A demanding mountain expedition through the Cockscomb landscape to a 1,120-metre peak. This is a guided, advance-planned trek rather than a casual extension of a forest walk.
What to see & do
Experience changing forest habitats and the mountain ridge with a qualified guide. Discuss fitness, equipment, itinerary and emergency arrangements with BAS before committing.
Picture yourself here.
Video posterWhere we work
A 2020 introduction from BAS to the seven protected areas it co-manages.
Belize Audubon Society
Audio and any available captions come from the original publisher.
Getting there
The approach is through Cockscomb Basin Wildlife Sanctuary. Arrange your guide and trail access with BAS in advance.
When to go
BAS publishes a February 1–May 31 trekking season. Weather and trail conditions can change access; confirm the current opening.
Facilities & staying longer
Trek camps are basic. The listed daily entrance fee does not represent the total cost of guiding, camping, transport or equipment.
Declared a natural monument in 1998, Victoria Peak is managed alongside the adjoining Cockscomb protected landscape.
The range above the basin
Victoria Peak, at 3,675 feet (1,120 metres), is the high point of the Cockscomb Range. Mount Allan and Mount Escott lie to the west; Mount Holland, Jerningham Peak and The Molar lie to the east. This range forms the northern wall of the Cockscomb basins.
BAS describes a 4,847-acre natural monument, managed together with Cockscomb Basin Wildlife Sanctuary. Together they span lowland broadleaf forest to higher-elevation elfin woodland, with an estimated 19 terrestrial and two aquatic ecosystems. Watch for changes in plants, birds and butterflies as the landscape rises.
These forests belong to the wider Maya Mountains Massif. Large connected habitats matter for wide-ranging species such as scarlet macaws, white-lipped peccaries and Central American black-handed spider monkeys. Keeping the forest connected is a central part of the landscape’s conservation value.
Expeditions and protection
Governor Roger T. Goldsworthy led the first recorded expedition into the Cockscomb Mountains in 1888. Three expeditions in 1927–28 established that the earlier party had not reached the range’s highest peak. The name Victoria Peak, honoring Queen Victoria, became attached to that highest summit.
The mountain was previously part of Cockscomb Basin Wildlife Sanctuary. It was declared a natural monument on May 2, 1998. A management agreement signed on February 6, 1999 added Victoria Peak and Blue Hole Natural Monuments to the protected areas managed by BAS; 1999 is the agreement year, not the monument’s declaration year.
Book the hike and a qualified guide through BAS at info@belizeaudubon.org. The published season is February 1–May 31. Ask about route condition, itinerary, fitness, overnight camps and all charges before reserving; accommodation at Cockscomb can be arranged separately.
From the field.
A closer look at the places you visit, drawn from BAS’s own reports and field guides.
The work behind a forest visit
Park fees support BAS. Its 2024 report also records tubing-access ropes and Victoria Peak bridge repairs: practical work behind forest adventures.
BAS Annual Report 2024 pp. 18, 54 ↗PDF · 81 MBGood visits need thoughtful planning
The 2020–2023 BIOPAMA plan paired solar power and trail improvements with visitor-use plans and limits on environmental change. Its tourism ambition was to improve the experience while caring for the landscape and seascape. These were planned activities, not a completion report.
BAS BIOPAMA project plan · 2020–2023 p. 10 ↗PDF · 2.9 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 →