Guanacaste Park
Guanacaste Park is a fifty acre parcel of tropical
forest is located in the Cayo District, at the junction of the Western
Highway and Hummingbird Highway, about 2 miles north of Belmopan.
The park was founded in 1973 and was established as a national reserve
in 1988. It derives its name from the giant Guanacaste (tubroos) tree, one
of the largest trees found in Central America. These trees can reach a
height of over 130 feet, with a diameter in excess of six feet. Sadly,
there is only a single mature guanacaste tree within the park itself. In
addition to the guanacaste there are many other species of trees growing
in the park including the Rain Tree, Mammee Apple, Bukut, Quamwood, Cotton
Tree, Cohune Palms and Mahogany, the national tree of Belize.
The park area encompasses a superb area of
lush tropical forest. There are four trails that pass throughout the
parkland along the Belize River. The park offers a glimpse of the Belizean
forest, as well as some attractive pools for a swim.
Over one hundred species of birds have been recorded here, including
Blue-Crowned Mot-Mot, Black-Faced Ant-Thrush, Smoky-Brown Woodpecker,
Black-headed Trogon, Squirrel Cuckoo, Bright-rumped Attila and more. Some
of the wildlife can be seen in the park includes Jaguarundi, Kinkajou,
Paca, Armadillo, Agouti, White-tailed Deer, iguana, and several species of
bats and opossum.
Guanacaste Park is a fifty acre parcel of tropical
forest is located in the Cayo District, at the junction of the Western
Highway and Hummingbird Highway, about 2 miles north of Belmopan.
The park was founded in 1973 and was established as a national reserve
in 1988. It derives its name from the giant Guanacaste (tubroos) tree, one
of the largest trees found in Central America. These trees can reach a
height of over 130 feet, with a diameter in excess of six feet. Sadly,
there is only a single mature guanacaste tree within the park itself. In
addition to the guanacaste there are many other species of trees growing
in the park including the Rain Tree, Mammee Apple, Bukut, Quamwood, Cotton
Tree, Cohune Palms and Mahogany, the national tree of Belize.
The park area encompasses a superb area of
lush tropical forest. There are four trails that pass throughout the
parkland along the Belize River. The park offers a glimpse of the Belizean
forest, as well as some attractive pools for a swim.
Over one hundred species of birds have been recorded here, including
Blue-Crowned Mot-Mot, Black-Faced Ant-Thrush, Smoky-Brown Woodpecker,
Black-headed Trogon, Squirrel Cuckoo, Bright-rumped Attila and more. Some
of the wildlife can be seen in the park includes Jaguarundi, Kinkajou,
Paca, Armadillo, Agouti, White-tailed Deer, iguana, and several species of
bats and opossum.
Guanacaste National Park is the
name of a fifty acre parcel of tropical forest located on the
northside of the Western Highway just to the east of the Roaring
Creek Bridge. The land was first held as a Crown Reserve, then
became a park and later received the completely protected status of
National Park, to be administered by the Belize Audubon Society.
The park derives its name from the giant guanacaste or tubroos
tree growing near the southwestern edge of the park. This huge tree
shelters a large population of epiphytes (aerial plants) among its
branches. The tree is located only a short distance from the park
entrance and is well worth the short walk. The guanacaste or tubroos
tree is a fast growing species and one of the largest trees found in
Central America. It can reach a total height of over 130 feet, of
which 30 to 40 feet can be a straight trunk. The guanacaste tree can
attain a trunk diameter in excess of 6 feet
The tree has a large flat, widespreading crown with pale green
leaves and small white flowers. The seed pods are broad, flat, and
shiny dark brown, three to four inches across and coiled into almost
a complete circle. Some observers think the seed pods resemble a
human ear. This may account for one of the local names of the tree,
"monkey's ear tree".
Cattle feed on the leaves, flowers and pods. Tubroos is a
favorite timber for the dugout canoes so popular throughout Belize.
In Belize, canoes made of the tubroos tree are called doreys. The
wood is not readily attacked by the damaging pinworms which cause so
much damage to wooden boats. Other uses for the tough wood include
feeding troughs and mortars for hulling rice.
The large guanacaste tree in the park escaped being made into
a dorey despite its proximity to the Belize River. The trunk of the
tree, instead of growing straight as most guanacaste do, split very
near its base when young, so that the tree has three trunks instead
of one. This makes the tree even more widespread and a better
support for the many epiphytes, bromeliads and cacti.
In addition to the massive tubroos tree, there are many other
species of trees growing within the park boundaries. Some of these
include Mammee Apple, Quamwood, a large cotton tree, hundreds of
cohune palms and two mahogany trees. The mahogany tree is the
National Tree of Belize. Over one hundred species of birds have been
seen in the park. During the winter months the park's avian
population is swollen by the arrival of North American migrants.
During the early morning or late afternoon, the bird count can
easily swell with an extra 40 or 50 species.
Two of the most popular birds of the reserve are the beautiful
blue crowned mot mot and the black-faced ant thrush. Other
significant birds sighted within the park include trogons, cuckoos,
parrots and woodpeckers.
Mammals recorded within the park include the smallest wildcat in
Belize, the jaguarundi. Small mammals include the kinkajou, paca,
agouti, white-tailed deer and several different species of bats and
opossums. Four foot long iguanas can be found sunning themselves in
the upper branches of the big trees. They are just one of a number
of reptiles found within the park.
A self-guiding trail guide booklet is available at the new
visitor center. About thirty trees are labeled along the trails and
the tour booklet explains the different uses of these trees in
Belize. Swimming is also a popular sport at the park as the Belize
River takes a wide bend at the park, depositing lots of sand
creating a small beach.
Guanacaste National Park is small, but its location makes it very
important. The park is accessible to Belizeans and visitors alike.
It is located directly on a major bus route where the Western
Highway intersects the Hummingbird Highway. The new visitor center
outlines the history of the region as well as the wildlife.
Overnight accomodations are available in nearby Belmopan.
