Visit The Atolls, Belize
Most of Belize's atolls and outer cayes are only accessible by boat, and this remoteness, along with the stunning beaches and world-class diving, makes them all the more attractive to visit and spend a few days relaxing by the ocean.
Snorkelling on the Atolls of Belize
The atolls and outer cayes are only accessible by boat, except the Lighthouse Reef Atoll and Blackbird Caye on the Turneffe Atoll, which have an airstrip. And to many, their distance from the mainland has been a blessing in disguise, as fewer visitors frequent these islands.
Diving in these areas offers nearly virgin reefs to explore. Unlike Ambergris caye, less human impact has helped protect the coral and enchanted life just below the water's surface of the three atolls and outer cayes. Dolphins, manta rays, and manatees are commonly sighted.
Around the Atolls
To the southeast of Lighthouse Reef Atoll floats the 45-acre Half Moon Caye. With turquoise waters, rich marine life, and untouched coral, it is an ideal place for diving and snorkelling.
It is also home to Belies first national park, the Half Moon Caye Monument, where thousands of protected Red-footed Booby birds and Frigate birds can be viewed from observation decks.
The outer atoll at Turneffe Island is the closest to Belize's mainland, located about 25 miles east of Belize City. It is unique in that it is nearly covered with thick green mangroves with a shallow lagoon that gives shelter to a constant flow of marine life.
Diving
World class diving can be found off the extreme southern tip of the atoll, known as The Elbow. Here, enormous schools of permits, snappers, eagle rays, and groupers converge, sometimes numbering in the thousands. Fishing is also viewed as world-class by visitors to this Atoll and its islands.
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