Cockscomb Basin Wildlife Sanctuary, Belize
Today we woke up early in Dangriga, our first stop in Belize. At 6:30 we were on our way to the famous Cockscomb Reserve, one of the largest areas protecting jaguars. Cockscomb is known to hold one of the highest densities of jaguars in this part of the world. Our expectations increased when a red brocket deer ran in front of the bus as we were driving into the reserve. With Victoria Peak, the highest mountain in Belize, standing in the background, we started our walk through a beautiful forest whose plants were an interesting mix of temperate and tropical plants, such as pines, ceibas and melastomas, like the one in this photograph.
Toucans, tanagers, warblers, flycatchers and hummingbirds filled the trees above us. A large group of peccaries trotted by. We were amazed by leks of white-collared and red-capped manakins. After a three-hour hike through this beautiful place we drove out with the hope of coming back some day.
During full moon of April and May, whale sharks are known to congregate at Gladden Spit. There they feed on the little eggs of thousands of spawning snappers. This extraordinary event only occurs at this time. We decided to try to get as close as we could to this rare phenomena, and after a couple of hours of smooth sailing, we arrived at Moho Cay. This beautiful little coral cay is topped with a few coconuts and mangrove tree, and is surrounded with live coral reefs. Whale sharks are the largest fish in the world. It was exciting to think that we were snorkeling not far from fish fifty feet long!
Today we woke up early in Dangriga, our first stop in Belize. At 6:30 we were on our way to the famous Cockscomb Reserve, one of the largest areas protecting jaguars. Cockscomb is known to hold one of the highest densities of jaguars in this part of the world. Our expectations increased when a red brocket deer ran in front of the bus as we were driving into the reserve. With Victoria Peak, the highest mountain in Belize, standing in the background, we started our walk through a beautiful forest whose plants were an interesting mix of temperate and tropical plants, such as pines, ceibas and melastomas, like the one in this photograph.
Toucans, tanagers, warblers, flycatchers and hummingbirds filled the trees above us. A large group of peccaries trotted by. We were amazed by leks of white-collared and red-capped manakins. After a three-hour hike through this beautiful place we drove out with the hope of coming back some day.
During full moon of April and May, whale sharks are known to congregate at Gladden Spit. There they feed on the little eggs of thousands of spawning snappers. This extraordinary event only occurs at this time. We decided to try to get as close as we could to this rare phenomena, and after a couple of hours of smooth sailing, we arrived at Moho Cay. This beautiful little coral cay is topped with a few coconuts and mangrove tree, and is surrounded with live coral reefs. Whale sharks are the largest fish in the world. It was exciting to think that we were snorkeling not far from fish fifty feet long!
