- Length: 111 km;
- Source: Guatemala;
- Estuary: Caribbean Sea;
- Countries: Guatemala, Belize.
The Sarstun River is one of the most extensive and abundant rivers in Central America. It flows in the south of Belize , in the district of Toledo, and eastern Guatemala. Sarstun originates in the Sierra de Santa Cruz (Guatemala) and for most of its current (111 km) is the natural boundary between Guatemala and Belize. It has several tributaries, the total catchment area is 2303 square kilometers. A number of national reserves have been created along both banks of the river. In the basin of the Sarstun River, significant oil deposits have been found from Guatemala, and development is underway.
Nature of the Sarstun River
Its source is in the mountains of the Sierra de Guatemala, and when the snow melts there, the water level in the river rises. From May to June, its waters swiftly rush down from the mountains, to the Honduras Bay - one of the largest bays of the Caribbean Sea. In the upper reaches the river is called Rio Chahal, and on the middle and lower, where it borders on Belize, changes its name to Sarstun and flows between the two countries to the mouth. The area along the river from Belize is the national park of Temash-Sarstun and is under state protection. In the vicinity of the river, in the park grows the only palm tree in Belize. Once the massive deforestation along the coast of Sarstun for construction purposes caused soil erosion and caused huge damage to the watershed. Since then, the state has taken care of preserving the ecological balance in the coastal zones. This is an important task, because the income and well-being of local residents depend on fishing.
How to get there?
The river Sarstun flows in the southern part of the national park Temash-Sarstun, 180 km from the capital of Belize - Belmopan . The largest city to the river is Punta Gorda, the capital of the Toledo district, located 20 km from its mouth. You can get to Punta Gorda either by car or by plane - an internal flight from Belmopan.