With at least 60 species of birds at Turneffe, birding is another highlight.  You may also want to tour the atoll searching for manatees and dolphins or enjoy an afternoon kayaking. Our Atoll Adventure Program is a very flexible and is tailored to fit the particular interests of each group.

Of course, exploring the 300 square mile Turneffe Atoll can, itself, be an adventure. Turneffe has a fascinating history, including Mayan fishing and trading settlements dating to 400 A.D. Turneffe was also a favored hideout for Blackbeard, one of the notorious pirates of the Caribbean.  For most guests, learning about the history of Turneffe as well as the fascinating history of Belize is one of the more enjoyable parts of their visit.

Our Atoll Adventure guide is Abelino "Abel" Coe.  Abel was born and raised in a Maya community in Southern Belize and his first language was Maya. Abel is an avid student of Maya history as well as the rest of Belize's history.   Days with Abel are informative and fun.  He knows the flora and fauna of Turneffe intimately and is very adept and finding all of the interesting things.  Abel is an excellent snorkeler and makes all  guests feel comfortable visiting the underwater wonders at Turneffe.

Belize Snorkeling Tours

You can expect to see a wide variety of tropical reef fishes, rays, sea turtles, lobsters, dolphins and possibly even a manatee.  While snorkeling, you will always be accompanied by our Atoll Adventure Guide who is a master at helping even novice snorkelers feel comfortable in the water.  He will make sure that your equipment fits and will teach you the best snorkeling techniques.  He knows where to find all of the interesting creatures and will ensure that you make the most of your snorkeling adventures.

Manatee & Dolphin Tour

Take a boat ride around the Atoll in search of Bottlenose & possibly Spotted Dolphins.  Pods of dolphins cruise the shallow water using their sonar system to hunt for fish & crustaceans buried in the sand. They are sometimes attracted by the sound of the engine and will suddenly pop up alongside the boat to have a look at you.  

Turneffe is an important location for West Indian Manatees which grow to 1,300 lbs and trundle along the sea grass beds browsing on vegetation. Their only living relative is the elephant and they still have toenails on their front flippers even though their back-end has evolved into a powerful spatulate tail.  These shy creatures, usually a single male or a mother and her calf, can be seen in the creeks around the Atoll.

Flats Walking Tour

Just inside the fringe reef along the seaward side of the atoll are miles of shallow, gin clear flats.  This is the area where fly fishing anglers search for bonefish and permit, and the "flats" are alive with sea creatures of all sorts.  With a discerning eye and the aid of your guide, you will likely see schools of bonefish, permit, trunk (box) fish, barracudas, small rays, snappers and even small sharks. In the surf you can sometimes see large Parrot Fish or Trigger Fish with their backs half out of the water.  The flats are covered with turtle grass, which is a key habitat for many species of juvenile fish, and the flats are also vital in protecting the coral reef by acting as a sediment filter.

Turneffe Atoll Birding Tour

Approximately 60 species have been identified on the Turneffe Atoll. The following are fairly commonly seen are: The Snowy Egret, Little Blue Heron, Great Blue Heron, Tricolored Heron, Yellow-crowned Night Heron, Clapper Rail, Mangrove Swallow, Brown Pelican, Magnificent Frigatebird, Double-crested Cormorant, Osprey, Mangrove Warbler, Great tailed Grackle, Goldenfronted Woodpecker, Tropical Mockingbird, Cinnamon Hummingbird, Great Breasted Mango, White Crowned Pigeon and Royal Tern.

Seen on occasion are: The Belted Kingfisher, White-eyed Vireo, Northern Waterthrush, Barn Swallow, Perigrine Falcon, Merlin, Common Yellowthroat, Bay Breasted Warbler, Red-eyed Vireo, Palm Warbler, Cape May Warbler, Eastern Wood Pewee, Summer Tanager, Brown Booby, Yucatan Vireo, Hooded Oriole, American Redstart, Least Tern and the Roseate Tern.

Crocodile Tour

The Turneffe Atoll is one of the largest remaining nesting areas in the Caribbean for the docile and threatened American Crocodiles ( Crocodylus acutus ).  Join our Adventure Guide for a leisurely boat ride around the mangrove islands for the opportunity to see these crocodiles in their natural habitat. You are likely to see crocs sunning themselves or swimming in isolated lagoons.  Additionally, you will see crocodile nests and possibly baby crocodiles. Unlike the Australian and African Crocodiles, the American Crocodile eats mostly fish and is very timid. When approached while sunning on the shore, they run for the safety of the water and submerge.  Your Adventure Leader also conducts a weekly 'Crocodile Hunt' where we slowly motor through the lagoons by flashlight looking for the red glow of crocodile eyes.

Sea Shell & Starfish Tour

In several sandy areas around the atoll, you can snorkel above huge Cushion Sea Stars, varying in color from pale yellow to burgundy red.  If you wish to add to your seashell collection, there are opportunities to walk the shores of the many small cayes on the Atoll to search for a variety of shells that wash up with each tide.  Conch fishing is a vital part of the commercial fishing economy at Turneffe and there are thousands of discarded Queen Conch shells to choose from.  In addition, you may find exoskeletons of Long Spined Sea urchins and intact West Indian Sea Eggs.

Belizean Cooking Class

Spend part of a day in the kitchen with one of our cooks learning how to prepare empanadas, tortillas or garnaches the Belizean way. This is more than a cooking class; it is a culture class. You will go home with recipes and fond memories.

The Maya and Turneffe

Your guide Abel, a Kek'chi Maya, grew up in a Maya village in Southern Belize and will explain the history of the Maya in Belize as well as the traditions and beliefs of the Maya culture.  His knowledge and ability to share it is something special.

Several Maya fishing villages have been identified on the Turneffe Atoll dating to 400 A.D. Turneffe was clearly part of the intricate trade routes of the Maya and artifacts from Turneffe indicate that they traded goods with peoples as far away as Guatemala.

Belize is thought to have been at the center of the Maya civilization, which was at its peak from 900 B.C. to 900 A.D.  Today the Maya make up approximately 11% of the population of Belize with several villages still speaking one of the three Maya languages as their first language. Learn about the three Maya groups inhabiting Belize - the Yucatec, the Mopan & the Kek'chi Maya.  If you are lucky, you may run across a Maya artifact or two.

Lighthouse Atoll, Half Moon Caye - Snorkeling & Birding Tour

Conditions allowing, you will have an opportunity to spend the day at the southern end of the Lighthouse Atoll.  Your first stop will be The Great Blue Hole.  This amazing structure was formed millions of years ago when the roof an underground cave collapsed. Now, the cave is filled with seawater and forms a circular hole 1000ft in diameter and 480 ft deep.  This is primarily a scuba diving attraction but the coral edges provide a unique and wonderful snorkeling experience.

Next, you will visit Half Moon Caye. This small caye was established as a Crown Reserve in 1928 and became the first Marine Reserve in Belize.  Here a colony of Red-footed Booby birds nest in the tops of the Zericote trees. Whereas the Red-footed boobies in the Galapagos and other parts of the world have brown plumage, almost all of these 4000 birds display the rare white color phase.

The Magnificent Frigatebird, with a 7ft wingspan also shares this rookery. Since they cannot land on water, they mostly feed by harassing the returning boobies until they drop their catch.  Some 98 other species of birds have been documented on the caye including Ospreys, Great Tailed Grackles, Cinnamon Hummingbirds and White-crowned pigeons.

If you feel like some additional exercise, you can kayak the 1000 yards to the shipwreck of the Ermlund.  The wreckage of this vessel sits on the top of the reef where it was deposited during a storm in 1971.

After a picnic lunch under the shade of the palm trees we set off for Long Caye, to snorkel 'The Aquarium'.  Here you watch from above as divers feed thousands of Bermuda Chub, Sergeant Majors and Yellowtail Snappers with leftover bread.

If we are lucky, a large pod of Common Dolphin or Spinner Dolphin will escort us part of the way back to Turneffe Flats. 

Mangrove Snorkeling

Mangroves are the backbone of Turneffe, as well as all coastal marine habitats.  They provide essential nursery habitat for a diverse community of fishes and are the nutritional backbone for the entire ecosystem. In addition, they provide a protective barrier for storms and help protect the coral reef. The predominant mangroves at Turneffe are Red Mangroves but stands of Black and White Mangroves are present as well.  Take a peek into this fascinating world by snorkeling amongst the juvenile snappers, grunts, lobsters and even nurse sharks & turtles.  This will make you understand the vital nature of these plants to our coastal marine environment.

Night Snorkel Tour

After dark the ocean comes alive allowing snorkelers to see many things that can't be witnessed during the daylight. Snorkel with your Adventure Guide from our dock and explore the coral reef by flashlight!  Your guide will point out the intriguing creatures that prefer the night shift such as Octopus, Caribbean Squid, Tiger Tail Sea Cucumbers, Squirrel Fish and Slipper Lobsters.  See the coral come alive with their polyps wafting in the current, actively feeding on the plankton which glows and sparkles with bioluminescent light.  This tour is great fun and allow you to appreciate the most active period for many marine creatures.

Turneffe Atoll Eco Tour

To some extent, this is the culmination of several tours.  Its combination of healthy coral reef, back reef flats, extensive sea grass beds and mangroves make Turneffe the largest and most biologically diverse atoll in the Caribbean.

The Turneffe Atoll is one of only three coral atolls in the Caribbean - two others (Lighthouse Atoll and Glover's Atoll) are located in Belize and the fourth is in Southern Mexico.  Formation of these coral atolls was accomplished through years of coral buildup rather than by volcanic activity - the more common mechanism of atoll formation.  The entire Atoll is surrounded by a fringe coral reef with waters inside the reef varying from less than a foot deep to 30 feet in depth.  Ocean depths around the atoll are thought to reach 9000 feet.

Approximately 30 miles long and 10 miles across, Turneffe has evolved as a model coastal marine ecosystem.  This involves the following intimately interrelated habitats; the coral reef, the back reef flats, the sea grass beds, the mangroves and the littoral forest.  During you visit you will learn how all of these varied habitats are interrelated and interdependent.  You will learn what is required to sustain healthy coral reefs, the functions of the back reef flats, the importance of healthy sea grass beds and the reasons that mangroves are vital to the entire ecosystem. 

In the end, we hope that you will agree that the unique and special environment of the Turneffe Atoll warrants protection from treats such as over-fishing, over-development and improper development that have decimated much of the coastal ecology in other parts of the world.

Mainland Tour

A mainland tour is optional. If you wish to do a mainland tour you will go to Belize City on our supply day (Tuesday or Wednesday), meet with one of the best tour guides in Belize and visit a Mayan Ruin, the Belize Zoo, or the rain forest. The mainland tour is an additional expense, which is paid directly to the tour operator. Costs depend upon the tour chosen, but usually range from $50-$75/person.

Sea Kayaking

Before or after your guided activities, take one of our sea kayaks out for a better look at the surroundings and enjoy the marine life close at hand.  While getting some exercise, you can explore the creeks that wind amongst the mangrove islands, and the myriad of marine life inhabiting the "flats" including boxfish, stingrays and bonefish.  Take your snorkeling gear with you and take a dip when you need to cool off or take a closer look at the marine life.

Discover SCUBA Diving Course

Have you ever wondered about SCUBA Diving? During your stay, you may want to spend half a day learning about and experiencing the excitement of SCUBA Diving.  Our Dive Instructors offer this introductory course which consists of basic SCUBA instruction followed by two shallow dives. There is an additional charge of $140 plus 9% Sales Tax for this course.

Don't Forget to Bring

Mask, fins, snorkel*
Dive skin or wet suit if desired*
Sunscreen
Polarized sunglasses
Hat for sun protection on the boat
Insect repellent
Raincoat
Camera and plenty of film
Binoculars
First-aid medications
Prescription medications
Wading Shoes
(These need to be firm soled shoes designed for flats wading and impermeable to small, sharp indent pieces of coral. Light tennis shoes will not work and can be dangerous.)
 

* These are not available for rent at the lodge.