Butterfly Garden at Shipstern
Come and discover a few of our beautiful species such as the Zebra Butterfly, the Blue Morpho and the Owl Butterfly.
See them flutter around a nice tropical garden, and learn about their life cycle. Observe caterpillars feeding, and with a bit of luck, a butterfly emerge from its pupae.
The Tower
Built in 2008 this 21m / 65 ft tower will take you above the forest canopy to enjoy one of the most beautiful views over the lowlands of Belize. You will see Shipstern Lagoon and Chetumal Bay in the distance, as well as the high forests of Shipstern, South of the lagoon.
Closer by, enjoy the diversity of trees, the flowering vines visited by hummingbirds, and of course, other birds such as white-fronted parrots, toucans and jays, along many more. The tower also offers amazing views of the skies at night.
The Botanical Trail
This botanical trail will take you around the headquarters through coastal dry forests, Yucatan semi-deciduous forests, palm swamps and “bajos”, low temporarily inundated places. Don’t expect cathedral-like forests, but forests you’ll hardly see anywhere else, with many fascinating plants and trees, many of which are labeled. Our staff has a very good knowledge about local uses of many species.
The Thomson Trail
Bearing the name of the young man who opened this trail in the early nineties, this trail will lead you to the edge of the saline savannahs of Shipstern. On the way, you will see many rare trees such as the Kuka Palm, the Elephant Foot, and the Slender-leaved Agave, as well as many other Yucatan endemics.