Sarteneja's wooden sailing dories, the lagoons of Shipstern, and manatees in Corozal Bay.
The dory, a boat built from a hollowed log or planks, has carried Belizeans across lagoons and rivers for generations. In Sarteneja, on the north coast, fishermen still sail wooden dories out to the reef for lobster and conch, and a few master builders still make them.
We spend a day in the village with someone who can introduce you, then go out on Corozal Bay with a guide who knows where the manatees feed, and on to the forests and lagoons of the Shipstern reserve.
Sarteneja
The boatyards, if the builders are working, and the waterfront.
Corozal Bay
Manatees in the shallows, quietly, from a small boat.Check before you travel
Shipstern
Forest and lagoon trails for birds.
On to the reef
By boat towards Caye Caulker to finish.
Crocodiles and herons on the way, temples in the forest at the end.
Turneffe and Lighthouse Reef on your own boat and your own timetable, including the Blue Hole, framed honestly.
