The Caracol Archaeological Reserve is located withing the Chiquibul National Park. While not actually nature preserve, the reserve protects a large Mayan city site and has become a defacto nature preserve while at the same time offering access to high quality remote habitat.
Access at this time is limited. Due to robberies on the road you must check in with the Army at Douglas de Silva and be escorted in and out. The times are not great for birders either. No longer can you drive in a dawn and see the sunrise from the top of Caana, the largest pyramid in the acropolis.
On my last trip to Caracol the escort did not leave Douglas de Silva until 9 am and we were forced to leave at 2 pm, in fact a polite but firm army patrol came and found us to tell us it was time to leave.
If you are staying in one of the lodges in the Mountain Pine Ridge, your lodge operator should be able to tell you what the current times for access are.
What not to Miss
Soaring raptors, Golden-crowned Warbler, Keel-billed Motmot, Black-faced Antthrush, and Yellow-bellied Tyrannulet.
Getting There
You will be forced to rent a car or go on an organized tour to get there. No public transportation serves the site.
Facilities
There are good public toilets on site, and a small but nice interpetive center more facilities were under contruction on my last visit in October 2008.
Birding
Watching for soaring raptors from Caana, largest pyramid, is always a highlight of a trip to Caracol. The area known as tha Bario is supposed to be the best site for Keel-billed Motmot, but I have had little luck myself. Keel-billed Motmot is supposed to nest in the crevices of the unrestored temples and buildings and so the backside of most of the epicenter structures should be just as good. If the site is quiet and there are few visitors you the edges of the open plazas can be productive. If the site has many visitors the less traveled trails and the area around the resevoir will likely be more productive.
On the section of paved road between Douglas de Silva and Caracol I've always had good luck finding Great Curassow, King Vulture, and White Hawk.
Bird List from the Belize Biodiversity Website
| Vaux's Swift White-bellied Emerald Rufous-tailed Hummingbird Wedge-tailed Sabrewing Canivet's Emerald Purple-crowned Fairy Long-billed Hermit Stripe-throated Hermit Common Pauraque Cattle Egret Blue Ground-Dove Ruddy Quail-Dove Gray-chested Dove Gray-headed Dove Red-billed Pigeon Short-billed Pigeon Scaled Pigeon Green Kingfisher Keel-billed Motmot Tody Motmot Blue-crowned Motmot Squirrel Cuckoo Common Black-Hawk Swallow-tailed Kite Plumbeous Kite Gray-headed Kite White Hawk Black and White Hawk-Eagle Ornate Hawk-Eagle Black Hawk-Eagle Bat Falcon Collared Forest-Falcon Great Curassow Plain Chachalaca Crested Guan Spotted Wood-Quail Ocellated Turkey Gray-necked Wood-Rail Black-faced Grosbeak Blue-back Grosbeak Blue Bunting Rose-breasted Grosbeak Black-headed Saltator Brown Jay Green Jay Orange-billed Sparrow Green-backed Sparrow Thick-billed Seed-Finch Yellow-faced Grassquit Black-faced Antthrush Scrub Euphonia Olive-backed Euphonia Yellow-throated Euphonia Buff-throated Foliage-gleaner Tawny-winged Woodcreeper Ruddy Woodcreeper Northern Barred-Woodcreeper Wedge-billed Woodcreeper Scaly-throated Leaftosser | Scaly-throated Leaftosser Olivaceous Woodcreeper Plain Xenops Strong-billed Woodcreeper Ivory-billed Woodcreeper Yellow-billed Cacique Melodious Blackbird Yellow-backed Oriole Baltimore Oriole Orchard Oriole Montezuma Oropendola Great-tailed Grackle Rufous Piha Rose-throated Becard Thrush-like Schiffornis Black-crowned Tityra Masked Tityra Gray Catbird Golden-crowned Warbler Rufous-capped Warbler Yellow-throated Warbler Magnolia Warbler Chesnut-sided Warbler Black-throated Green Warbler Worm-eating Warbler Black-and-white Warbler Kentucky Warbler Tropical Parula Ovenbird Louisiana Waterthrush Northern Waterthrush American Redstart Golden-winged Warbler Tennessee Warbler Hooded Warbler Wilson's Warbler Red-capped Manakin Blue-gray Gnatcatcher Long-billed Gnatwren Dusky Antbird Plain Antvireo Dot-winged Antwren Barred Antshrike Red-legged Honeycreeper Red-throated Ant-Tanager Red-crowned Ant-Tanager Black-throated Shrike-Tanager Summer Tanager Yellow-winged Tanager Blue-gray Tanager Band-backed Wren White-breasted Wood-Wren Spot-breasted Wren House Wren White-bellied Wren Swainson's Thrush White-throated Thrush Clay-colored Thrush Wood Thrush Bright-rumped Attila | Tropical Pewee Eastern Wood-Pewee Yellow-bellied Elaenia Acadian Flycatcher Sepia-capped Flycatcher Boat-billed Flycatcher Ochre-bellied Flycatcher Great Crested Flycatcher Dusky-capped Flycatcher Brown-crested Flycatcher Sulphur-rumped Flycatcher Sulphur-bellied Flycatcher Streaked Flycatcher Northern Bentbill Royal Flycatcher Yellow-bellied Tyrannulet Great Kiskadee Stub-tailed Spadebill Eye-ringed Flatbill Rufous Mourner Yellow-olive Flycatcher Scissor-tailed Flycatcher Eastern Kingbird Lesser Greenlet Tawny-crowned Greenlet Yellow-throated Vireo Red-eyed Vireo Green Shrike-Vireo White-whiskered Puffbird Rufous-tailed Jacamar Pale-billed Woodpecker Chesnut-colored Woodpecker Lineated Woodpecker Black-cheeked Woodpecker Smoky-brown Woodpecker Emerald Toucanet Collared Aracari Keel-billed Toucan Least Grebe White-fronted Parrot Red-lored Parrot Mealy Parrot Scarlet Macaw Olive-throated Parakeet White-crowned Parrot Brown-hooded Parrot Black-and-white Owl Mottled Owl Central American Pygmy-Owl Crested Owl Vermiculated Screech-Owl Spectacled Owl Slaty-breasted Tinamou Great Tinamou Collared Trogon Slaty-tailed Trogon Black-headed Trogon Violaceous Trogon |
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