Bacalar Chico National Park
Belize's northernmost protected area — Bacalar Chico occupies the northern tip of Ambergris Caye, with pristine reef, mangrove lagoons, Maya ruins and the extraordinary Bacalar Chico channel.
SJX · MZSJ · Belize
Sarteneja Airport
Sarteneja — Sarteneja — Shipstern Lagoon. 5 min to village / 15 min to Shipstern Nature Reserve.
Runway
700m
Surface
Grass
Elevation
3m
Hours
7am-5pm
Book your private flight to Sarteneja
Airport at a glance
Sarteneja — Belize
Sarteneja is the largest fishing village in Belize and one of the least reached. It sits at the end of a peninsula on the northeastern coast, facing Corozal Bay and the open Caribbean beyond, with a road in that is long, unpaved in stretches, and slow enough that most people who come here come by boat or by air.
The village is Spanish-speaking, descended from Yucatecan settlers, and it retains a wooden boat-building tradition — the sailing sloops built here worked the Belizean cayes for generations and a handful are still made by hand on the beach.
At Sarteneja, Corozal District. ICAO: MZSJ. Coordinates: approximately 18°21′N, 88°08′W. Daylight operations.
This is a short, remote daylight-only strip with no standing ground handling.
Some third-party databases still list Sarteneja as MZSE. MZSJ is the current identifier.
Getting there
Sarteneja Airport — Getting there
| Corozal | ~10 min | ~1.5 h |
| Belize City | ~30 min | ~3.5 h |
| San Pedro | ~15 min | boat only |
Nearby
Things to do near Sarteneja
The reason to fly here is Shipstern Conservation and Management Area, immediately southwest of the village: over 22,000 acres of semi-deciduous hardwood forest, saline lagoon and mangrove, protecting one of the largest remaining tracts of northern Belizean forest.
The bird list runs well over 300 species, including the American flamingo and the reddish egret in the lagoon system. The reserve holds all five Belizean cat species — jaguar, puma, ocelot, margay and jaguarundi — along with tapir and howler monkeys. It also has an unusual butterfly research history and a botanical trail through what is genuinely different forest from anywhere else in the country.
Access is managed by the reserve, and the visitor infrastructure is minimal, which is much of the point.
Bacalar Chico. North across the bay lies Bacalar Chico National Park and Marine Reserve, part of the UNESCO Belize Barrier Reef World Heritage listing, covering the northern tip of Ambergris Caye and the channel — dug by the Maya — that separates Belize from Mexico. It is the least visited section of the barrier reef and among the healthiest.
Boats run from Sarteneja and from San Pedro.
The village. There is not a great deal of it: a seafront, a church, a few guesthouses, and the fishing fleet. The Sarteneja Regatta, held at Easter, is the village's event of the year and the occasion when the traditional sailing sloops still race.
For a certain kind of traveller — someone who has done Ambergris and Placencia and wants to see the Belize that has not been rebuilt around visitors — Sarteneja is the answer, and the airstrip is the only sensible way to reach it.
The name Sarteneja comes from Yucatec Maya and is usually rendered as "water between the rocks", for the freshwater wells that made settlement possible on a peninsula with no rivers.
The village supplies a substantial share of the fish and conch landed in Belize, and its fishermen work the whole length of the barrier reef and the atolls — which is why so many Sarteneja families have a house here and a boat somewhere else. The Easter regatta is the year's event, and the occasion when the traditional wooden sloops still race under sail.
The peninsula road improves in the dry months and deteriorates sharply in the wet ones.
Premium Fly Fishing — Sarteneja
Some of Belize's most pristine fly fishing in the lagoons and flats around Sarteneja — virtually untouched permit, bonefish and tarpon water with minimal fishing pressure.
Private Navigation — Shipstern Lagoon
Exclusive boat tours of Shipstern Nature Reserve and Corozal Bay from Sarteneja — extraordinary birdlife, crocodiles, manatees and the wild northern frontier of the Belize barrier reef.
Specialized Birdwatching — Sarteneja
World-class birdwatching in the Shipstern Nature Reserve — over 280 species including jabiru storks, roseate spoonbills and the magnificent frigatebird in one of Belize's least-visited wilderness areas.
Private Marine Expeditions
Exclusive marine expeditions from Sarteneja into the Bacalar Chico National Park — pristine coral gardens, remote reef dives and snorkeling in some of Belize's most untouched Caribbean water.
Trophy Permit Fishing — Shipstern
The Sarteneja flats and Shipstern Lagoon hold the highest concentration of trophy permit in Belize — virtually no fishing pressure, crystal water and expert local guides who know every fish on every flat.
Bioluminescent Night Kayak — Sarteneja
Night kayak in the Corozal Bay lagoon system near Sarteneja — one of Belize's most intense bioluminescence zones, where every paddle stroke ignites the water with cold blue-green fire.
Helicopter — Bacalar Chico Park Aerial
Private helicopter from Sarteneja over Bacalar Chico National Park — the northern tip of Ambergris Caye, the pristine reef of the Mexico channel, the remote dive sites of the Bacalar Chico passage and the Gulf of Mexico.
Where to stay
Hotels near Sarteneja
When to fly
When to fly
Northern Belize is the driest part of the country. Dry season roughly February to May; wet June to November. Hurricane season June to November with peak risk August to October. The road in deteriorates sharply in the wet months, which is when the airstrip earns its place.
FAQ
Sarteneja Airport — Frequently asked questions
What is the ICAO code for Sarteneja?
MZSJ. Some sources incorrectly list MZSE.
Where is Sarteneja?
On the northeastern coast of Belize in Corozal District, at the end of a peninsula facing Corozal Bay.
How do I get to Sarteneja?
By air — about 10 minutes from Corozal or 30 from Belize City — or by boat. The road is long, partly unpaved and slow, and deteriorates in the wet season.
What is Shipstern?
A conservation and management area of over 22,000 acres beside the village, protecting hardwood forest, saline lagoon and mangrove, with all five Belizean cat species and over 300 bird species.
What is Sarteneja known for?
It is Belize's largest fishing village and retains a traditional wooden sailing-sloop building industry. The Easter regatta is its principal event.
What is Bacalar Chico?
A national park and marine reserve at the northern tip of Ambergris Caye, part of the UNESCO Barrier Reef listing and the least visited section of the reef.