Throughout our time in the rainforest, we had seen countless species of birds in the trees and basalisks sunbathing on the forest floor. At night, we had heard the eerie cry of the margay, the roar of the howler monkey and the frantic sniffing and shuffling of the coatimundi.

All these sights and sounds sent goosebumps all over, seeding an intense fascination and reverence for the wild things of the forest. I wanted to see them in the daylight and up close, to study them and learn from them.

But it was the creatures we didn’t see or hear that captured my imagination — the panther in the shadows, the eagle in the mountains, the crocodile in the reeds. All those who move without a sound, who live and roam without barriers. To see them, wild and free, is to truly know the rainforest.

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Visiting the Belize Zoo

On the drive through mainland Belize from the ports of Thatch Caye to Ambergris Caye, we stopped at the Belize Zoo. Far from being your typical zoo, it’s home to over 200 native species, acting as both caregiver to displaced rainforest wildlife and an educational centre to local Belizeans.

Strolling through the lush forest trails offers a chance to see iconic animals up close and in their natural habitat, including jaguars, ocelots, tapirs and toucans. We also loved watching the birds and iguanas from the surrounding forest, who seemed to be on their own little tour of the zoo.

Visiting the tapirs proved to be a memorable experience to say the least, when one of the males turned around and unleashed a smelly spray of urine! I somehow dodged most of it but my left foot got caught in the crossfire. I spent the rest of the day smelling like a tapir’s musky dream.

At the jaguar enclosure, we watched a powerful male effortlessly leap down from his tree ledge without a sound. It was extraordinary, if not a little unsettling. His intense, golden-eyed stare never left us.

In the swamp area, we spent ages searching for the crocodiles — until I suddenly spotted two evil eyes in the mud. Well at least it’s a small one, I thought. Then we turned a corner and came face-to-face with the largest crocodile I had ever seen. To think that monsters like that might have been lurking beneath the river water of our tubing trip…chilling!

My favourite moment was seeing the Harpy Eagle. As the largest and rarest bird of prey in the Americas, it looks totally wild, ancient and mythical. We saw it just after feeding time, and it was wailing and croaking and jumping around on its formidable talons as if it were waiting to face a Herculean foe.

Other incredible experiences included listening to the keel-billed toucan croak and call, and spotting a sleeping little margay in the thick forest floor. Seeing all these beautiful creatures so close, happy and comfortable in their own habitat was a true privilege. It was without a doubt the best zoo experience I’ve had and it was the perfect way to say goodbye to the wildlife we had grown to love during our time in Belize.

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Meeting the magnificent Blue Morpho

I can’t end this post about Belizean wildlife without mentioning the butterfly farm we stopped at on the way to Thatch Caye. We had stopped to visit the famous Mayan Center Village and happened to see a sign for the Ya’axkin Butterfly Farm. We parked in the middle of a field just off of the lonely highway, and were greeted by a couple of young Maya teens.

First, one of them took us inside a little shed where he told us all about the farm’s main star, the Blue Morpho butterfly. Fluttering at six inches long with a wingspan of up to eight inches, it’s one of the largest butterflies in the world — and arguably the most beautiful with brilliant blue wings.

He showed us boxes of hundreds of squirmy red and green caterpillars and creepy hanging chrysalises. Then we were led across the highway to a greenhouse. From the moment we entered, butterflies were everywhere — Blue Morphos, brown Owls and Swallowtails of every colour. It was a magical experience.