Belize Zoo is a short journey from Belize City and can be reached by bus, as always just ask the driver to stop. I went with the family I lived with in Belize. The zoo contains animals local to the region rather than elephants, etc., so if you are after polar bears don't go here. If, however, you are more culturally savvy and fancy seeing animals that Belizeans know and love try the zoo. The zoo starts with the reptile house, not one for me as a snake hater but you do get to see the famous fleur de lise or jumping snake - an animal that haunts my dreams. It jumps at its prey and holds on so unlike with most snakes, where wearing good boots should protect you, it doesn't work with the fleur de lise as they just jump up and get you. Once in there are lots of variety of monkeys, I got to feed some which was great. There are also jaguars, including the rare black jaguar. It's full of Central American animals including the tapir, gibnut and loads of birds. It's about $15BZ for foreign adults (yep we pay more). It's not a huge zoo so a max of 3 hours in it is probably all you need. There's also a gift shop.

The Belize Zoo is a small, well-kept and run zoo that features the indigenous wildlife, all individuals of which have been rescued.

Hand-lettered signs give background information on the species, as well as the particular animal.

The enclosures are not huge but appear to be roomy enough for the animals and have a lot of vegetation. We're not talking old-style concrete cages and bars, but rather more naturalistic enclosures that still allow the visitor good views of the animals.

The cats, of course, drew a lot of attention. I have to admit to a soft spot for tapirs, since I was lucky enough to be able to work with them in the wild while in vet school.

Belize Zoo and Tropical Education Centre (to give it the full title) is one of the major attractions in the Belize City region. Located a few kilometres outside the city, it is between an area of swamp/wetland and the edge of the jungle. What sets it apart from other zoos it that you will only find native Belizean animals there, and many of the animals are not kept in cages.

The signs all around the zoo are written in Belizian dialect and give the local name for the animal as well as an insight into their characters.

My favourite animals were the beautiful, sleek black jaguar and the charismatic scarlet macaw (parrot). It seems as though the animals come to have a look at you as much as you looking at them, and pose for your camera. There is a chance however, that you may not see some of the animals that are there, as the enclosures have been designed to look as much like the dense natural forest as possible, and they often sneak away to the sides backing on to the jungle.

Other unusual animals include the tapir (the national animal of Belize), peccaries (wild pigs), a kinkajou (the 'nightwalker' in Belizean), and the 6ft tall jabiru stork.

The tropical education centre at the zoo is very good, spreading the message for the importance of conservation of species and habitats throughout the world.