Cockscomb Basin Wildlife Sanctuary

Cockscomb Basin Wildlife Sanctuary in the southern Maya Mountains of Belize is the world's first jaguar preserve, established in 1986 to protect one of the highest recorded densities of jaguars anywhere in the Americas. The sanctuary encompasses dense broadleaf forest, rivers, and waterfalls, with a network of hiking trails suitable for multi-day trekking. Ocelots, tapirs, pumas, and the endangered Baird's tapir are also resident within the protected basin.