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Hol Chan Marine Reserve


TripAdvisor Traveler Rating: 4.5 of 5 stars
TripAdvisor Popularity Index: #3 of 17 attractions in San Pedro
Traveler Description: This beautiful nature reserve is in an area world famous for its excellent diving.
Familiar with Hol Chan Marine Reserve? Write your own description and share what you know with other travelers.
Attraction type: Nature reserve, Reef
Activities: Snorkeling, Scuba diving
Address: Ambergris Caye San Pedro, Ambergris Caye
Belize

Traveler Reviews

[ Date ] [ Rating ]
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5 of 5 stars
SiteSeeker 15 contributions
Grand Rapids, Michigan
Jun 1, 2009

My husband and I visited Ambergris Caye, May 8 - 15, 2009. We have snorkeled in Hawaii, Dominica, St. Martin, Anguilla, Isle Mujeres, Nantucket, et cetera etcetera; however, we had never snorkeled at night. Snorkeling at night in the Hol Chan Marine Reserve, let us glimpse a totally different world - we saw lobsters frozen in our flash light beams,... more

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5 of 5 stars
TravelElsi 3 contributions
San Antonio
May 31, 2009

We used Suya Tours and had an amazing time. I highly recommend them for snorkeling. Jody was our guide and he was more than willing to give us information about the different marine life. We also used Suya Tours for our trip to Lumanai. They offered the best prices. more

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5 of 5 stars
johnburtonbrown 30 contributions
Seattle
Mar 10, 2009
1/1 found this review helpful

Hol Chan means "little channel" in Mayan. It describes a unique and relatively narrow cut in the Belize Barrier Reef where the creatures of the open Caribbean Sea are able to cross into the calmer, protected seagrass beds behind the reef. Large coral formations and an incredible variety of wildlife are concentrated at this intersection. The water is also clear... more

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4 of 5 stars
Thea1 26 contributions
Albany, NY
Feb 24, 2009
1/1 found this review helpful

The snorkleing at Hol Chan is very nice. We especially liked swimming with sharks, eels, turtles, and rays. We did the tour with Alfonse. Although he is very enthusiastic and loves what he does, this was not my favorite snorkeling experience. There were 17 people crammed on his boat (which is too many) and when we were snorkeling, people kept... more

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5 of 5 stars
Boracay 18 contributions
San Francisco
Feb 10, 2009

If you go to Belize, you canNOT miss Hol Chan and Shark Ray Alley. It is an absolute MUST. And yes, please go with Alfonse as he is the best. My family and I had a great time with him and we all got up close and personal with nurse sharks and stingrays. more

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5 of 5 stars
CanadianDairyFarmers 1 contribution
Sarsfield, Ontario
Feb 6, 2009
2/2 found this review helpful

We travel to southern locations yearly, and always search out the best snorkling available, either by tours or private locations. While in Ambergris Caye, we were recommended Ecological Tours by our hosts, Cocotal Inns and Cabanas, and went out for a 3 hour tour of Hol Chan Marine Reserve with our friendly and knowledgeable guide "Charlie!" I've never snorkled and... more

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5 of 5 stars
taraherrera 1 contribution
texas
Sep 27, 2008
1/1 found this review helpful

You have to visit Hol Chan and Shark Ray alley!! The best guide to use in San Pedro is Alfonse Graniel. Alfonse owns Lil Alphonse Snorkeling... he is the best guide to use if you want the best snorkel experience. Alfonse took his time to point out all kind of if fish & gave us lots of details about what... more

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5 of 5 stars
BlondeMomma 28 contributions
Norwalk, California
Aug 10, 2008
0/1 found this review helpful

I am not a diver, but rather a snorkeler. Myself and 6 other friends went snorkeling there and it is absolutely beautiful. I am not sure why others felt it was crowded or overrated. There were plenty of beautiful fish, nurse sharks & stingrays. We went with two of the employee's from our resort, Tranquility Bay, and they were great.... more

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5 of 5 stars
THEDENTS 28 contributions
Tulsa, OK
Aug 1, 2008
3/3 found this review helpful

We just got back from spending 6nights in Ambergris Caye and we fell in love. Hol Chan was a place that was recommended to us that we have to go to on our trip. We did and it was fantastic!! We used Suya Tours from our Resort- Belize Legacy Resort and Larry was our guide!! He was great! He fed... more

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5 of 5 stars
sonlover 4 contributions
Calif.
Jun 6, 2008
4/4 found this review helpful

My family of 5 had a great time with our guide to Hol Chan/Shark Ray alley, Li'l Alphonso and Chubacabra!! We have never been snorkeling with anyone that knew every fish and coral in the ocean. He spent so much time showing us eels, spiney lobster and tons of other beautiful fish. He didn't hurry us on to Shark Alley,... more

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Hol Chan Marine Reserve Address

Ambergris Caye, San Pedro, Ambergris Caye, Belize