Bacalar Chico National Park

Bacalar Chico covers the northern end of Ambergris Caye and the water around it, and it is one of the seven protected areas that make up the Belize Barrier Reef Reserve System, inscribed as World Heritage in 1996. The name comes from a channel the Maya cut through the caye to shorten the trading route, which now forms the border with Mexico. Littoral forest, mangrove, seagrass and reef sit together here, and there is almost nobody about.

History

The reserve grew out of the early 1990s, when the Broadhead Group planned a community for retirees on northern Ambergris Caye and an environmental impact assessment by the Belize Center for Environmental Studies found unusually high biodiversity for a barrier island. Fishermen in San Pedro and the mainland village of Sarteneja were worried about the depletion of marine resources, and, encouraged by the success of the Hol Chan Marine Reserve, the San Pedro NGO Greenreef drew up a management plan in 1995; a year later Bacalar Chico was officially recognised as a national park and marine reserve, though for the next three years it was protected in name only. Since 2004 the Government of Belize has been responsible for it, providing US$100,000 a year for operations and the salaries of the park's four rangers (Wikipedia, Bacalar Chico National Park and Marine Reserve).

Highlights

• The Maya-cut channel - the canal dug through the caye, now the Mexican border.
• The reef - part of the World Heritage barrier system, with almost no boat traffic.
• The littoral forest - dry coastal forest on the caye's northern end.
• The visitor centre - a small station at San Juan with displays on the reserve.

When to go

December to April is the dry season with the calmest water. The boat run from San Pedro takes ninety minutes each way and is cancelled in rough conditions. Mosquitoes on land are severe.

Practical notes

Getting there means a long boat charter and most people combine it with a full-day trip. Facilities are minimal and there is no accommodation. Sandflies and mosquitoes on the caye are punishing.

Nearby

San Pedro is south down the caye, and Hol Chan is beyond it.

Key facts