NORTHERN BELIZE • AMBERGRIS CAYE

Bacalar Chico National Park

Where the Belize Barrier Reef meets the shoreline.

Explore a landscape of mangroves, lagoons, forests, coral reefs, wildlife and cultural history.

Explore BCNP

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PROTECTED • CULTURAL • MARINE

A Unique Protected Landscape

Bacalar Chico National Park is located on the northern section of Ambergris Caye, bordering Mexico.

1996

ESTABLISHED

60 km²

PARK & MARINE RESERVE

UNESCO

WORLD HERITAGE SITE

ABOUT BCNP

A Landscape Shaped by Nature & People

Bacalar Chico National Park (BCNP) is found on the northern section of Ambergris Caye, bordering Mexico.

It was set up in 1996 under the National Park Systems Act (Laws of Belize Chapter 215, Revised 2000) as a result of lobbying from local fishers from the village of Sarteneja.

The Bacalar Chico Marine Reserve (BCMR), together with the National Park and the terrestrial area of Bacalar Chico, encompasses 60 km² and includes mangroves, lagoons, sublittoral forests and coral reef habitats.

The park is also identified in the original page content as a UNESCO World Heritage site.

A UNIQUE COASTAL LANDSCAPE

Rocky Point

The coastal reaches of the Bacalar region support many unique natural characteristics.

Rocky Point is identified in the original page content as the only location in Belize where the Belize Barrier Reef touches the shoreline.

MARINE WILDLIFE

An Important Turtle Nesting Area

The coastline from Rocky Point southwards to Robles Point has been recognized as an important marine turtle nesting area.

Loggerhead Turtles

The area supported the largest number of Loggerhead and Green Sea Turtle nests in Belize during the period described in the original page content.

Green Sea Turtles

Green Sea Turtle nesting is specifically identified as an important feature of the Bacalar region.

Hawksbill Turtles

The original page content notes periodic visits by nesting Hawksbill Turtles.

CULTURAL HISTORY

A Landscape with a Long Human History

The Bacalar region has a long history of cultural importance.

Archaeological studies conducted in the 1980s recognized that the coastal reaches of the Bacalar region once supported several trading, agricultural and fishing settlements established by the ancient Maya.

The area has also been intermittently utilized by settlers from colonial times to the present day.

A LIVING CONNECTION

The Bacalar Chico Channel

The Bacalar Chico channel provides fishers from the mainland villages of Sarteneja and Corozal access to the inner lagoon, the main barrier reef and deep waters from the western side of Ambergris Caye.

The coastal reaches are also accessible by fishers entering from Mexico in the north and from San Pedro Town in the south.