Beautiful beaches, colorful birds, ferocious cats—these are things tourists will come across in Belize, a small Central American country. It has a land area of only 22,966 square kilometers (5.7 million acres) with a population of just over 408,000 people. It has the lowest population density in Central America.
Aside from its amazing environment, Belize is also known for its significance in the world’s history. It hosted the Maya Civilization, which flourished until the year 1200. Christopher Columbus passed through the Gulf of Honduras in 1502, which eventually led Spain and Britain to lay their claim on the small nation. The British Crown eventually succeeded in colonizing Belize, which explains why it is the only English-speaking country in Central America. While the country gained its independence in 1981, some British culture remained in the country.
Belize lies between North and South America, which explains its wide variety of wildlife, as well as plant life. One of the benefits of Belize being a small nation with a small population is that animals thrive in vast areas uninhabited by people.
It is also home to the largest sinkhole in the world known as Blue Hole. It is also considered one of the top five best diving sites in the world. However, tourists should check out Belize’s 13 national parks to truly experience the country’s pristine natural resources. Here are the top five unexplored national parks in Belize:
1. Bacalar Chico National Park and Marine Reserve
The park is located in the northern part of Ambergris Caye. It was established in 1996 as a national park and is also in the list of UNESCO World Heritage Site. There are two distinct areas in the park, as the name would suggest. There are the terrestrial park and the marine reserve, which comprises of the ocean and a lagoon. The largest lagoon in the area is the Lagune de Cantina. The park is also home to beaches, swamps, grasslands, and semi-deciduous forest. The marine ecosystem comprises mangroves, sea beds, and the barrier reef.
The reef in the park is part of the Mesoamerican Barrier Reef System, which is the second-largest barrier reef in the world. The largest one is the Great Barrier Reef in Australia. There is a place within the park called Rocky Point, which is the only place in Belize where the barrier reef meets the shore.
Among the animals, tourists may come across jaguars, pumas, and white-lipped peccaries. One thing about Belize is that it is known for housing five of the world’s wild cats: jaguarundi, jaguar, margay, ocelot, and puma. Two of those famous cats are in Bacalar Chico. The marine region is home to some manatees, and the different varieties of turtles: green sea, hawksbill, and loggerhead. The reef, is, of course, home to many varieties of corals.
2. Five Blues Lake National Park
The park creatively got its name because of the different colors reflected by the lake. The change in color occurs because the way sunlight reflects on the lake with varying depth. The park is also the home of armadillos, gib nuts, howler monkeys, peccaries, and tapirs. The park was established in 1991. It has over 160 species of birds and 20 species of bats. As far as flora is concerned, the Five Blues lake is surrounded by deciduous forest and lime-living vegetation.
3. Laughing Bird Caye National Park
Off the coast of Placencia is the Laughing Bird Caye, which is an island named after the laughing gull that breeds in the park. The species is a medium-sized gull within the Americas. It has a unique laugh-like call, which is very endearing. The area used to host a large number of colonies of seagulls. However, human interaction caused the population to dwindle. This is why there is a need to protect the park to preserve the habitats of other animals.
Physically, the Laughing Bird is a long island. It sits on a long narrow island with a long narrow ridge of a reef that people know as faro. Its unique natural structure aids in the variety of flora and fauna thriving within the park, established in 1991. The Caye was also registered as a World Heritage Site starting 1996.
4. Payne’s Creek National Park
The park hosts many different kinds of plants, but the park is mostly a dominant broadleaf forest and mangrove areas. It also caters to the lower parts of the Monkey River, which is a coastal watercourse, popular among aqua fowl. Howler monkeys also abound in the park. This species is considered the largest among the New World monkeys. They got its name because of its howling capability, which could travel some miles away. The population of this species of monkey has been threatened due to human predation.
There are also archeological parts of the park, those that are specifically related to the Maya civilization. There is one site that is now underwater. There are also preserved wooden artifacts that went underwater along with some other treasures.
5. St. Herman’s Blue Hotel National Park
There are so many things that tourists can do at St. Herman’s, which is located in Cayo District. The park is named after the jungle pool, which is the centerpiece of the park. But people should not confuse St. Herman’s Blue with the Great Blue Hole, which is the world’s largest sinkhole. The blue hole is just a small pool within the national park.
Two cave systems in the park offer other exciting alternatives for tourists. The cave systems are known as Crystal and St. Herman’s. The water bodies in the park have also been popular among birds. Around 200 species of birds have been documented within the park premises. Native bird species include the northern nightingale-wren and tody motmot. Other birds species spotted in the park are piratic flycatcher, red-legged honeycreeper, and slaty Antwren.
The park also houses three out of five wild cat occurrences: jaguar, jaguarundi, and ocelot.