The Mysterious Case of Five Blues Lake Belize
October 10, 2007 | Leave a Comment
Recently a mystery like something out of the “Twilight Zone” unfolded in South-Central Belize.
The mystery surrounds Five Blues Lake, a well-known tourist attraction near St. Margaret’s Village at Mile 27 on the Hummingbird Highway.
Five Blues Lake National Park and Forest Reserve is one of the most beautiful and picturesque places in Belize.
The park is comprised of approximately 4000 acres of protected broad-leaf tropical forest and steep limestone hills with a remarkable 10 acre lake in the center. The lake, due to it’s varying depths and the way the ambient like reflects off the water, displays at least five unique shades of blue—hence the name. Five Blues is popular with both locals and tourists, offering visitors a pleasant locale for a family picnic, hike, fishing or refreshing swim.
The first part of the mystery occurred on July 20, 2006, when local fishermen reported a noise that sounded like “the lake was crying”. The fishermen reported seeing “a huge whirlpool” in the lake, and watched in horror as the water level began dropping. The water level continued to drop over the next few days until the lake was virtually drained. (The fishermen also reported hauling off dozens of large sacks of stranded fish!)
Jan Meerman, an ecologist from the Cayo District who has studied Five Blues Lake extensively, explains the lake was originally formed by the blockage of an underground waterway in the limestone bedrock. This type of formation is called a “karstic lake” or “blue hole cenote”. Meerman theorizes the clay and other natural deposits that formed the blockage which kept the water in the lake somehow dissolved, allowing the water to drain like a big bathtub with the plug suddenly removed.
So the question is, how and why did this occur, and where did such a large volume of water go to in such a short amount of time? According to Meerman this is a normal occurrence with karstic lakes, albeit a very RARE occurrence. In fact, the local fishermen say they have never heard of this happening during their lifetimes or even their parent’s lifetimes! As for where the water went, that remains an interesting puzzle.
The second part of the mystery occurred nearly a year after the water’s spooky disappearance. On the morning of June 27th 2007 visitors to the park excitedly reported the Five Blues Lake had somehow been “refilled”.
Huh? That’s right, almost overnight the water levels had returned to normal and even above where they had been before the mysterious draining.
Logically, it appears the natural “plug” has reformed and allowed the water to collect again in the lake. But now the question is, where did such a large volume of water come from in such a short period of time?
Currently there aren’t any real answers, and Meerman hopes further study of the lake will shed some light on the weird occurrences at Five Blues.
In the meantime, park rangers from nearby St. Margaret’s Village have begun clearing the four mile road to the lake and the overgrown parking and visitors center at the lake. The road and tourist facilities had been neglected since the lake’s disappearance, since very few people were interested in visiting an empty pit.
And if you’re planning to visit Five Blues Lake, try not to watch any re-runs of the “Twilight Zone” before you go!
Review of Antelope Falls Hike
October 8, 2007 | Leave a Comment
The hike to Antelope Falls in Mayflower Bocawina National Park is a recommended “must do” for hikers in Belize. I recently completed the hike and offer my review of the excursion here.
Mayflower Bocawina was designated a National Park in 2001 and is comprised of about 7000 acres of tropical broad-leaf forest set over a semi-mountainous terrain. The park was named after some Mayan ruins that were discovered there near the turn of the century but have only recently been explored and excavated. There are many trails throughout the park, most terminating near rivers and waterfalls where hikers can take a well deserved and refreshing swim. The hike to Antelope Falls is about 1.5 miles from the park entrance and is rated as not difficult
The walk begins on a well cleared path which winds its way over mostly flat terrain for approximately three-quarters of a mile before reaching a clearing which is the bottom-most base of the waterfall. Many .
elderly or not-so-fit hikers wisely decide this is far enough for them and make the return trip back to the park entrance. For those seeking a little more adventure (and exercise!) a trail continues winding upwards towards the top of the Falls for another three-quarters of a mile.
Since this section of the trail is less travelled, it also less maintained so care must be taken while climbing over fallen trees and branches. There are several sections where the grade becomes quite steep, and the park rangers have kindly provided thick manila ropes tied to higher trees and roots so you can pull yourself up. It is here I think less fit or elderly hikers may some problems.
After about 800 meters or so of climbing you reach a small clearing which provides a fantastic look-out point over the jungle canopy below.
The last 400 meters are perhaps the most difficult, with the grade steadily increasing until you reach the top. But a very nice reward awaits those who make it—a beautiful, emerald fresh-water swimming hole. After a very refreshing swim, the hike back down is easier, but no less challenging since there is the very real risk of falling while lowering yourself with the manila ropes.
The hike is definitely worthwhile and I consider it to be one of the more enjoyable walks I’ve done in Belize. But I think I would rate it as “intermediate” instead of “not difficult” because of the rope climbing and possibility of falling. If you are in the Stann Creek District and looking for a fun and somewhat challenging half-day excursion, I would definitely recommend the hike to Antelope Falls in Mayflower Bocawina Park.
Welcome to Jungle and Inland Adventures!
August 25, 2007 | Leave a Comment
This is the first article about all the jungle and rainforest adventures Belize has to offer. Everything from jungle hiking, cave tubing to canopy zip-lining is covered here.