80% of the Belize Rainforest Jungle Remains Under Government Protection.

Zip Lining in Belize

Zip Lining in Belize - You don't have to be in peak physical condition to enjoy this experience.  Zip lining will be one of the most exhilarating (safe) things you have ever done.  Zip lining offers you a panoramic view of the rainforest canopy, at a bird's eye level.  You will get to experience and see things, you wouldn't normally get to see at ground level.  Zip lining is definitely a "bucket-list" activity, worthy of consideration.

Belize Zoo

Belize Zoo - Once upon a time, film producers specializing in documentaries about life in tropical forests chose Belize as their favorite destination. Critters now living in the Belize Zoo were once "stars" of these documentaries, but after film crews completed their projects, some of the animals had become so habituated to humans, they could no longer live in the wild.  In 1983, film crew members plus Belize animal lovers carved out a zoo home for these animals and since then, animals who have been orphaned, rescued or rehabilitated enough to join the family have come to live here, too.  It's fun to see this unique zoo and a visit is guaranteed to delight kids of all ages.

Baboon Sanctuary

Baboon Sanctuary - The Baboon Sanctuary has been one of the most popular and successful conservation projects in Belize.  One of the best aspects of this experience is the ability to get "up-close & personal" with a Howler Monkey troop.  Founded in 1985, the Baboon Sanctuary is a co-operative effort between environmentalists (aided by the World Wildlife Fund under the auspices of the Audubon Society) and local creole landowners to save Central America's declining population of black howler monkeys, known as baboons in Belize.  Apart from Belize, this sub-species is only found in the river lowlands of Guatemala and southern Mexico, where the rain forest has been shrinking at such a rate that extinction was becoming probable.  A zoologist from the University of Wisconsin, Dr. Robert Horwich, initially signed an agreement with 16 local farmers along the Belize River; while still working their agricultural lands, the farmers pledged to follow a management plan that would help protect the howler monkeys.  Today the Sanctuary has flourished to include a small museum, nature trails, bird tours, canoe and crocodile tours.  There is also a jam factory and a Creole Cultural Center.  Children really love this tour, because of the interaction with the monkeys.

Crocodile Encounter

Crocodile Encounter - The American Crocodile Education Sanctuary started this nocturnal tour, to give visitors the unique experience of participating in the conservation effort, to save and preserve the American Crocodile.  Admire the pitch black expanse of the night's sky (dotted with millions of stars), as your guide Chris Summers takes you through the mangrove swamp in search of the apex predator.  The silence of the night is quickly broken, once you spot a pair of glowing eyes along the waters surface (and before you know it), your guide is in the water seeking to retrieve the juvenile crocodile and bring him back to the boat.  Once the juvenile crocodile is on the boat, you help Chris identify the crocodile, examine the crocodile for injuries, tag him (if this has not already been done), and measure him.  While you are doing all of this, Chris explains all about the American Crocodile and its habitat in Belize.  We put this adventure on the same level as a CSI investigation.  All proceeds from this tour, go back into saving the habitat for existing crocodiles.  Bring your camera, because this is like watching Animal Planet from inside your boat.

Bird Watching in Belize

Bird Watching in Belize - Belize is home to more than 588 species of birds—including the keel-billed toucan (Belize's national bird), harpy eagle, lesson's motmot, the endangered jabiru stork, and the scarlet macaw—Belize is a bird-watcher's Eden. According to the Belize Audubon Society, as many as 588 birds have been recorded in Belize, and approximately 20 percent are migrants from North America.  The country is so forested that birders can sometimes spot up to 50 species in a single excursion, and over 200 on a single trip. The second Belize Birding Festival is being held in San Ignacio town this year in October.  This annual event will include different speakers, vendors and art exhibitors, guided tours, and other special activities.

Cockscomb Basin Wildlife Sanctuary

Cockscomb Basin Wildlife Sanctuary - This unique sanctuary in southern Belize covers an area of about 250,000 acres or 150 square miles of tropical forest, and is the world's only Jaguar Preserve.  Declared a Forest Preserve in 1984 and finally a Jaguar Preserve in 1986, the park is the culmination of many years of work and perseverance by individuals and national and international organizations. The park area is a natural wonderland, richly endowed with breathtaking waterfalls, mountains, nature trails and rivers, creating the perfect environment for species to thrive in harmony. As the only jaguar reserve on the planet, these cats keep company with hundreds of neo-tropical birds, other wildcats, deer, tapir, reptiles, insects, amphibians and all manner of other sanctuary inhabitants. You might not see all of them but you could spot their tracks on trails and river banks.

Rio Bravo Conservation & Management

Rio Bravo Conservation & Management - Though not open to the general public (specifically for qualified field research personnel), Program of Belize (Rio Bravo Conservation & Management) is a task force set to researching the La Milpa Archaeological Site, seeking to learn more about how the ancient Maya civilization evolved, was organized and sustained, and why most of its centers eventually collapsed throughout the region.  The site offers accommodations for those qualified and interested in donating and volunterring, to help further the research on the area. 

The Rio Bravo Conservation & Management Area (110,44 acres) was originally purchased in 1988 by Gallon Jug and the Programme for Belize.  Additional donations came from the Coco-Cola Foods, Inc. and the area under protection has since now grown (as of 2016) to 254,000 acres.  Their mission is to conserve the biodiversity and promote the sustainable development of Belize through proper management of the Rio Bravo Conservation and Management Area.  Programme for Belize is tasked with protecting the 240 species of trees, 70 species of animals, 400 species of birds, and 12 endangered animal species including the jaguar, the black howler monkey, and Belize’s national animal, the tapir.

Shipstern Nature Reserve

Shipstern Nature Reserve - While Shipstern has long been the main magnet for tourists in northeastern Belize.  A visit to Corozal, the North-East of Belize, allows for the discovery of a beautiful region still off the beaten track. Shipstern has traditionally been a magnet for those birders, naturalists and tourists ready to leave the main circuit, and no one has ever been disappointed. Shipstern offers a variety of ecological and cultural tours - anything from nature reserve hiking, nocturnal nature walks, bird lover tours, mayan ruin tours, and Mennonite Cultural tours.  This is a great learning experience for children.  The sheer diversity in landscapes and habitats is astounding, and it is also the only place in Belize where you will be able to experience a walk through a coastal dry Yucatan forest, and see the very rare Kuka Palm and Elephant’s Foot in the wild.

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