Five Blues Lake National Park is on the border between the Stann Creek and Cayo districts of Belize. Read that name carefully: the park has a lake with five shades of blue, not five lakes all the same color ("Five Blue Lakes"). It is known for its wildlife, caves, and of course the lake.

Understand

Five Blues Lake National Park is unusual in that it's managed entirely by the local people of Saint Margaret's Village, with a volunteer board of directors drawn from the various ethnic groups of this small community.

History

The park was established on Earth Day in 1991.

Landscape

The geographic centerpiece of this 4,200 acres (1,700 hectares) park is Five Blues Lake, a cenote formed by the collapse of a huge underground cave. The varying depth (up to 200 feet) and composition of the bottom, and the light filtering through surrounding trees give the water different colors, which is the origin of the lake's name: Five Blues.

Get in

Although located in Stann Creek, it is accessed via Saint Margaret's Village in Cayo district.