Lagoons, marshes and savanna surround a living village. Explore a wetland landscape shaped by seasonal water levels and the movement of birds.
What to see & do
Arrange a local birding outing and look for wading birds, including jabiru. Boat access and wildlife encounters vary; choose a local guide for current knowledge.
Picture yourself here.
Video posterCrooked Tree: 2024 in review
BAS’s 2025 film reviews Crooked Tree’s 2024 figures and activities.
Belize Audubon Society
Audio and any available captions come from the original publisher.
Getting there
North of Belize City, off the Philip Goldson Highway. Arrange transport from the highway junction into the village, around three miles away.
When to go
Falling water in the dry season can concentrate fish and attract feeding birds. The wetland changes throughout the year; no sighting is guaranteed.
Facilities & staying longer
Ask BAS and local providers about guiding and village accommodation. Respect residents, private property and the sanctuary’s wetland habitats.
Established in 1984 and designated a Ramsar wetland in 1998, the sanctuary protects internationally important waterbird habitat.
Follow the water through the wetlands
The sanctuary lies on Belize’s flat northern plain, spanning the Belize and Orange Walk district boundary. West of the Philip Goldson Highway, the lagoon network includes Calabash Pond, Revenge, Western, and northern and southern Crooked Tree lagoons, with Crooked Tree village at its centre. To the east, Jones and Mexico lagoons form another section. Creeks connect these waters with the Belize River.
BAS describes approximately 37,985 acres of shallow freshwater lagoons, streams, marshes, pine and short-grass savanna, and tropical forest. Water levels rise in the wet season and fall in the dry season. Receding water concentrates fish and invertebrates, drawing large numbers of resident and migratory wading birds, including jabiru.
The site supports Central American river turtles, Yucatán black howler monkeys and yellow-headed parrots, and BAS reports at least 11 threatened species. Wintering birds use the pine savanna, logwood swamps and forest. Riparian forest and the broadleaf forest of Blackburn Ridge also provide connections across the wider landscape.
A village visit, as well as a birding trip
The village’s Creole culture, cashews and cashew wine add a human story to the wetlands. Local hotels and guides offer boat outings, nature walks, horseback riding and camping, subject to current availability and conditions. Ask locally to match the activity with the season and the kind of visit you want.
The junction is approximately 33 miles north of Belize City. Some buses serve the village directly; regular Belize City–Orange Walk buses can stop at the highway junction. Confirm the service and arrange the roughly three-mile transfer into the village, rather than assuming a connection will be waiting.
Belize’s first wildlife sanctuary and Ramsar site
Crooked Tree was gazetted on December 8, 1984 under Statutory Instrument 95, recognizing its national and regional importance for waterbirds. In 1998 it became Belize’s first Ramsar wetland, site number 946. BAS identifies its importance for threatened species and ecological communities among the reasons for that international recognition.
From the field.
A closer look at the places you visit, drawn from BAS’s own reports and field guides.
A wetland that holds floodwater
Crooked Tree holds floodwater from the Belize River. BAS’s 2024 report describes daily water-level monitoring: the wetland matters to communities as well as birds.
BAS Annual Report 2024 p. 29 ↗PDF · 81 MBKeep exploring
Find BAS reports, visitor resources and birding information in the library, or ask the team for current checklists and trail conditions.
Maps & visitor resources →Visitor information reviewed November 8, 2026. Contact the team for current conditions or special arrangements. Content sources & credits →