The Mayflower Bocawina National Park is a national park 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 wa ...

that was established in 2001. This national park boasts a vast quantity of flora and fauna. The Mayflower Bocawina National Park is managed by the Friends of Mayflower Bocawina National Park and is listed as Category 2 on the

IUCN The International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN; officially International Union for Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources) is an international organization working in the field of nature conservation and sustainable use of natu ...

list.

Location

It is located on mile six on the Southern Highway, Stann-Creek District, and covers an estimated 7,000 acres of dense

tropical forest Tropical forests (a.k.a. jungle) are forested landscapes in tropical regions: ''i.e.'' land areas approximately bounded by the tropic of Cancer and Capricorn, but possibly affected by other factors such as prevailing winds. Some tropical fore ...

. Mayflower Bocawina National Park
''Plan You Belize Vacation.''
17 September 2016

Sightings

Up to date, 3 Maya temples have been discovered and a visitor center has been constructed. The Maya Center is located on the road opposite the visitor center. ''Maintzunun'' and ''T'au Witz'' are located a short distance away from the visitor center.

Species

Since its establishment as a national park, an estimated 238 species of birds have been identified. Some species include the

motmot The motmots or Momotidae are a family of birds in the order coraciiformes, which also includes the kingfishers, bee-eaters and rollers. All extant motmots are restricted to woodland or forests in the Neotropics, and the largest are in Middle A ...

parrot Parrots, also known as psittacines (), are birds of the roughly 398 species in 92 genera comprising the order Psittaciformes (), found mostly in tropical and subtropical regions. The order is subdivided into three superfamilies: the Psittacoide ...

and

toucan Toucans (, ) are members of the Neotropical near passerine bird family Ramphastidae. The Ramphastidae are most closely related to the American barbets. They are brightly marked and have large, often colorful bills. The family includes five g ...

. Other than birds there is also wildlife present such as

anteater Anteater is a common name for the four extant mammal species of the suborder Vermilingua (meaning "worm tongue") commonly known for eating ants and termites. The individual species have other names in English and other languages. Together wit ...

howler monkey Howler monkeys (genus ''Alouatta'', monotypic in subfamily Alouattinae) are the most widespread primate genus in the Neotropics and are among the largest of the platyrrhines along with the muriquis (''Brachyteles''), the spider monkeys (''Atele ...

jaguar The jaguar (''Panthera onca'') is a large cat species and the only living member of the genus ''Panthera'' native to the Americas. With a body length of up to and a weight of up to , it is the largest cat species in the Americas and the th ...

s and tapirs. Three waterfalls are also located within the parks 7,000 acres. Bocawina and Three Sisters falls are in close proximity to each other and are accessible hiking around the mountain area. Antelope Falls, on the other hand, is a more difficult hike up during the rainy season. Due to the fact that Antelope Falls is close to the Mayan city, it is believed that the fall held significant importance to the city's survival.

References

{{authority control National parks of Belize 2001 establishments in Belize Protected areas established in 2001 Stann Creek District