Belize · Belize District

Ambergris
Caye.

Hol Chan, Shark Ray Alley and the Great Blue Hole

Photo: Serge Melki from Indianapolis, USA · CC BY 2.0

3 places
3 unconfirmed
checked Oct 2026
16 sources

Before you go,
understand the place.

From Ambergris Caye, operators visit the Hol Chan Marine Reserve and its Shark Ray Alley zone, run by the Fisheries Department, and, on Lighthouse Reef atoll, the Great Blue Hole and Half Moon Caye, co-managed by the Belize Audubon Society and the Government.

Best time to go: The Atlantic hurricane season runs from 1 June to 30 November, although a cyclone can form outside that period (Government Press Office, 28 May 2026). The United Kingdom advises following warnings from the National Meteorological Service of Belize and the NEMO emergency agency. Canada places the rainy season from May to November, with flooding that can cut roads; the United Kingdom mentions flooded temporary bridges in the south, particularly in Stann Creek and Toledo.
Getting there: This guide does not calculate road routes or travel times and offers no arrival points. Water taxis from San Pedro Belize Express and Caribbean Sprinter, which link Belize City, Caye Caulker and San Pedro, and Tropic Air and Maya Island Air flights arrive here, according to the operators (Maya Island Air’s website was last updated in February 2023); check times and fares with them. San Pedro Belize Express also runs the international route between San Pedro and Chetumal (Mexico): customs and immigration officers are present at both ends and the Belize departure fee, BZ$40 or US$20, is paid separately and in cash only, according to the operator. The Border Management Agency identifies four entry points it manages: Northern Border in Santa Elena (Corozal); Western Border in Benque Viejo del Carmen (Cayo); San Pedro in Ambergris Caye; and Punta Gorda in Toledo. This is the agency’s list, not an inventory of every entry point in the country. Its FAQ, with no visible date, lists 24 hours for the northern and western land borders and 8:00 a.m.–5:00 p.m. daily for San Pedro and Punta Gorda. Current hours are unconfirmed and secondary sources give different times. Check the applicable hours before travelling; these are not boat schedules.

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3 places with their status. Open a pin for details and sources, or use the list.

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Status unconfirmed

Groups: the number in the middle is the total of places; the ring shows their statuses. Open a group to see the breakdown.

The “Open and seasonal” filter covers open (0) and seasonal (0) places. Check dates and conditions on each place.

Map: © Stadia Maps © OpenMapTiles © OpenStreetMap

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3 places
Marine reserves and atoll
Hol Chan and Shark Ray Alley, off Ambergris Caye, and the Great Blue Hole and Half Moon Caye, on Lighthouse Reef atoll; all three with unconfirmed status.
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The place, in context

Everything you can do

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Showing 3 of 3 · 3 unconfirmed, flagged

Nature and jungle · 1

NatureStatus unconfirmed
Half Moon Caye Natural Monument
Lighthouse Reef atoll, 55 miles east of Belize City, according to Audubon. The pin is the natural monument in OpenStreetMap; it is not a dock.43.4 km in a straight line from the regional map centre
Entry
non-national, per day BZ$20
Hours
Daily 8:00 a.m.–4:30 p.m.
Booking
Not stated
A caye on Lighthouse Reef atoll with possibly the only viable breeding colony of white-phase red-footed boobies in the western Caribbean; it is the rangers’ base and has a visitor centre, picnic area and campground, according to the Belize Audubon Society.
Status not confirmed: Audubon publishes fees and hours on undated pages and the visit depends on operators and sea conditions. Check before you go.
Source: Belize Audubon Society – Half Moon Caye Natural Monument (consultada oct. 2026) · 2026 · +1
Practical details and sources
Entry
Non-nationals BZ$20 per day and nationals BZ$2.50, according to the Belize Audubon Society.
Hours
Every day, including weekends and public holidays, 8:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., according to the Belize Audubon Society.
Nearby: Great Blue Hole (Blue Hole Natural Monument) (12.3 km)
Sources: Belize Audubon Society – Half Moon Caye Natural Monument (consultada oct. 2026) · Belize Audubon Society – Protected Areas, preguntas frecuentes (consultada oct. 2026)

Lakes, rivers and waterfalls · 2

WaterStatus unconfirmed
Hol Chan Marine Reserve and Shark Ray Alley
Off Ambergris Caye; visited by boat with operators. The pin is the coordinates the reserve publishes on its pass page; it is not a dock.43.5 km in a straight line from the regional map centre
Entry
non-Belizean, 13 or over BZ$30
Hours
Not confirmed
Booking
Not stated
A marine reserve covering the southernmost marine and coastal areas of Ambergris Caye, under the Fisheries Department, with the Hol Chan channel and, since 1999, the exclusive recreation area of Shark Ray Alley; in 2016 it was extended to Mexico Rocks and other areas, according to the reserve.
Status not confirmed: the reserve sells the pass in its shop, but its calendar offered no dates after 31 July 2026 and no dated confirmation of visits was read. Check before you go.
Source: Hol Chan Marine Reserve – Day Pass (tienda oficial; consultada oct. 2026) · 2026 · +6
Practical details and sources
Entry
Day pass: BZ$30 for non-Belizeans aged 13 or over, BZ$5 for Belizeans aged 13 or over and free for children 12 and under, according to the reserve’s shop, whose booking calendar only ran to 31 July 2026 when read. The press reported a US$15 entry fee from 1 August 2024.
Hours
The reserve office opens Monday to Friday, 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.; the sources read publish no access hours for the marine zones.
Tip: According to the Fisheries Department, you must register to dive or snorkel in the recreation zones; in the Hol Chan channel feeding fish and wearing gloves are not allowed; at Shark Ray Alley scuba diving is not allowed and only guides feed the sharks from the boat.
Nearby: Caye Caulker Marine Reserve (12.7 km) · The Split (13.4 km)
Sources: Hol Chan Marine Reserve – Day Pass (tienda oficial; consultada oct. 2026) · Hol Chan Marine Reserve (consultada oct. 2026) · Hol Chan Marine Reserve – About us (consultada oct. 2026) · Hol Chan Marine Reserve – Contact (consultada oct. 2026) · Belize Fisheries Department – Hol Chan Marine Reserve (consultada oct. 2026) · The San Pedro Sun – Nueva tarifa de Hol Chan desde el 1 ago. 2024 (1 ago. 2024) · Belize Travel Blog – Lo que cuesta un viaje a Belice (verificado el 24 sep. 2026)
WaterStatus unconfirmed
Great Blue Hole (Blue Hole Natural Monument)
Lighthouse Reef atoll; reached with operators leaving from San Pedro, Caye Caulker, Hopkins, Placencia and the atoll resorts, according to Audubon. The pin is the sinkhole in OpenStreetMap; it is not a mooring.33.8 km in a straight line from the regional map centre
Entry
non-national, per day BZ$60
Hours
8:00 a.m.–4:30 p.m.
Booking
Not stated
A large circular sinkhole about 1,000 ft across and 412 ft deep on Lighthouse Reef atoll, part of the reef reserve system World Heritage Site; it has no land or facilities other than mooring buoys for dive boats, according to the Belize Audubon Society.
Status not confirmed: Audubon publishes fees and hours on an undated page and the visit depends on operators and sea conditions. Check before you go.
Source: Belize Audubon Society – Blue Hole Natural Monument (consultada oct. 2026) · 2026 · +1
Practical details and sources
Entry
Non-nationals BZ$60 per day and nationals BZ$2.50, according to the Belize Audubon Society.
Hours
8:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., according to the Belize Audubon Society.
Nearby: Half Moon Caye Natural Monument (12.3 km)
Sources: Belize Audubon Society – Blue Hole Natural Monument (consultada oct. 2026) · Belize Audubon Society – Protected Areas, preguntas frecuentes (consultada oct. 2026)

Ambergris Caye · Practical guide

Practical tips

Ask your operator whether the trip price includes the reserve fees: Hol Chan charges a day pass and Audubon charges separately for the Blue Hole and Half Moon Caye.
To dive or snorkel in Hol Chan’s recreation zones you must register, according to the Fisheries Department; scuba diving is not allowed at Shark Ray Alley.
Half Moon Caye has a visitor centre, picnic area and campground; the Blue Hole has no land or facilities, according to the Belize Audubon Society.

Safety and precautions

The United Kingdom (June 2026) notes that Belize has one of the highest per capita murder rates in the world and that gang violence is concentrated in Belize City, particularly south of the Haulover Creek (Southside); tourists are not normally the targets, but anyone nearby could be affected. It warns of theft from tourists in San Pedro, Caye Caulker, Placencia and San Ignacio, and of armed criminals in remote forested areas near the border with Guatemala, which are patrolled by the Defence Force, with no reported incidents involving tourists.
The United Kingdom reports injuries and deaths in activities such as snorkelling and diving, mainly through inadequate precautions and bad weather, and advises checking the forecast and using only registered and licensed operators.
Emergencies: 911 (Belize Police Department); 922 for anonymous reports. The United Kingdom also lists 90 for ambulance, fire and police.

Frequently asked questions

How much is the entry to Hol Chan?

According to the reserve’s shop: BZ$30 for non-Belizeans aged 13 or over, BZ$5 for Belizeans aged 13 or over and free for children 12 and under. Its booking calendar offered no dates after 31 July 2026 when read.

How much is the Great Blue Hole?

BZ$60 per day for non-nationals and BZ$2.50 for nationals, according to the Belize Audubon Society; Half Moon Caye costs BZ$20 and BZ$2.50.

Can I scuba dive at Shark Ray Alley?

No: the Fisheries Department prohibits scuba diving in the exclusive recreation area of Shark Ray Alley; only guides feed the sharks from the boat.

Ambergris Caye · Practical guide

Sources consulted

Information checked in October 2026. Prices, hours and rules change: confirm them with the official source before you travel.

Before you go,understand the place.

Themed guides

Marine reserves and atoll

Everything you can do

Nature and jungle · 1

Half Moon Caye Natural Monument

Lakes, rivers and waterfalls · 2

Hol Chan Marine Reserve and Shark Ray Alley

Great Blue Hole (Blue Hole Natural Monument)

Practical tips

Safety and precautions

Frequently asked questions

Sources consulted

Other destinations

Before you go,
understand the place.