One of the country’s newer reserves, the Bacalar Chico Reserve offers acres of marine and terrestrial reserve. Visitors will enjoy its lush forests, pristine waters and rich wildlife via Bacalar Chico tours.

Bacalar Chico Reserve is home to plants and animals

Compared with the other reserves found in Belize, the marine and terrestrial reserve of BacalarChico has only just started a legacy of conservation. On August 23, 1996, the park was officially opened, after the village leaders in Sartenaja started to lobby for a reserve in an area that they can easily access. A site visit by ITCF and NYZS in 1991 established the conservation value of the area. Today, Bacalar Chico is made up of 15,000 acres of marine reserve and 12,000 acres of terrestrial reserve and has been named a World Heritage Site by UNESCO. It is located at the northern tip of the Ambergris Caye overlooking the Bay of Mexico and Chetumal.

Bacalar Chico covers 130 square kilometers of the pristine Belize Barrier Reef and Rocky and Robles Points, which is the only place on the mainland where the barrier reef touches the coastline. The beach front of the reef, which includes extensive mangrove lagooons, serves the main Belizean nesting area for Green and Loggerhead turtles, an indispensible nursery for many reef fish, and breeding grounds for coastal and marine birds. The Bacalar Chico channel functions as the northern boundary of the part, narrowly separating Belize from neighboring Mexico. Because of the close proximity of Bacalar Chico to Mexico, a trans-national reserve encompassing Quintana Roof can develop in the future.

Much of the wildlife in Bacalar Chico resembles Yucatan endemics. Almost 200 pecies of birds, 40 mammals (along with all give of the cats of Belize, 58 reptiles, and 22 amphibian species inhabit the place. Bacalar Chico sits on the limestone remains of coral reefs that once thrived in the area during times of higher sea level. All throughout the area, remnants of this reef foundation stick out, most notable of which is the Rocky Point, where the old back reef and reef crest are exposed.

Aside from an abundance of wildlife, several Mayan sites lie scattered all throughout Bacalar Chico National Park and Marine Reserve. During the height of the Mayan culture, this place was discovered to be an indispensable trans-shipment point. Back then, the merchants would paddle down from the very populated river valley cities inland that head on to the sea and beyond. When you reach the coast, goods and people will transfer to bigger boats that are safer and more suitable for the long trips that lie ahead.

An ancient sea wall that is clearly visible under the surface at the side of San Juan near the northwest corner of Ambergris Caye will take visitors back to a time when the beach was bustling with activity. Today, there are thousands of pottery shards that litter the beach. Mayans dug and cleared the area, which is now known as the Bacalar Chico Channel to avoid the long journey around the caye’s southern tip. The ranger station of the Belize Fisheries Department is located amidst the ruins of Chac-balam, which is another important Maya trading center some 1500 years ago.

Being one of the newest reserves of the country, the park is accessible only by sea from points on Sarteneja, Ambergris Caye and elsewhere on the mainland off the Bay of Chetumal. The Mexican port town of X’calak, which is only less than 30 minutes away by boat, can also quickly transport visitors. Explore the diverse underworld as well by taking a Bacalar Chico snorkeling or dive. There are Bacalar Chico tours that can be arranged through local tour guides. When going here, dress lightly for the Bacalar Chico activities. Wear a bathing suit, sunscreen or repellent, comfortable sandals or shoes, hat and sunglasses.