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Southern Belize
Information on reserves, Maya sites, waterfalls, caves, and cayes to see in Southern Belize. Tourism is new to this region, and you will be seeing sites and experiencing nature and cultures as few have.
www.southernbelize.com/see.html
Belize District Things To Do - For those that plan on exploring the environs in and near Belize City, surprises abound. Belize City, built on rum bottles and buried mangrove, offers history, cultural diversity and the convenience of being centrally located.
www.belizedistrict.com/todo.html
Belize
Botanic Gardens
The mission of Belize Botanic Gardens is to protect the floral biodiversity of Belize by existing as an information resource for the community, government, industry and science and to be a place of beauty for all visitors to enjoy. We also aim to cultivate, promote, research and enable the research of tropical flora and its conservation with an emphasis on our native species and their habitats.
www.belizebotanic.org/
Green
Hills
Butterfly House - Flocks of butterflies,
from brilliant blue to gorgeous orange, dazzling yellow to
intriguing gray, fly freely in 2,700 sq. ft. of beautifully
landscaped flight areas: The largest live butterfly display
in Belize. Green Hills also maintains
living collections of several groups of plants, amongst them
Passionflower, Bromeliads, Heliconia's, Aristolochia's and
orchids.
http://belizex.com/
green_hills.htm
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Adventure
Travel At Its Best!
Sites
to See
in
Belize, Central America
Places to See and Things to Do - Every destination in Belize offers something special. Visit an online tour on the official Belize Toursim Board site.
www.travelbelize.org/see.html
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Belize
Sites & Excursions
Comprensive listing by district of things
to see in Belize.
www.belizereport.com/sites/index.html
The
Mayan Ruins
Information on Maya archaeological sites
to visit while in Belize.
www.turq.com/belize/belruin.htm
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The
Best Little Zoo in the World - The Belize Zoo - Originally founded in 1983 by Sharon Matola
as a retirement home for old natural history "movie stars",
17 animals that had been left behind by a film crew, the Zoo
has become a refuge and rehabilitation center for injured
wildlife, as well as a home for abused and abandoned "pets".
These pets are primarily wild animals that people have tried
to domesticate. It is the goal of the zoo to return animals
back to the wild whenever possible. However, those who can
not return become permanent residents, and provide the visitor
an opportunity to get photos of a jaguar, tapir, scarlet macaw,
jabiru stork or any of the other 150 mammal, reptiles or birds
in residence.
www.belizezoo.org
Natural
Wonders
Blue
Hole National Park - This popular recreational spot features a pool
created where water on its way from a tributary
to the Sibun River emerges from a collapsed
karst sinkhole...
Cockscomb
Basin Wildlife Sanctuary - Originally established in 1984 as a reserve
to protect a large jaguar population, the sanctuary
is also known as "The Jaguar Preserve".
Situated within the shadows of the Maya Mountains...
Community
Baboon Sanctuary - Located
on the banks of the Belize River, the sanctuary
illustrates the dedication that Belizians have
towards preservation of nature. The sanctuary
consists of some eighteen square miles of basically
individually and privately owned subsistence
farms. Through a grassroots effort, the villagers
and landowners have committed to preserving
the habitat necessary to insure a healthy population
of Black Howler Monkeys...
Crooked
Tree Wildlife Sanctuary - Established in 1984 for the protection of
resident and migrant birds, this 3,000 acre
preserve consists of a large network of inland
lagoons, swamps, and waterways. The sanctuary
provides both the abundant food sources and
the safe resting area that is necessary to support
a large and diverse population of birds. The
most notable migratory resident is the Jabiru
Stork...
Five
Blues Lake National Park - Located in a most impressive setting in the
forest-covered foothills of the Maya Mountains,
it is a pristine tract of karst terrain, honeycombed
with unexplored cave systems and teeming with
spectacular wildlife. Established in 1992 as
a showcase for the region's amazing biological
diversity and rich cultural heritage, the park
covers over 4,000 acres of prime tropical forest
and preserves a wealth of natural and archaeological
features...
Guanacaste
National Park - This fifty
acre parcel of tropical rain forest is named
for the giant guanacaste(tubroos) tree growing
near the southwestern edge of the park. In addition
to the guanacaste tree, which can reach a height
of 130 feet, there are numerous other species
of trees throughout the park...
Mountain
Pine Ridge - This 300 square
miles of forest reserve is home to the Hidden
Valley Falls (1,000 Foot-Falls), the Rio On
River, the Rio Pools, and the Rio Frio Cave
and Nature Trail, as well as numerous small
streams and waterfalls...
Rio
Bravo Conservation & Management Area - The area consists of broadleaf forest, swamp
forest, palm forest, savannah, and marsh. Due
to its remote location and the elimination of
hunting, many endangered species, including
Black Howler Monkeys, Central American Spider
Monkeys, Jaguars, Pumas, Ocelots, Margays, Jaguarundis,
Tapirs, Peccarys, Ocellated Turkeys and Brocket
Deer, have found refuge within the preserve...
Rio
Frio Cave - This cave, open
at both ends, arches up 65 feet in the center.
Inside is a pool with a sandy beach... |
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The Adventure
Race
La
Ruta Maya
Belize River Challenge
La Ruta Maya Belize River Challenge
is a grueling multi-day canoe race traveling a perilous
river route across the country of Belize. The race occurs
the second weekend of March, coinciding with Baron Bliss
Day, a public holiday in Belize celebrating the benefactor
Baron Bliss. The route runs West to East along the Macal
and Belize Rivers, once the only link between beautiful
San Ignacio, in the foothills of the Maya Mountains, and
the bustling port of Belize City.
The race begins at the Hawskworth
Bridge in San Ignacio and ends at the Belcan Bridge in
Belize City. Teams race for station prizes along the way,
battling for the major cash prizes awarded at the end
of the race. In all, over $30,000 were given away last
year.
In 2001, 70 teams started the race
and all but ten finished. In the Professional category
there were 23 who made it to the finish line, and 37 in
the Amateur category. Proceeds from the race were donated
to the organizations working on the preservation of the
environment of the beautiful Belize River Valley.
The Belize River Valley is one
of the great natural resources with which Belize is blessed.
It is a major tributary to the Caribbean Sea feeding the
major ecosystem that is the longest living barrier reef
in the world, The Great Belize Barrier Reef, a World Heritage
Site. The river and its many streams brings silt to create
one of the more fertile valleys in the region, once determined
by the ODA (UK based Overseas Development Agency) to have
the potential to be the breadbasket of the Caribbean.
The river is relatively clean and sustains a large variety
of flora and fauna.
This project may well evolve into
the center of knowledge on the Belize Old River regarding
tourism product development of the resource. While conservation
activity will be carried out, coordinated and supported
by the organization, there will be a focus on data and
information systems building. It is envisioned that out
of the project will evolve practical tools which can be
used to develop the tourism product, such as a 'Booklets
on Avian Species of the Belize River Valley', and 'Guide
to Pieces of the Belize Old River', and 'Wildlife on the
Belize Old River', 'Flora of the Belize River Valley',
etc. etc.
Representatives of the project
may well become the consultants for training of tour guides
who will be licensed to operate tours on the river. The
project will seek to attract partners who will carry on
ongoing studies related to hydrology, water quality, soil
types, erosion, agricultural/industrial activity and impact,
as well as other data that will be important in managing
the natural resource sustainably. The environmental aspect
of the Belize River Challenge project is coordinated by
Roberto Harrison of the Belize Ministry of Agriculture,
and Omar Figueroa of the Tropical Education Center.
In the past, the race has been
featured on CNN, in Paddler Magazine, and various publications
and productions around the world.
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Experience
Cayo!
Hike,
bike, canoe, travel by horseback, or tour in the comfort of
an air-conditioned van. Whatever your preference, prepare
yourself for the ultimate in an "up close and personal"
experience you're not likely to forget...
www.belizex.com/cayo.htm
Ambergris
Caye
The tours and beauty, the diving and the birds,
the incredible variety of things to do and see...
http://ambergriscaye.com
More
Things To Do
An overview of things to do on Ambergris Caye.
www.goambergriscaye.com/
todo.html
Golf and Water Sports - Each year, thousands of vacationers are attracted to Belize because of its countless possibilities for fun in the sun. Vacationers can choose from a variety of things to do while visiting this country, including golf, snorkeling, diving, and fishing.
http://belize-guide.info/activities/
Tropical
Wings Nature Center
An eco-center features interactive exhibits about ecology, biodiversity, birds, bats, ants, plants, the Ancient Maya, and more. Fun and educational, it’s not just for kids!
http://thetrekstop.com/tropwings.htm
Conservation & the Natural History Centre - The internationally recognized Chaa Creek Natural History Centre opened in 1995 to become the first facility of its kind in Belize. The Centre and the adjoining 365 acre Chaa Creek Nature Reserve showcases the wonders of Belize’s natural world and fosters understanding of its fragile tropical habitats and unique flora and fauna.
www.chaacreek.com/conservation/
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