Victoria Peak

Victoria Peak rises to about 1,120 metres in the Cockscomb range and is the second highest point in Belize, a granite horn visible from the coast on a clear day. The trek in from Cockscomb takes two days each way through broadleaf forest and river crossings, with a final scramble up rock to the summit, and it is genuinely hard: steep, wet and with no facilities beyond the camps. Numbers are limited and the route is closed in the wet season.

History

British expeditions of 1888 and 1889 made the first attempts on the mountain but scaled a nearby peak they mistook for it, and more expeditions followed in 1927-1928; named in honour of Queen Victoria, it was long thought the highest mountain in Belize, until Doyle's Delight was measured at 1,124 metres. On 2 May 1998 it was declared a natural monument of about 4,847 acres, bordered by the Cockscomb Basin Wildlife Sanctuary, the Sittee River Wildlife Reserve and Chiquibul National Park (Wikipedia, Victoria Peak - Belize).

What's there

• The summit - a granite peak at around 1,120 metres, the country's second highest.
• The river crossings - repeated fords on the approach through the forest.
• The broadleaf forest - the Cockscomb basin forest the route climbs through.
• The coast view - the Caribbean visible from the top on a clear day.

When to go

February to May is the permitted season; the route is closed for the rest of the year because of river levels. Trips must be booked well ahead. Even in season rain is likely and the trail is wet.

Before you go

This is a hard four-day trek, not a hike, and people turn back. A permit and licensed guide are compulsory and numbers are capped. Facilities are camps only, with everything carried in and out.

Nearby

Cockscomb Basin is the trailhead, and Dangriga is northeast.

Key facts