Enjoying the Wildlife

Belize is a great spot for wildlife with a mix of jungle and ocean in one tiny little country. You can head to the mainland for monkeys, interesting birds and maybe a jaguar. Or, you can head out to the reef for incredible fish, sharks, manatees and dolphins.  

We knew we would be missing the wildlife by staying at our hotel for the whole trip, but we were okay with that. We thought, MAYBE we will see a little lizard or a crab. Now, when I say “little lizard,” I was picturing the little lava lizards in the Galapagos or the ones you see scurry around sidewalks in Florida - the little guys that are a few inches in length. These guys did not disappoint - there were little brown lizards and little green lizards here and here, keeping us entertained throughout the week and scurrying when you tried to get close.

What I was NOT expecting were full on iguanas, well over a foot in length and more like the land/marine iguanas we have seen in the Galapagos and in Cuba. These guys, with their long tails and spike-crested backs, came as much more of a surprise! There were several who resided at the resort. They mostly stuck to the waterfall, but every once in a while, they would come out and lounge by the pool, or even pop up onto our deck during lunch! My kids were ecstatic, and my son Max, who barely says 10 words, was clearly shouting “LIZARDS!” by day 3 of our trip!

Each morning, we would eat breakfast on our porch, and then, while my husband and I peacefully sipped our coffee in the ocean breeze, my daughter would come take her brother's hand and say, "Let's go find lizards, buddy!" And...off they would walk, hand in hand, searching for lizards in their pajamas! (Be still, my heart!)

Aside from the fantastic reptiles, there were some gorgeous black birds that were all over the resort. They would hop from chair to chair on the deck or hop along the palm rooftops. You would think they were some sort of magical, mythical creature the way my children went mad for them. Max shrieked “Bird! Bird!!!” So many times that week that we stopped even reacting.

Finally, the most exciting creatures we encountered came out during a night swim. My daughter Brierty is an absolute water baby and would spend every minute in the pool if we would let her. She begged us to let her do a night swim, so we decided to go for it one night. We were the only ones in the pool, enjoying the lit up palm trees and glowing blue water when, all of a sudden, we started seeing these huge black birds swooping down around us and dipping into the water to either eat bugs or drink. There were three or four of them, and they were big and fast. They moved in such a flurry that it was difficult to get a good look at them, but they were putting on quite a show. Finally, one moved slow enough that we got a better look, and Max added yet another new word to his vocabulary. BATS!