Rio Bravo Conservation Area

Rio Bravo covers around two hundred and sixty thousand acres of northwestern Belize, about four percent of the country, bought and managed since 1988 by a Belizean non-profit rather than the state. It protects a mosaic of broadleaf forest, savanna and wetland with jaguar, tapir, howler and spider monkeys, and over four hundred bird species. Two field stations take visitors and researchers, and La Milpa, a large Maya city, sits inside the boundary.

What you actually see

• The forest mosaic - broadleaf forest, savanna and wetland across a quarter-million acres.
• The field stations - La Milpa and Hill Bank, taking researchers and visitors.
• The wildlife - jaguar, tapir and both monkey species present across the reserve.
• The birding - over four hundred species recorded in the area.

When to go

December to April is the dry season and the practical window; roads become difficult in the rains. Birding is best in the early morning. Bookings are essential.

Honest expectations

Access is only through the managing organisation and must be booked well ahead; there is no drop-in visiting. The roads in are rough and long. Accommodation is field-station standard, not lodge standard.

Nearby

La Milpa is inside the reserve, and Orange Walk is east.