Guanacaste National Park

A compact nature reserve at the junction of the Roaring Creek and the Belize River, just a few kilometres north of Belmopan's town centre. The park covers only 50 acres, but the riverside trail passes through secondary jungle with an impressive tree canopy — guanacaste, ceiba, cohune palm, and strangler figs — and the swimming hole in the Roaring Creek is one of the best easy dips in the country.

Over 100 bird species have been recorded here, and you're likely to spot iguanas, armadillos, and bats without much effort. The trail takes about an hour to walk at a relaxed pace. There is a small admission fee, and guides are sometimes available at the entrance. It is the most accessible piece of real Belizean jungle from the capital.

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The park takes its name from the guanacaste tree — a massive hardwood also called tubroos locally — which was once used to make dugout canoes. One of the park's guanacaste specimens is over 100 years old and hollowed by fig trees that have grown around it in a slow arboreal embrace. The entire park covers just 50 acres but packs in an outsized variety of flora.

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