CROOKED TREE WILDLIFE SANCTUARY
The country's leading nature reserve, home to the largest population of Jabiru storks in Central America
Long a well-known hunting ground in Belize, Crooked Tree became a reserve in 1984 thanks to the Belize Audubon Society. As a result, the local population has gradually been able to control the practice of hunting, and the site has become one of Belize's best-known for birdwatching, with a focus on ecotourism. A system of lagoons, rivers, streams, marshes, savannahs and forests unfolds over a very wet territory of more than 60 km². The reserve is home to over 300 species of land and water birds, as well as howler monkeys, crocodiles, iguanas and other typical Caribbean fauna. The best way to discover this beautiful reserve is undoubtedly by boat, thanks to the services of local guides who will take you to the best spots for observing this rare and wild fauna. The village of Crooked Tree, home to around a thousand residents and created by one of the country's oldest Creole communities, is also a must for those interested in the culture of the countries they visit! You'll meet families who have lived here for many years, and who will be delighted to help you discover their community. The reserve would be nothing without the village, which would probably be abandoned by now were it not for the reserve's role in attracting visitors. A fine example of societal symbiosis.