Belize is a jewel in the Caribbean treasure chest of beautiful cayes and coastlines. Belize is a small country in Central America of almost 9000 square miles with a tropical climate where English is the main language and Spanish is a second.  We share our northern border with Mexico, with Guatemala to our west and south.  Our eastern border is the Caribbean Sea, home to the largest barrier reef in the western hemisphere, as well as three of the four atolls in the entire Caribbean. 

Belize also has what may be Central America’s largest cave system, one that is still largely unexplored.  One of the truly remarkable things about Belize is that over 40% of its land mass consists of parks, reserves and protected areas, and over 70% is still dominated by natural vegetation.  As a result, Belize is considered among the three leading countries in protected biodiversity and, therefore, a top ecotourism destination. 

Belize is a Mecca for biologists of all kind who come here to study marine and forest life.  The northern part of the country is mostly flat, dotted with savannah, hardwood and mangrove forests.  This sweeps to the center of Belize and makes way for the rising Maya Mountains that extend to the south and west.  Much of these mountains are covered with a thick, lush jungle of virgin rainforest, home to the jaguar, ocelot, howler monkey and many more exotic animals, as well as over 500 species of birds including the toucan and scarlet macaw.  Many large rivers traverse the mainland feeding the savannahs and inland lagoons to create a habitat for much of the local birdlife as well as many migratory species, making Belize a major birdwatchers destination as well.  Large areas of the coastline and some of the cayes are protected by an intricate mangrove system that creates a massive breeding ground for juvenile marine species of all kinds, as well as the crocodile and the gentle manatee.   More than 200 cayes dot the coastal waters, barrier reef and atolls, and is the home to an extensive marine ecosystem including colorful sponges, a wide variety of corals, shimmering schools of fish, different species of turtles, rays and sharks including mantas and whale sharks, just to name a few.