Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Belize, slightly larger than a domestic cat); and
jaguarundis
, the smallest and
commonest - you might spot one on a trail since it hunts during the day. Belize's
largest land animal,
Baird's tapir
(“mountain cow”), weighing up to 300kg, is found
near water. Tapirs are endangered but not that rare in Belize, though you're unlikely to
see one without a guide.
On the northern flank of the Maya Mountains, the
Mountain Pine Ridge
is a granite
massif intruded into sedimentary quartz, resulting in a ring of metamorphic rock. Many
of the rivers rising here fall away to the Macal and Belize river valleys, in spectacular
waterfalls. On this nutrient-poor soil the
Caribbean pine
is
dominant, covering sixty
percent of the area; bromeliads and orchids adorn the trunks and branches, and it's a
unique habitat with endemic species including frogs and a fish known only by its Latin
name; trees are recovering from a severe outbreak of
pine bark beetles
.
Lowland Belize
The forests of Petén, Guatemala, extend into northwestern Belize, where low-lying
topography is broken by a series of roughly parallel
limestone escarpments
. he Booth's
River and Río Bravo escarpments each have rivers that drain north to the Río Hondo.
Here the
Río Bravo Conservation and Management Area
(see p.78) protects a huge area
of forest. Further east, the plain is more open; pine savannah is interspersed with
slow-flowing rivers and lagoons, wetland habitats that continue to the coast. In the
centre,
Crooked Tree Wildlife Sanctuary
(see p.63) covers several freshwater lagoons
holding three hundred bird species, including the nesting sites of the rare jabiru stork.
The tiny village of Sarteneja is the only settlement between Belize City and Corozal on
the coast - holding wading birds, crocodiles (Morelet's and American)
and several
species of turtle, protected in
Shipstern Nature Reserve
(see p.80). Almost all the
mammals of Belize - with the exception of monkeys but including jaguas, ocelots and
tapirs - can be found in this mosaic of coastal lagoons, hardwood forest and mangrove
swamp. You might also see signs of collared and white-lipped peccaries (“warries”),
brocket and white-tailed deer, opossums, weasels, porcupines and armadillos. At the
Community Baboon Sanctuary
in the lower Belize River valley (see p.139), visitors are
almost guaranteed to see troops of black howler monkeys (“baboons”), or hear the
male's deep-throated roar.
In the south there's only a relatively narrow stretch of lowland between the Maya
Mountains and the coast. Along the navigable rivers much of the original forest has
been selectively logged for mahogany and is in varying stages of regrowth after
hurricane damage; other patches have been replaced by agricultural land and citrus.
A boat journey in
Burdon Canal Nature Reserve
, which connects the Belize and Sibun
rivers to the Northern and Southern lagoons, and on into
Gales Point Wildlife
Sanctuary
(see p.65), where manatees
congregate, is a wonderfully rich wildlife,
mangrove forest and lagoon experience.
Green
iguanas
(along with their similar cousin the spiny-tailed iguana - “wish-willy”)
are the most prominent of Belize's reptiles; despite protection they're still hunted for
their meat and eggs. Rarer, but still fairly frequently seen, the Central American river
otter is much larger than its European cousin. Along the New River and in many
lagoons you'll see
Morelet's crocodiles
, which can be found in almost any body of
water, and are of no danger to humans unless they're very large - at least 9ft long.
Previously hunted to the brink of extinction, they've made a remarkable comeback;
now frequently spotted in the mangroves of Haulover Creek west of Belize City. Rivers
offer great birdwatching, with several species of kingfisher alongside the tri-coloured
heron, the boat-billed heron, the great egret and occasionally the 6ft-tall jabiru stork.
Coastline and Barrier Reef
Belize's most exceptional environment is its
Caribbean coastline
and offshore barrier
reef, dotted with hundreds of small islands and three atolls. Much of the shoreline is
