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Leaving Belize City, the first point of interest along the Western Highway is the Belize Zoo , at Mile 29 (daily 8.30am-5pm; US$7.50; www.belizezoo.org ), easily visited on a half-day trip from Belize City or as a stop on the way west. Probably the finest zoo in the Americas south of the US, and long recognized as a phenomenal conservation achievement, the zoo originally opened in 1983 after an ambitious wildlife film ( Path of the Raingods ) left Sharon Matola (the film's production assistant, now zoo director), with a collection of semi-tame animals no longer able to fend for themselves in the wild. The zoo is organized around the theme of "a walk through Belize", and offers the chance to see the country's native animals at close quarters, housed in spacious enclosures which closely resemble their natural habitat - residents include all the Belizean cats, some of which, including the jaguars, have bred successfully here. To get to the zoo take any bus between Belize City and Belmopan and ask the driver to drop you at the sign; a 200-metre walk from the entrance and visitor centre. One kilometre past the zoo, the Coastal Road (in good condition, and served by buses) provides an unpaved short cut, marked by a sign and a couple of bars, to Gales Point and Dangriga. A kilometre or so past the junction, on the left, is Cheers , a friendly bar run by a Canadian family, where you can get good food at reasonable prices, and reliable information.
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