Here is a list of the National Parks that can be visited and explored:
Halfmoon Caye Natural Monument, is located at the southeast corner of Lighthouse Reef Atoll, the eastern most atoll of Belize's three atolls, preserved and protected by the Belize Audubon Society, home and nesting site of the Red-Footed Booby Bird. This monument was established in 1982 and it was the first reserve to be created under the National Parks System Act of 1981. This park is about 50 miles southeast of Belize City. The caye itself, eight feet above sea level, is approximately 45 acres in size and is divided into two very distinct ecosystems. The western region, with its dense vegetation, has corresponding rich soil made fertile by guano from the thousands of sea birds nesting in this area. The eastern half of the caye is composed primarily of coconut palms with sparse vegetation.
Blue Hole National Park, made famous by the 1970's expedition of famous underwater explorer, Jacques Cousteau. The Blue Hole is a natural phenomenon in the Caribbean eight miles from Long Caye. It is 1000 feet in diameter, 400 feet deep, with extraordinary stalactites. consists of 575 acres covered with primary and secondary forest growth. From its northern boundary, the Hummingbird Highway, this rugged karst landscape quickly rises to elevation in excess of 200 meters. The Blue Hole is a sinkhole filled with flowing water to the Sibun River, one of Belize's principal waterways. The main enticements are the underground streams, rivers, sinkholes, limestone of Cretaceous age, cenotes and extensive subterranean cave systems.
Mountain Pine Ridge Forest Reserve, a 300 square mile reserve that boasts ancient pine and ferns unlike the standard tropical forests covering the rest of the country. The reserve has magnificent waterfalls, caves and stream that can be observed. Famed American film director, Francis Ford Coppola, has a beautiful resort called blancaneaux, in Mountain Pine Ridge.
Caracol Archaeological Reserve, includes the Mayan ruin of Caracol, the largest Mayan site in the country. This ancient metropolis was large, advanced and hidden from the world by rain forest for almost a Millennium. It is encircled by high-canopy tropical rain forest, which is populated by various species of rare birds, cats and howler monkeys. This is slowly becoming one of the most important reserves in belize due to it's incredible variation in wildlife and vegetation.
Shipstern Natural Reserve, located in the Corozal District is 22,000 acres with hardwood forest, lagoons and mangroves along the shore. The Shipstern Nature Reserve is the only protected area in Belize which includes the more seasonal northern hardwood forests, saline lagoon systems and mangrove shorelines. A Butterfly Breeding Centre has been established at the site of the reserve's headquarters.
Rio Bravo Conservation Area, a 300,000 acre forest and wildlife conservation project in the northwestern corner of Belize, is managed by Programme for Belize. Rio Bravo is a flagship project where Programme for Belize demonstrates the practical application of its principles. This reserve provides varied rich habits for many endangered and exotic species including the tapir, jaguar, toucan, hictee, Morelet's crocodile and many more. Approximately half of the land is managed as a reserve for the protection of bio-diversity and natural habitats. On the Conservation and Management Area, Programme for Belize conducts research, conservation education, professional training and promotes environmental awareness amongst visitors..
Glover's Reef Marine Reserve, the largest of the three atolls, just south of Belize City. This little mangrove island is home to breathtaking marine life and many species of birds
Crooked Tree Wildlife Sanctuary, 33 miles northwest of Belize City, was established in November 1984 for the protection of resident and migrant birds, which, during the dry season gather there by the thousands. The sanctuary centres around several inland lagoons connected by waterways. Other land forms in the sanctuary include swamps, savannah and lowland pine ridge. This is prime habitat for Jabiru Storks, which congregate around Crooked Tree at the end of the nesting season
Hol Chan Marine Reserve, meaning, "little channel," Belize's first marine reserve, with coral reefs, mangroves and seagrass focuses on the Hol Chan (Mayan for '"little channel") cut which is a break or quebrada in the reef, approximately 4 miles southeast of San Pedro, Ambergris Caye. This reef is in the northern section of the Belize barrier reef system which stretches for 150 miles. Depths inside the reef average 15 feet and the channel itself is about 30 feet deep. The reserve which covers about 5 sq. miles, has been divided into 3 zones, thus allowing the maximum use of the area while emphasizing its preservation. These zones are clearly marked by buoys.
Community Baboon Sanctuary, The Community Baboon Sanctuary was established in 1985 to protect one of the few healthy black howler monkey populations left in Central America. Unlike any other existing wildlife management project in the world, the sanctuary is a completely voluntary, grassroots conservation program dependent upon the cooperation of private landowners within active farm communities. In addition to the numerous howler troops, an abundance of other animal life is found on the sanctuary. Nearly 200 bird species have been identified along with many other species of mammals, amphibians and reptile.
Manatee Lagoon, the proposed area covers 8250 acres, from coastal lagoons to forests, breeding grounds for birds and nesting site for marine turtles.
Slate Creek Preserve, approximately 3,750 acres of protected area serving as a corridor next to the Mountain Pine Ridge Forest Reserve and the Tapir Mountain Nature Reserve.
Guanacaste National Park, home to the guanacaste or tubroos tree, a fast growing species and one of the largest trees found in Central America. It can reach a total height of over 130 feet, of which 30 to 40 feet can be a straight trunk. The guanacaste tree can attain a trunk diameter in excess of 6 feet. In addition to the tubroos there are many other species of trees growing in Guanacaste Park. Over one hundred species of birds have been seen in the park . Also included are mammals and reptiles. Guanacaste National Park is the name of a fifty-acre parcel of tropical forest located on the north side of the Western Highway just to the east of the Roaring Creek bridge. The land was first held as a Crown Reserve, then became a park and later received the completely protected status of a National Park under the Belize Government to be cared for by the Belize Audubon Society.
Southwater Marine Reserve, this proposed site covers 62 miles and is located 10 miles off the mainland from the Sittee River. It's recognized for its diving and mangrove cayes.
Laughing Bird Caye National Park, is located 11 miles off the coast of the Stann Creek District(12 miles from placencia peninsula)within a distinct type of atoll called a faro, an angular, steep on the sides atoll, enclosing a lagoon. Its wealth and assortment of corals is its main draw as well as its lagoons. Laughing Bird gets its name from the large number of laughing gulls that once used it as a rookery. Overuse by humans caused the gulls to abandon the island completely, although a few have been sighted here since 1990. The government has taken steps to minimize this disruption
Sapodilla Cayes, a proposed marine reserve covering the south part of the Belize Barrier Reef. It is well known for its shallow patch reefs, array of fish, vast seagrass beds and lagoons, all of which are very important habitats.
Cockscomb Basin Wildlife Sanctuary, is located in southern Belize below the Mayan Mountains Cockscomb Range, and is managed by the Belize Audubon Society. This unique ecosystem protects a large portion of Belize's flora and fauna species, which include the jaguar, margay, ocelot, macaw, and tapir. There is also a tourist center for camping with plenty of accommodations. The Cockscomb Basin Forest Reserve was established in 1984 and declared a no hunting area to protect the natural prey of its resident jaguars. Part of the Forest Reserve was established as the Cockscomb Basin Wildlife Sanctuary in 1986. The sanctuary was expanded in 1990 to include the entire forest reserve, a total area of over 100,000 acres. The CBWS is without doubt Belize's most famous reserve. In February 1988, HRH The Duke of Edinburgh, as President of the World Wide Fund for Nature, visited Cockscomb. Newspapers and magazines throughout the world have carried stories on Cockscomb and its jaguars.
Bladen Nature Reserve, located in the southern Toledo District, it is the largest protected area in Belize. Permits are required to visit the site. A sign of a strong ecosystem, there is an abundance of large mammals within the reserve, as well as being one of the best birding spots in the country. Bladen Nature Reserve in the Maya Mountains has been set aside to preserve its watershed, pristine forest and large population of endangered species. Bladen was declared a reserve in 1990 to be held for research only. The goal at Bladen, which covers some 97,000 acres, is to leave an area of wild habitat for perpetuating natural and biological diversity.
Monkey Bay Wildlife Sanctuary, 1070 acres of pine forest, wetlands, cohune palm savanna, tropical gallery forest, freshwater lagoons running along the Western Highway, just west of the Belize Zoo and Tropical Education center. Camping is allowed and encouraged. This privately owned operated nature reserve is also considered a fantastic spot to bird watch.
Burdon Canal , located on Western Highway, going through the Sibun River leading into the lagoon. The reserve has plenty of reptiles and the surrounding forest is a heaven for bird watchers.
Terra Nova, a 6,000 acre reserve with plethora of forest wildlife. The reserve was given to a group of local women to plant and harvest local herbs and trees.
Aguas Turbias Reserve, 7,000 acres close to the Rio Bravo, where Belize, Guatemala and Mexico come together, with plenty of wildlife, flora and fauna.
Sarstoon-Temash, a wildlife sanctuary river delta that leads out of the Toledo District, in Rio temash, to the Caribbean Sea, and home to some of the oldest and tallest mangroves in Central America. This river is one of four major watercourses that drain into the Caribbean from the Toledo District. In 1992, it was created into the Temash and Sarstoon Delta Wildlife Sanctuary.
Paynes Creek National Park, located in the Toledo District in the village of Monkey River, established to guard its wildlife and flora. The reserve is under the custodianship of the village and 3500 acres of it has been allocated for small scale agriculture to ensure the community's rural lifestyle.
Chiguibul National Park, hundreds of square miles of intact forest and home to many endangered species of plants and wildlife that are endangered elsewhere in Central America and southern Mexico. The plateau is crisscrossed by old logging and chiclero trails, but over the years, many have been almost reclaimed by the jungle. Chiquibul Forest Reserve, populated only by a few loggers, tree-tappers and archaeologists, is closely monitored.
Five Blues Lakes, is situated in the village of St. Margaret's Village in the Cayo District. It is known as Five Blues Lake because of the varying water depths around the lake and the different limestone rock formations under water. The water and rock reflects a different kind of blue or blue-green, or sometimes a dark green, at different times of the day, the blues change.
Tapir Mountain Nature Reserve, covering 6741 acres, it is 360 feet above sea level, located at the northern end Mountain Pine Ridge. Formerly named Society Hall, Tapir Mountain Nature Reserve was officially established in November of 1986 for tropical research and preservation of genetic diversity. the terrain is rugged limestone karst, categorized as subtropical wet forests. A Rapid Ecological Assessment was carried out in 1994 to record the biological diversity of the area.
All these parks are a mecca for botanists, ornithologists, mammalogists, ichthyologists and zoologists and anyone else looking to get away from the concrete city life.
