Belize City to San Ignacio

The small but excellent Belize Zoo, www.belizezoo.org, has a wonderful collection of local species (originally gathered for a wildlife film), lovingly cared for and displayed in wire-mesh enclosures amid native trees and shady vegetation, including jaguar and smaller cats, pacas (called gibnuts in Belize), snakes, monkeys, parrots, crocodile, tapir (mountain cow), peccary (wari) and much more. Highly recommended, even for those who hate zoos. 

The Monkey Bay Wildlife Sanctuary protects 1070 acres of tropical forest and savannah between the highway and the Sibun River (great swimming and canoeing). Birds are abundant and there is a good chance of seeing mammals. 

At the confluence of the Belize River and Roaring Creek is the 50-acre Guanacaste National Park, protecting a parcel of 'neotropical rainforest' and a huge 100-year-old guanacaste (tubroos) tree, which shelters a wide collection of epiphytes including orchids. Many mammals (jaguarundi, kinkajou, agouti etc) and up to 100 species of bird may be seen from the 3 miles of nature trails cut along the river. This is a particularly attractive swimming and picnicking spot.