2020-03-01_Wanderlust

Belize Tourism Board; Dreamstime: Shutterstock

For more information, visit travelbelize.org wanderlust.co.ukMarch 202087

PROMOTIONAL FEATURE

BENEATH THE

SURFACE

Belize’s blue worlds are just as

well cared for as its green ones:

strict protection plans are

in place and single-use plastics

are being phased out to ensure

the marine life of the

aquamarine waters can thrive

now and in the future. And it’s

working. The Belize Barrier

Reef, for example, has been

removed from the list of

threatened World Heritage

Sites, thanks to the island’s

positive climate action. See the

underwater haven for yourself

by donning a snorkel mask and

looking down at myriad fish,

seahorses,turtles and even the

odd manatee and nurse shark.

Another of the country’s top

snorkelling spots is Caye

Caulker. So clear are the

iridescent waters surrounding

this island off the coast of Belize

that you don’t even need to get

your hair wet to see the marine

life here. Float across the

surface to see sharks, stingrays,

turtles and eels less than two

metres beneath you.

Just south of Caye Caulker

lies Belize’s holy grail of diving

• the Blue Hole. At 300 metres
  wide and 125 metres deep,
  this pool of azure water can
  be seen from space, and is
  unsurprisingly pockmarked with
  many top diving and snorkelling
  spots. A rainbow of tropical fish

can be seen by snorkelling

around the shallow edges,

while diving in deeper allows you

to swim between giant

limestone stalactites while

spying reef, nurse and blacktip

sharks alongside the colourful

and alien-like invertebrate life.

A BIRDER’S

PARADISE

It’s not just Belize’s waters that

are brimming with life, its skies

are too, with over 500 species

of birds flying over the country.

One of the best places to spot

them is in the Cayo District’s

Mountain Pine Ridge Forest

Reserve. Trek past the rolling,

granite hillsides, see trickling

waterfalls, breathe in the scent

of pine and keep your eyes

to the skies to spy feathered

treasures. Rare sights to look

out for include the orange-

breasted falcon and the

impressive king vulture.

There’s more adventure to be

had here: place your binoculars

to one side to admire the orchids

of an imagination to see how

these vast structures were once

home to some of the two million

people of the Mayan empire.

Climb the western edge of the

Mayan Mountains to gaze on the

almost perfectly preserved

steps of Caracol – the largest

man-made monument in Belize.

The nearby Xunantunich,

or ‘Stone Woman’ is also worth

exploring and offers great views

of the sun-bleached pyramid

of El Castillo. Had enough

of hiking? Why not explore the

ruins on horseback?

However you spend your time

in Belize, you’re bound to return

home with memories that will

stay with you for a long time, and

the reassuring feeling that

Belize will remain a protected,

wild haven for even longer.

and ferns on the forest floors,

enter the 20m mouth of the Rio

Frio Cave or to swim at the base

of the 45m Big Rock Falls.

ANCIENT

EXPLORER

As well as its wildlife, Belize

is also making fierce efforts to

protect its history-rich temples,

palaces and pyramids, left

strewn across the country by

the Mayan civilisation. Make

a beeline for the west of Belize,

where it doesn’t take too much

SAV E

10%

on Intrepid Travel’s

Land of Belize trip when

you book by May 2020.

Code: 690237

Visit: Intrepidtravel.

com/belize