In Corozal District, Shipstern Nature Reserve puts nature in the spotlight: the 31-square-mile area is tropical rainforest. A visit combines a guided tour with several other stops. In Santa Rita and Corozal Town, the focus shifts from landscape to history—from a Postclassic community to a self-guided town walk.
Rainforest at Shipstern Nature Reserve
A visit to Shipstern Nature Reserve includes a guided tour of the Visitor’s Centre and Butterfly Garden, as well as visits to the museum, Botanical Trail, and Mahogany Park. This means the visit extends beyond a single guided tour. When planning, it is worth considering the other stops as well as the guided portion. The reserve experience thus combines a guided tour with visits to several other places.
Santa Rita: a Postclassic site
Santa Rita is located in the northwestern part of the present-day city of Corozal, in Corozal District. It was a Postclassic community; its location made it well suited to serve as a center of trade and communication. The connection between the settlement and its location gives this site a different historical perspective from the rainforest area: here, the importance of the location for trade and communication is central. If you are interested in history and earlier communities, Santa Rita adds another facet to the region’s nature-focused attractions.
Explore Corozal Town on a self-guided walk
The Corozal Town Historical Walk is a self-guided tour of about 45 minutes. It passes eight stops and begins at the Corozal House of Culture. The approximate duration gives you a concrete time frame; the starting point and eight stops make it easy to understand the route. Unlike the guided tour at Shipstern Nature Reserve, the walk is self-guided, while a guided tour is part of a visit to the reserve. If you plan to take the walk, check its current availability locally.
Cerros and Corozal Bay
Within the wider destination of Belize, Cerros can be reached from Corozal Bay by a short boat ride or by land. These two ways of getting there give you different options for your journey. If you plan to visit, check the current transportation options locally.
Belize in a broader natural context
At the level of the wider destination of Belize, the Belize Barrier Reef is a different natural environment from Shipstern’s rainforest: it extends the entire length of Belize and forms a large lagoon along the coast. The Belize Barrier Reef Reserve System is a connected system of seven marine protected areas along the barrier reef, the shelf lagoon, and the offshore atolls. It has been a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1996; its seven protected areas encompass 12 percent of the entire reef complex. The system is the largest reef complex in the Atlantic-Caribbean region and the second-largest reef system in the world. It provides habitat for threatened marine animals, including West Indian manatees, green sea turtles, hawksbill turtles, loggerhead turtles, and American crocodiles. Endemic and migratory birds also breed in the coastal forests of the cayes, atolls, and coastal areas. This view of Belize as a whole complements Corozal District’s local rainforest setting with a protected marine habitat.
Discover more destinations
Discover more destinations: San Pedro, Corozal, Orange Walk District, Corozal, Cayo, Toledo, Stann Creek, Belize.
Back to the main travel overview: Belize.
