St Herman's Blue Hole National Park

This is the other Blue Hole, entirely unrelated to the famous one offshore: an inland sinkhole where the roof of a cave collapsed to leave a pool of deep sapphire water about eight metres deep, fed by an underground river that emerges from one side and disappears into the rock on the other. Steps lead down to it and people swim. A few minutes along the highway, St Herman's Cave is entered by a stone stairway that the Maya cut, and a guided route runs several hundred metres in past formations and pottery fragments. A trail through forest links the two, and a viewing platform sits above the sinkhole.

What you actually see

• The inland blue hole - a sapphire sinkhole pool fed by an underground river.
• St Herman's Cave - entered by Maya-cut stone steps, walked with a guide.
• The connecting trail - forest walk between the two entrances.
• The viewing platform - above the sinkhole in the canopy.

When to go

December to April is the dry season; the sinkhole is bluest and clearest then, and turns brown after heavy rain. The cave closes when water is high. Mornings are quieter. A torch is needed for the cave.

Honest expectations

The pool is small and can be crowded, and after rain it loses the colour entirely. Cave access beyond the first section requires a guide and closes in high water. Car break-ins in the car parks have been reported. Both sites are a short visit and the entry covers them together.

Nearby

Belmopan is twenty minutes north; the Hummingbird Highway continues to Dangriga.