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Although Caye Caulker and San Pedro are the only villages anywhere on the reef, there are a couple of dozen other inhabited islands, some of them supporting fishing camps or upmarket resorts and lodges. Buildings are low-key, wooden and sometimes thatched, and the group you're with will probably be the only people staying there. Electricity comes from a generator, and views of palm trees curving over turquoise water reinforce the sense of isolation. Prices at these resorts are high, but include transport from Belize City or the international airport, accommodation, all meals, and usually diving or fishing. The virtually uninhabited Turneffe Islands , 40km from Belize City, comprise an oval archipelago of low-lying mangrove islands around a shallow lagoon 60km long, enclosed by a beautiful coral reef. You can visit the archipelago as part of a day-trip from Caye Caulker. The construction of resorts on this remote and fragile island has resulted in the controversial destruction of mangroves, while a proposed marine reserve has yet to be established. About 80km east of Belize City is Belize's outermost atoll, Lighthouse Reef , home to the underwater attractions of the Great Blue Hole and Half Moon Caye Natural Monument, while there are also several shipwrecks which have formed artificial reefs. The Blue Hole , technically a karst-eroded sinkhole, is a shaft over 300m in diameter and 135m deep, which drops through the bottom of the lagoon and opens out into a complex network of caves and crevices; its depth gives it an astonishing deep blue colour. You can visit the atoll either as a day or overnight trip from San Pedro or Caye Caulker. The Half Moon Caye Natural Monument , the first marine conservation area in Belize, was declared a national park in 1982 and became one of Belize's first World Heritage Sites in 1996. The 180,000-square-metre caye is divided into two distinct ecosystems. In the west, guano from thousands of seabirds fertilizes the soil, allowing the growth of dense vegetation, while the eastern half has mostly coconut palms growing in the sand. A total of 98 bird species has been recorded here, including frigate birds, ospreys, and a resident population of four thousand red-footed boobies , one of only two such nesting colonies in the Caribbean. The boobies came by their name because they display no fear of humans, moving only reluctantly when visitors stroll among them - their nesting area is accessible from a platform. The resident reserve wardens will collect the US$5 visitor fee and can give permission to camp (US$5per person).
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