belize
Spider Monkey
A little country where Indiana Jones meets Jacques Cousteau text & photography by Jane Ebbitt I’ve just returned from a magical trip to a country not often
of fish, amazing corals and invertebrates combine to create an
mentioned when people discuss the Caribbean region. Unlike
underwater paradise. To date the majority of tourists flock to
its better known Caricom island members, Belize is situated in
the islands dotted along the coastline, the largest of which is
Central America, facing east onto the Caribbean. Sandwiched
Ambergris Caye. The town of San Pedro is the jumping off point
between Mexico in the north, Guatemala on its western border
for many of the expeditions out to the dive sites. The living coral
and Honduras to the south, Belize is still relatively undiscovered
reef spans 160 miles of the Belizean coastline. It is a snorkeling
by international tourism. This land of just under 9,000 sq. miles
paradise for novices and advanced divers alike and much of the
and a sparse population of around 315,000 people, has so
area today is protected within marine reserves and sanctuaries.
much to offer the visitor. Formerly known as British Honduras, Belize gained its independence in 1981 from Great Britain, and is the only English speaking country in Central America. In a country of so many contrasts, rich in culture and in outstanding natural beauty, Belize can be described as a land
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where Indiana Jones meets Jacques Cousteau.
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And so we leave the turquoise waters and head to the deep green of the Belizean rainforests. Dotted all over the country are the remains of hundreds of ancient Mayan pyramids and cities. Some are more accessible than others, often hidden by the jungle canopies teeming with hundreds of species of birds, plants, insects and mammals.
Back in 1972, Jacques Cousteau took the ‘Calypso’ and his one
Belize is home to puma, jaguar, kinkajou, tapir, monkeys,
man submarines to film a documentary on the perfectly circular,
iguana, several types of snakes, armadillos, anteaters and over
400 ft. deep ‘Blue Hole’ on Lighthouse Reef, thus alerting the
70 species of bats!
legions of scuba divers to the hidden underwater treasures of a country which hosts the second biggest barrier reef in the world.
The ancient Mayan temples and pyramids in the mountains and rainforests are a ‘must see’ and one can visit the modern living
The crystal clear turquoise Caribbean waters of Belize are home
Maya in villages in Cayo and Toledo districts where they still
to an amazing 600 species of marine life. Aquatic mammals
honour the old traditions and live in harmony with nature. There
roam the waters undisturbed by man. Turtles, manatee,
are many Mayan ruins in Belize, all with a particular point of
dolphins, sharks, sting and manta rays, brightly coloured shoals
interest. The vast centre of Caracol near the Guatemalan border
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