On April 24, 2017, the influential news channel CNN published a list of UNESCO World Heritage sites to visit. Published on the travel section of its popular news site CNN.com, the article written by Jen Rose Smith presented a snapshot of eight of the 55 UNESCO World Heritages currently classified as being “in danger,” including the Belize Barrier Reef.
Seven of the sites featured in the CNN article are on dry land, including the Everglades area of southern Florida and areas in Central and South America devastated by war and civil unrest. The Belize Barrier Reef is unique in that it is the only marine World Heritage site to be included in the article, a vast chain of beautiful islands, crystal clear water, coral reefs, and sandy atolls.
The Belize Barrier Reef is part of the second-largest barrier reef in the world after Australia’s Great Barrier Reef. Measuring more than 200 miles from north to south, the Belize reef includes picture-postcard-perfect islands with palm trees, white sand beaches, and tranquil lagoons that are ideal for stand-up paddling, kayaking, swimming, scuba diving, and snorkeling.
Other world-class destinations on the Belize Barrier Reef include Shark Ray Alley, a section of the enormous Hol Chan Marine Reserve that is a natural cut in the reef where vast schools of harmless nurse sharks and stingrays transit from the deep ocean to the gentler interior side of the Caribbean. The reef is also home to several protected nature areas, including Laughing Bird Caye National Park, one of the top places to snorkel and bird watch in the country.
Another famous feature of the reef is the Belize Blue Hole. Measuring some 300 meters across (985 feet), the Belize Blue Hole was created more than 10,000 years ago when rising waters at the end of the Ice Age submerged a vast series of caverns and caves. Famed French marine biologist Jacques Cousteau declared the Belize Blue Hole to be one of his top 10 favorite diving spots when he explored the area in 1971.
Chabil Mar
Chabil Mar is an award-winning resort located on the Caribbean coast of the Placencia Peninsula in southern Belize. Chabil Mar features elegantly appointed villas, a gourmet restaurant, a lush tropical garden, and a seafront pier ideal for enjoying meals under the stars.
The resort is conveniently located just a few miles from the Belize Barrier Reef and offer guests Belize vacation packages that include scuba diving and snorkeling on the reef. Chabil Mar also organizes diving and snorkeling tours during the springtime to see migrating whale sharks that visit Belize each year near Gladden Spit on the reef.
Visit our website chabilmarvillas.com for more information on Belize, and don’t hesitate to send us an email, or call US/CAN Toll Free: 1-866-417-2377, Local: (011-501) 523-3606, if you have questions or need help in planning a Belize vacation.
