The Great Blue Hole of Belize

Deep Dive or Fly Over the Belizean way
2021-02-05
/
/ Kolkata
Belize
Belize, a small country in Central America, has a lot for tourists. Other than the Mayan ruin, and several cave explorations, the jewel in the crown is the Great Blue Hole, part of the larger Belize Barrier Reef Reserve, a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
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Blue Hole of BelizeLocated on south-east borders of Mexico and on the Caribbean coast, Belize is over a day’s flight away from India. Despite its small size, Belize boasts of astounding dive sites in the world for seekers of extreme adventure activities. Those not into diving can opt for a flying tour of the Great Blue Hole as the Belize barrier reef is a spectacle from inside as well as outside.

Belize is a well-endowed luxurious eco-tourism destination with lush jungles filled with exotic plants and animals, local culture of deep-sea fishing, along with swimming, snorkelling, diving and scuba diving in the Caribbean Sea with its attractive reefs and visiting the Mayan ruins.

With a long Caribbean coast, Belize is a culturally diverse country with one foot in Latin America and the other in the Caribbean with strong Creole (Afro-European) as well as Mayan influence. Tourism has become the mainstay of the economy and has seen significant growth. Luxury tourists come and stay for leisure vacations in resorts by the sea during the good seasons. Tourists are advised to avoid June to November as it is high time for the hurricanes bringing coastal flooding.

The Philip S. W. Goldson International Airport in Ladyville, to the northwest of Belize City receives international direct flights from Atlanta, Charlotte, Newark, Miami, Dallas, Houston, Flores, San Salvador, Roatan and San Pedro Sula.

Along with China and other South Asian countries, Indian tourists need a repatriation document on top of a visa which must be checked before travelling to Belize. All visitors are required to have sufficient funds, a minimum of USD 75 per day, and documents are required for their next destination. The Belize dollar (BZD), usually symbolised with a “$”, is officially worth exactly half of a USD. Because of this simple and consistent exchange rate, USD are widely accepted, but this also means one should be careful to clarify which “dollars” are being exchanged when negotiating prices. Foreigners are required to pay a conservation upkeep fee when leaving Belize via land, air, or water. But despite warm bilateral ties and Belize continuing to receive strong economic support from India, it is surprising to note that Indian tourists are categorised with a few others to pay a high amount of repatriation fee on arrival.

A visit to the Mayan ruins is a must, so is a guided tour of cave explorations. But Belize is really known for its marine life. One of the best ways to explore Belize waters is by chartering a sailboat or catamaran to make the most of the available time. For those with a smaller budget, snorkelling and driving excursions can be found along the beaches of Ambergris Caye and Caye Caulker.

And for a lifetime excursion to the Blue Hole, prepare to burn your pocket for a luxurious experience. Many tourists don’t mind paying for a helicopter ride or a seaplane tour over the reef as only handful divers with high scuba ratings can dive into the hole.

The Great Blue Hole is a giant marine sinkhole near the centre of Lighthouse Reef, a small atoll 70 km off the easternmost part of Belize’s reef. The hole is circular in shape and is 318 m across and 125 m deep. Even though it is an incredibly deep hole, the great visibility underwater easily allows divers to see the cave formations and marine wildlife. It looks amazing from the sky and is even visible from the outer space.

A close encounter with the sharks and enormous stalactites located deep down 40 m below the sea level which hang from the ceiling like Stone Age chandeliers make for a breath-taking experience for scuba divers while a scenic flying tour satisfies the non-diving tourists with all the photo-ops. Many local airlines conduct ‘Flyover Tours’ to the hole in about 60 minutes. It takes 20 minutes to reach the top of the Giant Hole and 20 minutes to return. The tiny charter flights hover over the hole several times in loop for about 10 minutes giving an up, close and personal view to all the passengers who are seated by their respective windows. The incredibly dark blue water in the middle surrounded by a wall of corals comes out so perfectly that photos taken from any angle look amazing.

 

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