Hol Chan Marine Reserve: Dive into the Caribbean's Most Popular Snorkeling Site
3.3
18 Ratings
Belize City
Dive into the Caribbean's most popular snorkeling site at Hol Chan Marine Reserve. Explore vibrant coral formations, encounter sea turtles and stingrays, and witness thrilling shark encounters.
Duration: 5 hours
Cancellation: 1 day learn more
Highlights
  • Hol Chan Marine Reserve - Hol Chan Marine Reserve is located off the southern tip of Ambergris Caye. Mayan for “little channel”, Hol Chan Marine Reserve is doubtfully one of the most popular dive sites in the Caribbean, and indeed in Belize. Hol Chan has burgeoned into a unique refuge, with vigorous coral formations and a richness of marine life.

Enjoy a nice cool 35 minutes boat ride from the port of Belize as you will be passing along the mangrove islands to your first stop which is the island of Caye Caulker, Belize city second largest island that has a breath taking view of the barrier reef. Where a 15 minutes stop to use the restroom and change of clothing. Then off to the Hol Chan that is a 10 minute boat ride away from Caye Caulker. A 45 minutes snorkeling with be taking place at the Hol Chan where you will be viewing the beautiful Coral reef and fishes, and then a 30 minutes snorkeling with Sea Turtle and Rays. After the Snorkeling is done, enjoy a snack and some amazing Rum Punch.

  • Caye Caulker - While heading back to island of Caye Caulker where you will be having a beach break and also for you to get a meal. One stop will be made to the back of the island where you will be able to hand feed tarpon as a part of the tour. Then spend an hour on the island, and head back in Belize City where you will be drop-off at the port back.
What's Included
  • Hotel and port pickup and drop-off
  • Experienced guide accompanying
  • Complimentary bottled water
  • Variety of snacks included
What's Not Included
  • Lunch
Additional Information

Hol Chan Marine Reserve is situated at the southern extremity of Ambergris Caye. Known in Mayan as ‘little channel’, this marine reserve is unquestionably one of the premier diving locations in the Caribbean, particularly within Belize. The focal point of the reserve is a narrow break in the reef (referred to as a quebrada), with a width of barely 25 yards and a depth of 30 feet, situated approximately 4 miles southeast of San Pedro. Over time, Hol Chan has developed into an extraordinary sanctuary featuring robust coral structures and an abundant assortment of sea organisms. Following this, we will make our way to the adjacent Turtle Garden, where participants have the opportunity to snorkel or dive, coming face to face with delighted Sea Turtles and Southern Stingrays. Upon arrival, visitors are often greeted by the frenzied activity of swirling sharks and stingrays vying for food scraps. These marine beings exhibit a significant degree of comfort around those diving and snorkeling.

In Belize City, Hol Chan is celebrated as the top site for snorkeling!

  • The duration of transfers are approximate, the exact duration will depend on the time of day and traffic conditions
  • At time of booking, Cruise ship passengers must provide the following information at time of booking: ship name, docking time, disembarkation time and re-boarding time
  • Anyone with Covid-19 symptoms will not be allow on tour
Location
Fort George Hotel & Spa
Marine Parade Boulevard
Cancellation Policy

For a full refund, cancel at least 24 hours before the scheduled departure time.

Customer Ratings
3.3
(18 Ratings)
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Rebecca_f
Mar 26, 2023
Loved swimming with the... - Loved swimming with the sharks and rays as well as stopping at the beautiful Island! Excellent experience at the barrier reef!
Review provided by Viator
Linda_s
Mar 24, 2023
Perfect Day in Brazil - Stacey is an amazing guide, we took the tour with her last year and rebooked this year because it was so much fun. I’m sorry I have forgotten our captains name but he was wonderful and felt totally safe on the entire trip and getting in and out of the water. Jerome was nice enough to take my camera and get some good close up pictures for me. The entire experience was worth every penny and I recommend your company to anyone I hear talking about a cruise and to my friends and family. Thank you!!
Review provided by Viator
Denise_h
Jan 19, 2023
An unbelizable time - Captain Mark, Stacey and Jerome were amazing. So thoughtful and really made sure we had an amazing experience. They also made sure things stayed on schedule So we could all make it back to port for our ships departures. It is a 40-45 minute boat ride to the snorkeling reef but so worth it. We stopped a few times on the way to see wildlife and learn about indigenous species of pants and wildlife. Dolphins swam next to our boat also saw manatee. Swam with nurse shark, sea turtles, sting Ray and barracuda. Stacey was amazing at pointing everything out to us. Thank you Denise and Nicole from Michigan
Review provided by Viator
Gaye_l
Jan 19, 2023
As good as the ' Great Barrier Reef ' - Being able to touch Sharks and Rays. The abundance of fish and watching a Turtle surface for air right next to you.
Review provided by Viator
Sondra_s
Dec 9, 2022
Great day trip from Belize City! - This is a great day trip if you don’t have a lot of time to see the islands. The tour guides and Splash Wave Tours were excellent! They were friendly, professional and knowledgeable. It was my first time snorkeling and they helped me with the equipment and explained everything well. These tours do wait for he cruise ships so if you are not on a cruise, be prepared to leave 1-2 hours later than the scheduled time. 200% worth it though! Great experience!
Review provided by Viator
Sandra_m
Dec 25, 2023
Great snorkeling - no turtles - Let me preface this by saying we had an amazing time on this excursion. However, I booked this excursion SPECIFICALLY because it was called snorkeling at a turtle garden. My husband loves sea turtles and I was so excited for this excursion. I was immediately disappointed to find out sea turtles were hibernating/out of season so we wouldn’t see any. There was no warning of this in any information we received. What we did get to do - snorkel with sting rays and nurse sharks was AMAZING and we thoroughly enjoyed it. We both got to hold the stingray and pet the shark. Snorkeling was very fun with lots to see. Our guide Stacey was great at pointing out fish and telling us about them. Lunch and drinks were good. We were told we had to order before snorkeling so it would be ready when we got there and we still had to wait. Overall - we had an amazing time and didnt let anything ruin our day but have to admit we were very disappointed about the turtles. I would absolutely recommend this tour as it was really fun - just know what you are getting and research the time of year for turtles on your own as they will not tell you ahead of time.
Review provided by Viator
June_r
Nov 24, 2023
Good snorkeling! - Great snorkeling. Tour guides were good. Too many people on this tour. Would rather pay more to have more space available.
Review provided by Viator
Mark_o
Apr 24, 2023
Some drawbacks but overall a fun experience. - There were 2 stops for snorkelling. The first stop had beautiful coral and fish but the guide wanted the group to keep following her so we spent more time trying to keep up with the group. Would have had a better time if we had been allowed to move more slowly and stay focused on the underwater scenery. Swimming with nurse sharks and stingrays was great and we enjoyed feeding the tarpons. The captain and crew worked very hard to provide a fun experience. Unfortunately, the boat ride from the cruise pier to the reserve was quite long and all the various tours were brought to the same area so snorkelling was quite crowded.
Review provided by Viator
Mnblackshadows
May 4, 2024
Very poor excuse - The company cancelled 12 prior only after I contacted them. Dam Viator don’t you know this? I contacted you! We didn’t go.
Review provided by Viator
Madison_t
Jun 18, 2023
Worst company ever do not book - This was so unprofessional. I am extremely livid with this company. I booked 3 months ahead of our excursion date and we were ready to go at the pick up time on the date of the excursion. 15 minutes goes by so I call to check where they are. They tell me oh well not enough people booked to do the excursion and so we can't take you today. I am so pissed this was a total lack of respect they should have reached out and canceled before the time of the excursion.
Review provided by Viator
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up to 10 guests
1 Adult
June 2024
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