Ambergris Caye,  Belize,  Blue Hole Belize

Leaving on a Jet Plane

May 21, 2011
Don’t know when I’ll be back again. No worries, I will return on June 1st, but I have compiled posts for you guys to enjoy while I am away.

Hello everyone! Today, I am headed to Ambergris Caye, Belize. Wooohoooo! The island Ambergris Caye, pronounced “am-BER-gris”, is the largest island of Belize located northeast of the country in the Caribbean Sea. Though administered as part of the Belize District, the closest point on the mainland is part of the Corozal District.

A Maya community lived on the island in Pre-Columbian times, and made distinctive polished red ceramics, most notably small well molded figurines of animals.
The Caye (pronounced as “key”, meaning an island, derived from the Spanish language “cayo”) is about 25 miles long from north to south, and about one mile wide. It was named after large lumps of ambergris which washed ashore here.
The Belizean island, where it has not been modified by man, is mostly a ring of white sand beach around mangrove swamp in the centre.  San Pedro Town is the largest settlement and only town on Ambergris.

The Great Blue Hole
A feature attraction of Diving in Belize, Especially for divers with a appreciation of geographical phenomena, is the opportunity to explore the famed Blue Hole. Part of the Lighthouse Reef System, it lies approximately 60 miles off the mainland out of Belize City. It is one of the most astounding dive sites to be found anywhere on earth, right in the center of Lighthouse Reef is a large, almost perfectly circular hole approximately one quarter of a mile (.4 km) across. Inside this hole the water is 480 feet (145 m) deep and it is the depth of water which gives the deep blue color that causes such structures throughout the world to be known as “blue holes.”

From the beautiful azure waters of the Caribbean, to the Maya Mountains and the Pine Ridge, Belize has an adventure for everyone. Spectacular caves, winding waterfalls, virgin tropical rainforest, and hundreds of limestone caves make for exciting vistas. Belize is home to many ancient Maya ruins and temples that will entice you to learn more of their history. Zip lining through the forest, cave tubing through Maya caves, scuba diving and snorkeling the Belize Barrier Reef, sailing the cayes, parasailing, or just hiking through the jungle, you will find a wonderful, unforgettable journey awaiting you in Belize.

Belize has the amazing Belize coral reef system, the second largest in the world after the Great Barrier Reef of Australia and this hemisphere’s longest, running offshore, and many cayes (islands of coral sand) are surrounded by astounding reefs to snorkle or scuba dive. The reef lies one-half mile east of the Ambergris Caye shoreline and runs the entire 25 mile length of the island. This has made San Pedro Town the dive and water sports capital of Belize and Central America. The Great Blue Hole, Turneffe Islands, Shark Ray Alley, Hol Chan Marine Reserve, Mexico Rocks, Lighthouse Reef, and many other diving areas are all only a short boat ride away from this coconut palm lined island.

The Lamanai Mayan Ruins

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