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View the next Belize postcard
View photos of Belize |
By Amy Berridge
Conservation Writer
The Nature Conservancy
Day 3: Keeping Belize Wild
From Placencia to Punta Gorda
We’re traveling further south today, our destination the rainforest and some Maya ruins en route to Punta Gorda, a tiny town in Belize’s Toledo District.
We travel by water taxi from Placencia to Monkey River. Our slick city suitcases look out of place stacked in the bow of these glorified rowboats with outboards. The day is bright and sunny, but clouds threaten. Wil Maheia and Shiela Ramclam, our guides from Conservancy partner, Toldeo Institute for Environmental Development (TIDE) greet us on the village river banks. I settle into a seat on the waiting Bluebird bus that will transport us over the Maya mountains and watch as the jungle races by outside my window.
The sky is changeable, then rain pounds down with tropical fury. Wil passes around fresh pineapples, oranges, and bananas that revive me. The Southern Highway’s asphalt defers to dirt road as we begin our climb through the mountains en route to explore Nun Li Punit, a Maya archaeological site. The ruins are set deep in the Maya jungle on a ridge top with unbroken views of the rainforest in each direction. Ryan Fitchum shares his encyclopedic knowledge of Maya civilization as we explore the site. In particular, he explains how the Maya culture’s demise stemmed from deforestation, agricultural collapse, climate change, and an increasing disconnect between the ruling elites and the rest of society.
Back on the bus, we pass villages with thatched roofed homes. Chickens and pigs roam the yards. Small corn fields wind their way up mountain sides. Children return our waves. Through open schoolroom doorways, I see their older siblings in crisp blue uniforms. Our partners with TIDE are working hard to impart environmental awareness on this next generation of Belizeans. One of their more creative tactics is starting a Freshwater Cup soccer league. To enter the league, each village team must complete an environmental project aimed at safeguarding the watershed that feeds into the reef.
We arrive at Rio Blanco Waterfall Park, site of the Santa Cruz falls located deep in the Maya rainforest. Locals come here to dive off the high rocks, take a swim, or picnic. I decide not to take the plunge and walk up the river instead. I notice wide rocks blasted by the sun and think about snakes. Sure enough, a boa constrictor has just shed its skin on one of the rocks and rests in a nearby tree.
The sun begins to move westward, and we set off for the drive to Punta Gorda. As we jostle and bounce slowly over the dirt road, I’m reminded of similar school bus rides where I grew up in rural New Jersey. Most of the forests and fields of my childhood are gone forever due to overdevelopment. But as I drive down these dusty roads, I’m cautiously hopeful that perhaps Belize’s wild places may remain for these children.
Next: Snake Island!
For more information about Belize:
- The Nature Conservancy in Belize
Belize encompasses lush tropical rain forests, coastal mangrove forests, offshore cays and the Meso-American Reef — the second largest barrier reef system in the world - Field Guide: Meso-American Reef
More than a million years ago tiny marine organisms began laying the foundations of the Meso-American Reef, a long spine of coral hugging the shore of present-day Mexico, Belize, Guatemala and Honduras. - Ecotourism: Rio Bravo, Belize
Established in 1988, The Rio Bravo Conservation and Management Area is the largest private protected area in Belize, is abundant with wildlife, and accounts for 4 percent of the total national land area. - How You Can Help: Donate Online
Support conservation by helping to save the last great places in Belize.
