Northern River Belize

by Beth Tally

One of the most fascinating natural excursions you can ever experience is a ride up the Northern River in Belize. We made this trip from Caye Caulker along with our daughter, Lyn, and good friends Tom and Susan Hayward (whose perfectly detailed notes form the substance of this article). Our guide, Rico, came highly recommended. He proved to be extremely knowledgeable and quite engaging as he expertly maneuvered the boat through the river’s meandering bends.

The river itself cut through a dense mangrove forest with prop roots growing almost twenty feet high. In some places, it became so narrow and the mangroves so tall, we felt like we were running through some sort of canyon. The confused maze of roots on either side looked impenetrable but, with Rico’s skilled explanations, the jungle-like complex revealed itself to be a haven for plants and animals.

Having made this trip hundreds of times, he knew when to move us briskly upstream and when to throttle down for glimpses of specific plant species. Epiphytes, which are not parasitic but use their host as a platform, abound in the forest. We saw Cowhorn Orchids and Green Snake Cacti draped heavily around the higher prop roots. The Split-Leaf Philodendron were so dense, it gave the shadowy interior an appearance of lush greenness.

Rico pointed out several renegade trees sprouting through the mangrove. Most all have some benefit, either economic or medicinal. The Sapodilla tree produced the sap originally used to make Chiclet gum. The bark of the Provision Tree, with its wispy flowers that look like something out of Dr. Seuss, treated anemia. When we spotted a Cashew Tree, Rico dispelled my misconception that cashew nuts grow in the ground like peanuts. They actually are the encasement of an apple seed and remain poisonous to eat until the apple has completely ripened.

Sneaking up on the river wildlife could be tricky, but Rico’s familiarity with the environment made it possible for us to get exceptional sightings. At one point, he slowed the boat down to idle and we drifted up into the mangrove.

“Look up at the tree right there and tell me what you see,” he said.

We all squinted and stared in the direction of the tree, but to no avail at identifying anything.

“Look carefully …..right up the line of my finger. You should see several Insect Bats.”

Like looking intently at one of those images which reveals an inner picture, we soon recognized the bats discreetly camouflaged against the tree bark. Rico explained that bats make up 50% of all the mammal species in Belize. Insect Bats are particularly helpful because they eat mosquitoes.

Around a few more bends, we happened upon a sleeping American Crocodile about five feet long. This specie of crocodile resides in brackish water and grows 4 inches a year. They can live to be 100 years old with a length of 22 feet. Rico suggested that we wouldn’t want to provoke him because he packs 3000 lbs./sq.in. of jaw pressure.

We found a far less threatening creature further up the river. A Mangrove Swallow perched on a piece of driftwood and posed for pictures with a composure belying its diminutive size. These swallows are the smallest in the world.

If you ever get to Belize and Caye Caulker, you will definitely want to make this trip. Many websites offer information, but probably the best is www.Gocayecaulker.com.