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As part of a campaign to highlight the physical and mental benefits of visiting Belize’s Protected Areas, the Belize Audubon Society is organizing its first ever trail run at St. Herman’s Blue Hole National Park.The event will offer runners an exciting new challenge, taking on the tough terrain of the park’s Jungle Trail – a 5k like no other!
ABOUT ST. HERMAN’S BLUE HOLE NATIONAL PARK
St. Herman’s Blue Hole National Park (SHBHNP) is an important component of the National Protected Areas System, prioritized as an educational focal point, with the facilities that can effectively engage students and visitors towards improved stewardship of natural resources.
Located on the Hummingbird Highway only 12 miles southeast of Belmopan, Belize’s capital city, it is easily accessible. This accessibility, combined with the scenic beauty of the clear waters of the karstic sink hole and the impressive geological features of the cave systems, makes the 574.5 acre protected area a popular recreational site.
Despite its small size, it plays a key role in education and raising awareness, encouraging the general public to explore the natural environment, providing an important destination for tour guides, and supporting tourism income in the local communities, as well as for tour guides further afield in western and central Belize.
It is an important component in the National Protected Areas System, not just for its educational potential, but also for its representation of karstic limestone features in Belize, as characterized by both the sink hole and the St. Herman’s cave system, lying within a limestone-loving tropical forest landscape known for its excellent birding.
SHBHNP is managed through a co-management agreement between the Forest Department and Belize Audubon Society, with the goal to ‘conserve natural and cultural resources for ecosystem values, education, and recreation through collaboration with relevant stakeholders’.
DATE: Sunday, July 04, 2021
START TIME: 6:30 am
DISTANCE: 5K (kilometer) or 3.1 miles
START / FINISH LOCATION: The Visitor Centre at St. Herman’s Blue Hole National Park, located 12 miles south of Belmopan on the Hummingbird Highway.
ROUTE:
The run will start on the Lowland Trail, a flat and wide trail between the Visitor Centre and the St. Herman’s Cave.
Passing the St. Herman’s Cave, runners will turn left onto the Jungle Trail, and follow the trail in a clockwise loop. This 2.2km loop will be completed twice, before returning along the Lowland Trail to the finish line.
AWARDS:
1st, 2nd and 3rd place medals for men and women, finisher medals for all participants.
All participants will be entered into a prize draw, to win $100 cash, an overnight stay for two at Cockscomb Basin Wildlife Sanctuary, cave tubing experience for two at St. Herman’s Blue Hole National Park and one year’s Family Membership of Belize Audubon Society.
For more information, please visit https://totaltimebz.com/index.php/events/event/bas-trailblazer-5k/
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Event Venue & Nearby Stays
St. Herman's Blue Hole National Park, Belmopan, Belize
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