Hol Chan Reserve travel tips and stories. Vacations ideas, cruises, spa and resorts

Just off the balmy tropical coast of Belize lies one of the world’s greatest natural wonders – a 290 -km -long coral reef second only in extent to Australia’s Great Barrier Reef. Although it may be smaller, Belize boasts one significant advantage over its antipodean rival: ease of access. Photo by: perato

In places, the reef sits less than 300 m from the shore in calm, shallow, almost crystal-clear waters that make snorkeling the reef about as easy and laid-back an experience as you could wish for. The reef is biologically intense environment providing  homes to a vast assortment of creatures – from brightly coloured, almost fluorescent fish to giant mantra rays and marine turtles – who weave in and out of the strange, undulating coral structure. Photo by: seattle.transplant

Renting a kayak and snorkeling gear to undertake your own coral exploration will set you back just a few Belizean dollars. For other rewarding wildlife-watching opportunities, take an organize tour, which will take you to some of the reef’s more hard-to-reach spots. Photo by: funtoteach

The most renowned is probably the Hol Chan Reserve, named after a narrow gap in the reef cut hundreds of years ago by local Maya tribes as an access passage for their boats. Today it acts as a bottleneck for marine animals traveling between the waters inside the reef and an open seas beyond. It is particularly good place for spotting large fish, such as sharks, groupers and barracuda. Photo by: steveike

Photo by: steveike