Central America - (Page 4)

belize Call of the Wild calling... From the highlands to the lowlands and the islands offshore, the rainforests of Belize are filled with tapirs, pumas, and peccaries—with more than 600 resident and migratory bird species having been recorded. On the southern coast near Dangriga, the Cockscomb Basin Wildlife Sanctuary is the world’s first jaguar preserve, and at 150 sq. miles, it’s huge. Other cats protected here include the jaguarundi, the margay and the ocelot, but visitors are more likely to see spider and howler monkeys, foxes, coatimundis, peccaries, kinkajous and the tapir, the country’s national animal. Needless to say, this is also one of Belize’s top birdwatching sanctuaries. Not to miss is the Crooked Tree Wildlife Sanctuary, a 3,000-acre reserve of lagoons and marshes, and home to the jabiru stork—the largest flying bird in the hemisphere—which nests here starting in November. Other top places for birdwatching are the Shipstern Nature Reserve, whose wetlands, lagoons and mangroves are tops with birders; the Rio Bravo Conservation Area in the north, west of Orange Walk; and the Half Moon Caye National Monument, with its 4,000 red-footed boobies, frigate birds and hawksbill, as well as loggerhead turtles. ing (peterhughes.com)—depart to more remote dive sites. Off Plancencia is Gladden Spit, an area that snorkelers and divers can count on for encountering giant whale sharks—March through June is the optimum time. Culture Calling Present-day Belize hosts an important archaeological treasury of ancient Maya city-states. In fact, the discovery of Caracol, the Classic period (A.D. 250-950) city-state in western Belize, is shedding new light on the Mayan world. And Caracol may prove to be even grander than Tikal in neighboring Guatemala. Covering 30 sq. miles, some 35,000 structures have been recorded, and the largest is the massive Caana pyramid, capped by three temples and rising 140 ft. above the jungle floor. Hotels and lodges in and around San Ignacio offer home base for the day trip—a 2-hour drive, with 4WD recommended. The ruins of the impressive Xunantunich, a major ceremonial center dominated by the El Castillo pyramid, are closer to San Ignacio, as is El Pilar with its 25 plazas and Cahal Pech, once the palacio home of an elite Mayan family. Belize’s grand inventory of Mayan sites also includes Altun-Ha, with imposing pyramids, temples and tombs located an hour from San Jose. A visit here can be combined with a motorboat ride up the New River to Lamanai, where visitors view the Jaguar Temple, decorated with massive masks. These Mayan ruins represent the longest continually occupied site in Mesoamerica. Call of the Sea Vacations in Belize call for time by the sea and from the mainland shores to the myriad of offshore islands (called cayes) and islets, there are white sand beaches for sunning, for walking, or for wading into the water with mask, snorkel and fins. Actually, it’s the sea that puts Belize solidly on the tourist map, for the barrier reef—running from Mexico to Honduras and sited close to the Belizean shore—is the hemisphere’s largest and provides world-class diving. The wonders beneath the protected reef waters, teeming with plant and marine life, are also easily accessible to snorkelers. Ambergris Caye, a short flight from Belize City, offers the most dive resorts catering to the beginner or advanced diver. Off Ambergris is the Hol Chan Marine Reserve, a protected area where snorkelers come face-to-face with moray eels, stingrays and nurse sharks. More experienced divers will head for many small resorts on the outer atolls, such as Glover’s Reef, Turneffe and Lighthouse Reef, gateway to the spectacular 480-ft. Blue Hole dive site. Mainland dive lodges lie on the southern coast near Dangriga and Plancencia, where dive boats head out daily, and live-aboard dive boats—the Aggressor III of the Aggressor Fleet (aggressor. com) and the Sun Dancer II belonging to Peter Hughes DivC4 August 2010 Belize tour talk v lost World Adventures (800-999-0558; lostworldadventures. com) combines the Maya Mountains with Ambergris Caye to offer a 7-night Los Dos Cayos package. Travelers spend four nights at Chaa Creek Cottages, where activities range from mountain biking and horseback riding, to birdwatching walks and butterfly farm visits. Next stop is Ambergris Caye and the premier Victoria House resort where the 3-night stay includes welcome cocktail and bottle of wine, 1-day use of a golf cart, unlimited use of kayaks, two half-days of snorkeling or one half-day of diving. Priced from $2,584 pp dbl, the package includes all meals, transfers and local air. v Austin lehman Adventures (800-575-1540; austinlehman. com) has designed a 7-night Trans Habitat Experience-Multi-Sport continued on page C6 recommend.com http://peterhughes.com http://lostworldadventures.com http://austinlehman.com http://aggressor.com http://www.recommend.com

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Central America

Belize
Costa Rica
El Salvador
Guatemala
Honduras
Nicaragua
Panama

Central America