Laughing Bird Caye National Park

Laughing Bird Caye is a narrow strip of sand and palms sitting on top of a faro, a shelf atoll rising steeply from deep water, and it is one of the seven protected areas making up the Belize Barrier Reef Reserve System inscribed as World Heritage in 1996. The reef around it drops away close in and the coral has been the subject of a long-running restoration project, with nursery-grown staghorn replanted on the slopes. The laughing gulls it was named for no longer nest here.

What you actually see

• The caye - a narrow sand and palm strip on a shelf atoll.
• The faro - the steep-sided formation the caye sits on, unusual in the Caribbean.
• The coral restoration - nursery-grown staghorn replanted around the caye.
• The snorkelling - reef directly off the sand with a fast drop-off.

When to go

December to April is the dry season with the calmest water. Boats run day trips from Placencia and are cancelled in rough weather. There is no overnight stay permitted.

Honest expectations

Camping and overnight stays are not allowed and there is no shade beyond a few palms. The caye is small and several boats fill it. The laughing gulls that gave it its name were driven off decades ago.

Nearby

Placencia is west on the mainland, and Gladden Spit is north.