Belize: manatees, sharks, cocktail and fine sand

Belize is small, but realy great!

 
Belize is a very small Central American country, nestled between Guatemala, Honduras and Greater Mexico. To the east, the country opens wide to the dazzling Caribbean Sea, where the sand is snow-white and the water deep turquoise. To the west, it is the territory of lush forests, where thousand-year-old Mayan temples, parrots and jaguars hide.

Tourism is the country’s main source of income and in the past excesses have made the coastline a “World Heritage Site in Danger”. Fortunately, things are better today. 

Surprisingly, Belize remains inconspicuous in travel catalogues, while Cancun is a poster child for holidaymakers looking for fine sand and turquoise waters. And that is just as well

 
Belize is a tropical, cultural and maritime paradise. The country has the second longest coral reef in the world (290 km, after all) and what you can see there is worth the side trip. Sharks by the hundreds, peaceful manatees, turtles, rays and a whole range of exotic fish.
Charles Darwin is said to have called the Belize reef “the most remarkable reef in the Caribbean”. Cousteau was a big fan and Francis Ford Coppola made it one of his family haunts. That says a lot about the incredible beauty of the country.
Belize offers the traveller a land of adventure and sweetness that is becoming increasingly rare. Gentle beaches, emerald lagoons, nonchalant inhabitants and lively pubs, it’s good to stay a few days, or a few weeks.
 

Diving in Belize: On Caye Caulker, a short trip at sea promises extraordinary discoveries

 
Marine spaces here are heavily regulated and separated by zones: 1 – diving and fishing (but you have to release the fish, it’s called sport fishing), 2 – diving only, and 3 – “untouchable” zone, so off limits to the curious.
The concentration of sharks, rays and whale sharks in Belize is exceptional. Snorkelling or diving promises great aquatic experiences as close as possible to the wildlife. Be careful not to touch anything and of course respect the fauna and flora.
In Caye Caulker, however, boats leave every day for expeditions to areas accessible to explorers. On the programme: snorkelling with the harmless but impressive nurse sharks, observing manatees grazing in the sea grass fields, schools of barracudas, lionfish, etc.
Back on board we have a rice-fish dish, accompanied by a rum cocktail, of course. After a short nap on deck, we dive back into the clear water. 

On a trip it is time to rediscover nature

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