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Leaving Belize City, the first point of interest along the Western
Highway is the Belize Zoo, at Mile 29 (daily 8.30am-5pm;
US$7.50; easily visited on a half-day
trip from Belize City or as a stop on the way west. Probably the
finest zoo in the Americas south of the US, and long recognized as a
phenomenal conservation achievement, the zoo originally opened in
1983 after an ambitious wildlife film ( Path of the Raingods
) left Sharon Matola (the film's production assistant, now zoo
director), with a collection of semi-tame animals no longer able to
fend for themselves in the wild.
The
zoo is organized around the theme of "a walk through Belize", and
offers the chance to see the country's native animals at close
quarters, housed in spacious enclosures which closely resemble their
natural habitat - residents include all the Belizean cats, some of
which, including the jaguars, have bred successfully here. To get
to the zoo take any bus between Belize City and Belmopan and ask
the driver to drop you at the sign; a 200-metre walk from the
entrance and visitor centre. |
 Belize
travel guide
Caribbean
guide
One
kilometer past the zoo, the Coastal Road (in good condition,
and served by buses) provides an unpaved short cut, marked by a sign
and a couple of bars, to Gales Point and Dangriga. A kilometer or so
past the junction, on the left, is Cheers, a friendly bar
run by a Canadian family, where you can get good food at reasonable
prices, and reliable information. |
Belize
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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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