Turneffe Islands , 40km from Belize
City, comprise an oval archipelago of low-lying mangrove islands
around a shallow lagoon 60km long, enclosed by a beautiful coral
reef. You can visit the archipelago as part of a day-trip from Caye
Caulker. The construction of resorts on this remote and fragile
island has resulted in the controversial destruction of mangroves,
while a proposed marine reserve has yet to be established.
About 80km east of Belize City is Belize's outermost atoll,
Lighthouse Reef , home to the underwater attractions of the
Great Blue Hole and Half Moon Caye Natural Monument, while there are
also several shipwrecks which have formed artificial reefs.
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 Belize
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The Blue Hole , technically a karst-eroded sinkhole, is a
shaft over 300m in diameter and 135m deep, which drops through the
bottom of the lagoon and opens out into a complex network of caves
and crevices; its depth gives it an astonishing deep blue colour.
You can visit the atoll either as a day or overnight trip from San
Pedro or Caye Caulker.
The Half Moon Caye Natural Monument , the first marine
conservation area in Belize, was declared a national park in 1982
and became one of Belize's first World Heritage Sites in 1996. The
180,000-square-metre Caye is divided into two distinct ecosystems.
In the west, guano from thousands of seabirds fertilizes the soil,
allowing the growth of dense vegetation, while the eastern half has
mostly coconut palms growing in the sand. A total of 98 bird species
has been recorded here, including frigate birds, ospreys, and a
resident population of four thousand red-footed boobies , one
of only two such nesting colonies in the Caribbean. The boobies came
by their name because they display no fear of humans, moving only
reluctantly when visitors stroll among them - their nesting area is
accessible from a platform. The resident reserve wardens will
collect the US$5 visitor fee and can give permission to
camp (US$5per person).
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Belize
Belize City
Where to go
When to go
Getting around
Costs, money, banks
Currency, exchange
 Eating
and drinking
Mail &
communications
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and festivals
Shopping,
souvenirs
Belize city
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Explore Belize City
North side
South side
Cayo and the west
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Belize city
to San
Ignacio
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Belize zoo
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Belmopan
Practicalities
Monkey Bay Wildlife Sanctuary
Guanacaste
Park
Benque Viejo del Carmen
Caracol Ruins
Mountain Pine Ridge Forest Reserve
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San Antonio
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San Ignacio
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Arrival
Restaurants
Kayaking,canoeing
Xunantunich, San Jose
Corozal, Orange Walk
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Travel details |
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