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Category Archives: Belize

Altun Ha

On another day we had a tour of the Altun Ha Mayan temples. This site is nearer to Belize City and easily accessible by car or bus. It is in more of a park-like setting than Lamini and adjacent to the community of Rockstone Pond. The flattened area that had a limestone platform similar to Lamini, has been planted with grass because the tourists frequently slipped on the wet limestone. Our guide, Anne Marie showed us through the visitors’ center and told us about the history before showing us around the site. She didn’t accompany us to the pyramid tops but waited patiently in the shade down below.

A ten pound solid jade head in the form of Kinich Ahau, the Sun God was found at Altun Ha and is now under lock and key at the Central Bank of Belize. One of the pyramids is featured on the logo for Belikan beer, the most popular beer in Belize.

Anne Marie talks about the significance of Altun Ha
I think this is the pyramid featured on the Belikan beer label
The top of a pyramid
A logging operation just beyond the site
Cacti growing on a tree
This is an allspice tree!
On top of a pyramid
More steep stairs

Lamani

While we were at Crooked Tree, we had opportunities to tour some Mayan archaeological sites. They were generally referred to as ‘ruins’ but that doesn’t seem like a good way to describe them. Remains of a lost civilization? They were hardly ruined.

Lamani was once a major city of the Mayan civilization, occupied as early as the 16th century, BC. It continued to be occupied up til the 17th century AD. The word Lamani means submerged crocodile. It sits on the edge of a large lagoon of the New River in northern Belize. The amount of labor that went into these structures is nearly inconceivable. Before the building began, the jungle would be cleared and the land flattened and covered with a limestone surface and then the towering structures were created. The Mayan civilization was very divided. Most of the people were poor and did the building and produced the food for the powerful leaders. According to our guides, the powerful people were also differentiated by being tall and healthy and long-lived. The workers were very short and malnourished and died young.

Most archaeological work at Lamani began in the 1970’s. Only a small section of the site has been unearthed. It is estimated that there are around 800 more structures hidden in the jungle. We saw three major pyramids and a ball court.

To get there, we were driven west from Crooked Tree to a dock on the New River where we met our guide, Emir and got on a boat that took us to Lamini. Emir is of Mayan descent and proved to be an excellent boat handler and knowledgeable guide. It was a good two hours to get to the site with frequent stops along the way to study birds that he found for us.

The New River
Northern Jacanas are sometimes referred to as the Jesus birds because they seemingly walk on water
Fisherman in a traditional boat
Our tour boat
They brought us a picnic lunch before we started touring the grounds
I was surprised when our guide reached out and picked this beautiful flower. It is a relative of the bird-of-paradise
The fellow on the right asked what they were good for
Emir gave him a suggestion and he went with it
Strangler figs will eventually kill a tree
Howler monkey. Lamini is the only place we saw monkeys
Horse nuts. The white sap coming out of the cuts is a very functional adhesive. The fellow who adorned himself with flowers also glued his fingers together.
Coffee flower
Our first glimpse of a pyramid
Emir shared his knowledge of the culture and the place
View from the top
Steep stairs
The jungle at the edge of the opening
This is an artist’s rendition of how it looked when it was in use
Traditional flint for making tools
This structure is 33 meters tall and the tallest at Lamani. Construction began in 100 BC.
The view from the top with the New River lagoon in the distance
More steep stairs
Ball court. Winners in the competitions were often sacrificed. It was an honor.
Home of a leader
The jaguar temple
Jaguar face

Getting to Half Moon Caye

Originally we were to leave Crooked Tree by 8 am in order to get to Belize City to catch our water taxi out to Half Moon Caye. However, plans change and it was much later when we arrived at the dock. That meant a rougher crossing during an already windy day. Later, our guides told us that our ride was one of the roughest rides they had ever experienced. It is 55 miles from Belize City to the caye and the ride takes a solid two hours. We sat near the back of the boat surrounded by coolers of food and big jugs of water. Some people were able to sleep on the boat.

Loading luggage and provisions onto the boat
The guides wanted us to see the map of Belize before we left
Goodbye Belize City
Miss Anne was our cook and Clint was one of the guides. He also plays on the Belize National Soccer Team
Going between mangrove islands. That’s where the saltwater crocodiles live. Or so we were told.
Shanti is a volunteer for the Belize Audubon Society
At last. Half Moon Caye.
We were welcomed by Magnificent Frigatebirds and Red-footed Boobys

A Few Birds

We were traveling pretty light with only carry-on baggage so I had to limit the amount of camera gear I could take. That meant I had no super zoom or camera with a long lens. So my bird watching was pretty intense but my bird photography was not. At Crooked Tree we had an opportunity for an early morning, three hour birding tour by boat. We were treated to countless birds, many of them lifers for me. We were lucky to see five Jabiru Storks! They are considered endangered mostly due to habitat loss.

Here are a few distant images of some interesting birds.

Little Blue Heron that we saw in Belize City
Vermilion Flycatcher on her nest – middle right side of the image
White Ibises
Rufous-necked Wood-rail – my new favorite bird!
Boat-billed Herons
Green Heron
Black-collared Hawk
Jabiru Stork surrounded by many other wading birds
This is the iconic bird of Crooked Tree
They are five feet tall with a wingspan of eight feet!

Crooked Tree

Our first major destination was the Crooked Tree Wildlife Sanctuary. In Belize, the Belize Audubon Society (BAS) manages many protected areas – places that we in the US might consider to be National Wildlife Refuges or National Parks. BAS seeks to create a balance between people and the environment. Crooked Tree is a wetland of international significance giving homes to waterfowl, waterbirds, shorebirds, raptors and reptiles including crocodiles and iguanas among other wildlife. One of our guides had recently seen a jaguar cross the causeway that goes to the island. We were not so fortunate but I wonder if a jaguar watched us at some point.

We stayed at the Bird’s Eye View Lodge overlooking the lagoon that surrounds Crooked Tree Island. It is a family-owned and operated business, built in 1995. Accommodations were comfortable and the food was good. The guides and drivers were all highly knowledgeable and eager to share their knowledge and experience with us. On the drive from Belize City to Crooked Tree, the driver discussed the human history of the country and pointed out interesting sites.

It was the dry season and the water was shallow and receding in the lagoon. We saw many people fishing for tilapia and other warm water fish. Many of the trees were dropping leaves.

We learned a bit about agriculture in Belize. Much of the food is produced by Mennonite communities. Sugarcane is a major crop. Before the cane is cut, the fields are burned to remove the dead leaves and also to, hopefully, drive out or kill the poisonous snakes. The cane is cut by hand by mostly immigrant workers from Mexico, Guatemala and Honduras who are paid very little for a hard days’ work. Most of the sugar cane goes to the production of rum.

The Bird’s Eye View Lodge was a stepping off spot for birding tours and also visits to Mayan ruins. A person could easily spend a week there enjoying that region of Belize. I was not ready to leave after three full days.

Our room was decorated with fresh flowers when we arrived
The Bird’s Eye View Lodge
One beautiful sunrise
Common logo all around Belize
Harvested sugarcane
Waiting for a call?
This is what most dogs were doing in Belize
Going birding at first light
Michael was not only a good boat driver, but also an expert birder AND he used to be on the Belize National Cricket team.
Fishing boats
Ever-changing light
Fishing camp
Cows on the landscape
A trail near the lodge
Some traditional ways continue.
Waterlily
My favorite bougainvillea. It reminded me of apple blossoms.