Doyle's Delight is the highest peak in

Belize Belize (; bzj, Bileez) is a Caribbean and Central American country on the northeastern coast of Central America. It is bordered by Mexico to the north, the Caribbean Sea to the east, and Guatemala to the west and south. It also shares a wate ...

at . It lies on the Maya Divide, the main ridge line of the Maya Mountains in southwestern Belize. The name Doyle's Delight was first coined by Sharon Matola in a 1989 report. The name is based on

Sir Arthur Conan Doyle Sir Arthur Ignatius Conan Doyle (22 May 1859 – 7 July 1930) was a British writer and physician. He created the character Sherlock Holmes in 1887 for '' A Study in Scarlet'', the first of four novels and fifty-six short stories about Ho ...

's book ''The Lost World'' (1912), which contains the quote "there must be something wild and wonderful in a country such as this, and we're the men to find it out!". This name has meanwhile achieved widespread acceptance. The official Government of Belize Website lists Doyle's Delight as the highest point in Belize. The capital of Belize, Belmopan, has a "Doyle's Delight Street". Recently there has been an attempt to rename the peak to "Kaan Witz" which is Maya for "Sky Mountain", but the new name has not gained widespread acceptance. Although

Victoria Peak Victoria Peak is a hill on the western half of Hong Kong Island. It is also known as Mount Austin, and locally as The Peak only generally. With an elevation of , it is the highest hill on Hong Kong Island, ranked 29 in terms of elevation in Ho ...

was for many years touted as the highest point in Belize, recent assessments determined that it is apparently slightly lower at . Victoria Peak is located east of the Maya Mountain Divide in the Stann Creek District, and in clear weather its dramatic peak is visible from the coast. Doyle's Delight is located in the heart of the Maya Mountains and is part of a more gently sloping range, with no dramatic peak.

Expeditions

There is a clearing on the peak that is maintained by the

Belize Defence Force The Belize Defence Force (BDF) is the military of Belize, and is responsible for protecting the sovereignty of the country. The BDF is under the Ministry of National Defence and Border Security, which is currently headed by Hon. Florencio Marin Jr ...

and the British Military as a helicopter landing. In 1970, a survey marker was placed at the high point of the ridge. In 2004 and 2007 ecologists reached the summit by using a helicopter and surveyed Doyle's Delight and adjacent ridges to better understand the ecology and biodiversity of the region. These efforts focused on plants, fungi, insects, amphibians, birds, and small mammals, and produced preliminary inventory data for the area. Two notable expeditions by mountaineers, in 2007 and 2008, reached the summit by hiking and climbing for eight days through the virgin jungle. The second expedition members included: Bruno Kuppinger (Germany), Christian Rodriguez (Guatemala), Douglas Leonardo (Guatemala), Emilino Sho (Belize), Alfredo, and Erick Cho (Belize).Expedition 2008 report.
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References

External links

Ascenso a la cima Doyle’s Delight, el punto más alto de Belice
Mountains of Belize Cayo District Highest points of countries {{Belize-geo-stub