 | Travellers' Wildlife Guides Belize & Northern Guatemala by Les Beletsky
Buy new: $19.77 / Used from: $15.00 A general overview of Belize for the naturalist. I don't use this general guide myself, as I prefer to use more detailed guides, but it is very popular amongst tour participants and is probably the best option for those with a casual interest in nature
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 | A Neotropical Companion by John Kricher
Buy new: $23.10 / Used from: $20.48 The best introduction to the natural history of the New World tropics. This is a book to take on your trip, to consult and to read while you travel. Hugely informative and encyclopaedic
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 | Birds of Belize (The Corrie Herring Hooks Series) by H. Lee Jones
Buy new: $23.07 / Used from: $23.10 If birds are your interest, then this is the national field guide, covering all 574 species recorded in Belize at the time of publication
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 | A Guide to the Birds of Mexico and Northern Central America by Steve N.G. Howell
Buy new: $39.33 / Used from: $38.78 But if you take your birding seriously, you will want Howell and Webb too. One of the best field guides to any avifauna, it will come in handy for future trips to neighbouring countries. Not the lightest of field guides, but worth its weight in gold
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 | Kaufman Field Guide to Birds of North America by Kenn Kaufman
Buy new: $12.89 / Used from: $7.42 And to really nail the birds, a North American field guide can be useful. I find Kaufman fits the bill as it's light and portable
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 | A Field Guide to the Mammals of Central America and Southeast Mexico by Fiona A. Reid
Buy new: $70.00 / Used from: $19.90 For those interested in mammals, Fiona Reid's guide is quite simply definitive. Again, it will come in handy for those planning to travel to the rest Central America too
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 | A Field Guide to the Amphibians and Reptiles of the Maya World: The Lowlands of Mexico, Northern Guatemala, and Belize by Julian C. Lee
Buy new: $34.11 / Used from: $27.59 For herps, Julian Lee's guide to the amphibians and reptiles of the Yucatan is the best portable option
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 | The Amphibians and Reptiles of the Yucatan Peninsula by Julian C. Lee
Buy used from: $175.00 If you want to know more about herps then this weighty tome by the same author is essential reading, though you will probably not be packing it for the trip. Besides, it is in the libraries of many of the wildlife lodges
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 | Amphibians and Reptiles of Northern Guatemala, the Yucatan, and Belize (Animal Natural History Series, 4) by Jonathan A. Campbell
Buy new: $40.65 / Used from: $32.07 And if you really want to be comprehensive, Campbell fills a similar niche, for home use
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 | Reef Fish Identification: Florida, Caribbean, Bahamas by Paul Humann
Buy new: $26.37 / Used from: $22.29 The world's second largest barrier reef sits off the coast of Belize, so you should at leats take a snorkelling trip. If you just want to identify fish, this is the standard guide
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 | The Reef Set: Reef Fish, Reef Creature and Reef Coral (3 Volumes) by Paul Humann
Buy new: $75.60 / Used from: $62.99 If you are planning on really exploring the Belizean reefs, by diving, then you might as well splash for the three volume set that includes the fish guide...
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 | Coral Reef Fishes: Indo-Pacific and Caribbean by Ewald Lieske
Buy new: $16.47 / Used from: $10.92 This is the volume I use for fish. Light and portable, it won't break the bank and lets me identify most of what I see
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 | Orchids of Guatemala and Belize by Oakes Ames
Buy used from: $44.97 The botany of Belize is not well covered. This is a 50+ year old guide using line drawings. Taxonomy is, of course, well out of date. However, orchid lovers will want a copy
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| Native Orchids Belize by B.R. Adams
This larger 1995 book has both line drawings and photographs. Again, probably one for the specialist only
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 | Animals and Plants of the Ancient Maya: A Guide by Victoria Schlesinger
Buy new: $17.71 / Used from: $17.00 If you are at all interested in the cultural significance and uses of nature - ethnobiology - then this book is a must
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 | The Ancient Maya, 6th Edition by Robert Sharer
Buy new: $29.60 / Used from: $9.00 An authoritative account fo the ancient Maya. At 900+ pages, this is not one for the backpack but, read before anf after the trip, it will enhance your understanding of the history and culture of Belize. Again, it will be useful throughout the Yucatan
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 | Belize Map by ITMB (International Travel Maps) by ITMB Publishing
Buy new: $9.56 / Used from: $10.36 Don't get lost! The best Belize map, it integrates relief, roads and parks in a clear and practical format. Have a great trip!
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