Birding and ruins in beautiful Belize
Ancient temples, jungle vistas make for a fascinating vacation, writes Debbie Olsen.
As the blazing Belizian sun shone down on the ancient Mayan city of Altun Ha, my husband and I huffed and puffed our way up the steep uneven steps leading to the pinnacle of the Temple of the Sun God. According to our guide, Ann Marie, this was a perfect day to see the view from the top of this ancient temple. “The sun god is happy when the sun shines,” she said right before she parked herself under a shady tree and suggested we go on without her.
Reaching the top, we gazed out at a 360-degree view of crumbling ruins and verdant jungle. I’m not sure if the sun god was smiling, but we certainly were. Having the view all to ourselves was the best part. There wasn’t another soul in sight — except for Ann Marie under the tree.
If you visit when a cruise ship is in port, this Maya site about 50 kilometres north of Belize City will be packed with people. “You picked a good day to visit,” said our guide, who began her career with Carnival Cruise Line. “This is how a ceremonial site ought to be seen.”
Altun Ha is smaller than many of the other Maya sites, but its Temple of the Sun God is a national icon in Belize, appearing on Belkin beer labels and Belizean bank notes. A 1968 excavation of the tombs inside the temple by Dr. David Pendergast of the Royal Ontario Museum of Canada uncovered a 15-centimetre tall, intricately carved jade head of Kinich Ahau, the Maya sun god. As the largest well-carved jade object ever recovered from a Maya archeological site, it is one of the crown jewels of Belize.
For us, the stop at Altun Ha was part of a short extension tour with Island Expeditions. The tour promised to allow us to explore two ancient Maya sites and visit one of the top birding locations in the country.
We said our goodbyes to Ann Marie and made our way to the van to head to Crooked Tree Wildlife Sanctuary and the Bird’s Eye View Lodge — a top birding destination and our accommodation for the night. As we drove into the sanctuary, our driver Leonard began pointing out the flora and fauna. “We call that Bamboo Chicken,” he said, pointing to a large Green Iguana in a leafy bush. “People used to hunt them for their meat — especially in the spring because the eggs are considered a delicacy. Now the species is protected.”
The sanctuary contains more than 16,400 acres of lagoons, creeks, wetlands and terrestrial habitat and is recognized as a wetland of international impor-
tance. Home to thousands of native and migratory birds, it’s one of the best birdwatching areas in Central America. We wandered around the edge of the lagoon and saw snowy egret, little blue heron, black-collared hawk and Rufus-tailed jacamar.
The next day we were up at the crack of dawn for a sunrise boat tour of the lagoon where we were introduced to countless species of birds, including the sanctuary’s most famous resident, the jabiru stork, the tallest flying bird in Central America.
Our final tour involved a boat journey along the New River to the ancient Maya ruins of Lamanai, one of the largest Maya sites in Belize. We saw monkeys, birds and a few crocodiles as we glided along the river by motorboat. The name Lamanai means “submerged crocodile” and it still seems to fit. The city was built on the edge of a 45-km-long lagoon.
In all, there are about 60 Mayan structures spread over the 950-acre archeological reserve — many still only partially excavated. We climbed to the top of the High Temple, took in the view and listened to the howler monkeys barking in the trees below. There is something hauntingly beautiful in seeing what remains of a once magnificent city whose history spanned 3,000 years. Even though a cruise ship was in port, this time we didn’t mind sharing our view.