This is the trip almost every guest does at least once. Hol Chan — Mayan for 'little channel' — is a natural cut through the Belize Barrier Reef, protected since 1987 and now thick with tarpon, green turtles, spotted eagle rays, moray eels and enormous groupers that have long since stopped caring about people.
The second stop, Shark Ray Alley, is a shallow sand flat where fishermen once cleaned their catch. Nurse sharks and southern stingrays still gather when a boat cuts its engine, and you get in among them in waist-to-chest deep water with a guide in the water alongside you.
Boats collect from the White Sands Cove dock, so the morning starts a few steps from your suite and you are back for lunch at La Cala.
How the day runs
- 8:15 AMPickup from the White Sands Cove dock
- 8:45 AMHol Chan Marine Reserve — guided snorkel over the reef cut
- 10:15 AMShark Ray Alley — nurse sharks and southern stingrays
- 11:30 AMBack at the dock
What’s included
- Two snorkel sites
- Guide, mask, fins and snorkel vest
- Bottled water
Not included
- Hol Chan Marine Reserve park fee
- Gratuities
Before you book
- Comfortable swimming in open water; vests are provided
- Reef-safe sunscreen only — the reserve is protected
- Cash for the marine reserve park fee, collected on the day
Rates change with the season and the operator, so we quote them when you book. Our concierge can have this scheduled before you land.
Ask the conciergeGood to know
- Is Shark Ray Alley safe for children?
- Yes, with a parent alongside. The nurse sharks are docile bottom feeders and the water is shallow and calm. Guides brief every group before anyone gets in.
- Is there an afternoon departure?
- Most operators run a 1:15 PM boat as well as the 8:15 AM one. Ask the concierge which is running on your dates.