El Yunque _Caribbean National forest

El Yunque, Caribbean National Forest

The Caribbean national park is the oldest wildlife reserve in the Western Hemisphere. This reserve covers 1125 square kilometres, or 434 square miles. As part of an island habitat, there are a variety of bat species, but few if any land mammals (currently there are feral cats and dogs).

There are a wide range of lizard species, Barred Anole, Brook’s House Gecko, Common Blind Snake, Common Dwarf Gecko and many more. It is well known for feeling quite primeval, and has a wide variety of diversity.

If you are close by, it is well worth a visit

Darién national park, Panama

Lying in central America, it sits in a gap in the Pan-American Highway, indeed the only gap in a road that runs from Alaska to Argentina (16,000 miles, 25000 km). This impenetrable rainforest gap is stunningly beautiful. Unfortunately, too, this is not merely from the many animals capable of doing you harm if you get it wrong, but also some of the most dangerous humans with Renegades, Guerrillas, adventurers and drug trafficers.

The reserve covers 2240 square miles, 5800 square km and is just pure wilderness. As the largest tract of undeveloped land in central America, it is incredibly important. Starting on the rocky beaches of the Pacific, and on into lowland and upland rainforest. With mountains and rivers all over the place, and with the highest forests being covered in cloud much of the time.

With over 2500 different plant species and birds and animals from both continents, it is well worth a visit. Mammals living here include Peccaries, tapirs, and forest fox along with cats that include Pumas, Jaguars and ocelots. The most notable bird is the Harpy eagle which is the strongest bird of prey in the world. Amerindian tribes still inhabit the area, both preserving their culture and protecting the forest as they have done for many thousands of years – and this is one of their last remaining enclaves.

This reserve is likely to survive and thrive as long as the road does not cross the park – will that happen? who knows

Cocos Islands, Marine world heritage site

Cocos Island

Cocos Island is a tiny speck in the Pacific Ocean, only 9 square miles in area. It lies 350 miles (550km) off the coast of Costa Rica. The island is as a result of a volcano from 2 million years ago. There are beautiful waterfalls and ravines, with rainforest covering what parts of the island it could get established.

As with many other islands of this type, being the only speck of land, sea currents get redirected upwards, and bring all sorts of nutrients to the surface.

As you can see from the video, Cocos is one of the best places to see sharks, with common thresher sharks, Silvertip sharks, Silky sharks, Galapogas sharks, Blacktip sharks, Tiger sharks, Pacific Sharpnose shark, Pacific Sharpnose shark, Whitetip Reef shark, Prickly shark, Nurse shark, Smalltooth sand tiger shark, Whale shark, Scalloped hammerhead shark and Great hammerhead shark seen regularly. Some of these are resident, while some are transient.

While many tourists do come here each year, it is not in the biggest numbers as it is so hard to get there.

If you offer any services on the island from food, to accommodation, transport, and diving services, do fill in our form so you can be listed below.

aaa Southern Reefs, Netherlands Antilles islands

Southern reefs, Antilles islands

This reef encircles the whole island by a narrow band of coral reef. The island has 54km of coastline, which means there is a great deal of reef. There are thought to be around 80 good diving sites, with 6 considered amongst the best in the world.

On the southern side of the island, the sea floor falls away just 100m from the shore, which means that gentle slopes covered in coral, give way to incredible coral walls. Huge numbers of fish are all around, as well as bigger creatures off the coast.

aaa Shark watching, Bahamas

Shark watching in the Bahamas

One of the few places in the world, where sharks are not being hunted to eradication, the Bahamas is a fantastic place to head to see wild sharks. There are thought to be quite a few sharks that live in the area year-round, but there are also many more which visits.

Tiger sharks, Caribbean reef shark, Great hammerhead shark, Bull shark, Lemon shark, Nurse shark, Oceanic white-tip shark and Silky sharks are all considered to be resident, however over 40 species have been spotted suggesting many other species visit at different times of the year. This includes several great white sharks which are tagged and have been tracked within these waters in the last few months.

aaa Semuc Champey, Guatemala

Semuc Champey, Guatemala

A small reserve in Guatemala, lying deep in the forest, this place consists of a natural 300m limestone bridge. The Cahabon river passes under this bridge, whille above there are a series of stepped turquoise pools which visitors can swim in.

However, this is merely a tranquil place to pause, and lies deep in the rainforest

A variety of wildlife frequents the site and the surrounding rainforest. Varying from a wide range of bright birds such as toucans and humming birds, to howler monkeys which are often around the entrance to the site.

Cueva de la boca bat roast

Cueva de la boca bat roost

Situated close to monterrey in the North East this is one of Mexico’s most important bat places, at one time more than 20 million bats lived in the la boca cave. Unfortunately, in the early days hikers were allowed to explore alone, and would burn anything as makeshift torches. Plastic causes dangerous chemicals and it isn’t only humans who suffer as a result. It appears that many bays suffocated, to the extent that bat populations in this and 9 caves fell by about 90%. Today la bocage only has around 600,000 bats living there.

When the bats pour out of the cave as night falls, There are so many that they show up as a as a significant mark on radar.

List your services in this area – Click “list your wild place”

Monarch butterfly migration sanctuaries in Mexico to their summer grounds in the western USA

El Rosario, El caplin and Piedra Herrada are three bio reserves at the end of the dramatic monarch butterfly migration. All the are west of west of Mexico City in the mountains of michoacan. In November, as the USA summer ends, hundreds of millions of these butterflies migrate back to Mexico, returning to the USA in the spring.

The spectacle of 250 million monarch butterflies is something amazing to see. Unfortunately, outside the reserves in Mexico there is rampant deforestation, as the locals try to lift themselves out of poverty.

Ecotourism could help.

The site of this many butterflies is likely to stay with you for ever. Without some targeted ecotourism, the locals will not benefit from this migration and as such its days may be numbered – I want my grandchildren’s grandchildren to have the opportunity to see things like this.

Add your destinations in just a few minutes, we will check it, top and tail your listing and add it to this page

aaa Sian ka’an biosphere reserve, Monarch butterfly migration Yucatan Peninsula, Mexico

Sian ka'an biosphere reserve, Yucatan Peninsula, Mexico

Bottlenose dolphin, Sea green turtle, Caribbean manatee, Central American Tapir, Forest condor or real condor, Jaguar, Howling monkey, Ocelote in Sian Ka’an, Western manatees can all be found in this reserve.

The reserve is made up of tropical forests, mangroves, marshes and a large area of ocean. The reserve’s name can be translated as gate of heaven.

The reserve covers over 5000 Square km, Part of which is land and the rest is in the coral sea and includes a large area of coral reef.

This is an 8 minute video of someone exploring some of this reserve

aaa Sea of Cortez

Sea of Cortez, gulf of California, USA

With the Colorado river in the north to the Baja peninsula in the south, the sea of Cortez is relatively large and is scattered with around 240 islands. While there is some wildlife to be explored on some of the islands, the seas are also teeming with a wide variety of species. On the surface blue fin humpback and sperm whales can be seen, alongside bottlenose dolphins Guadeloupe fur seals and leaping Mobula rays. There are also a wide variety of sea birds. As well as all this that can be seen from a boat, there is also a large number of coral reefs, meaning it is hugely popular with snorkellers and divers as well.