Aguacaliente Wildlife Sanctuary Southern Belize

About 13 miles northwest of Punta Gorda and 2 miles off the Southern Hwy, the village of Laguna is the starting point for the 8.6-sq-mile Aguacaliente Wildlife Sanctuary, an extensive wetland area. The lagoon, at the heart of the park, is home to flocks of ibis and woodstork, many raptors including ospreys, plenty of kingfishers and herons and the odd jabiru stork. There's a visitors center on the trail from the village. The two-hour hike in can be wet and muddy and is sometimes impossible at the height of the rains.