Banco Chinchorro Biosphere Reserve is a coral atoll that stretches about 70 kilometers in length and about 25 kilometers at its widest point. It is the largest in the country and the second largest in the world. It was formed over time by the accumulation of coral skeletons, shells, snails, and calcareous material released by these creatures. 

It is surrounded by a large 20-meter-thick coral barrier that remains completely submerged. Its configuration allows the formation of a wide reef lagoon, from which three cays covered with mangroves, palms, and shrubs emerge: Cayo Norte, Cayo Centro, and Cayo Lobos. 

In the waters of Banco Chinchorro, there are approximately 2,500 visible types of organisms with an infinite variety of shapes and colors. Historically, it has been a trap for navigation, so it has become a maritime museum with 68 sites containing shipwrecks that have run aground in the last 500 years, including Spanish and English ships from the 16th and 17th centuries. 

This fact is a magnet for those who enjoy exploring the underwater world, as you can admire remains of merchant ships, rudders, anchors, and cannons that have integrated into the landscape, forming artificial reefs.

When diving, the first things you can identify are sponges, fans, and sea whips, as well as isolated colonies of stony corals and a huge diversity of colorful reef fish. Black coral is practically everywhere, from great depths to waters that are barely 3 meters deep.

The waters of the reef lagoon, connected to the open sea, have a depth of 3 to 5 meters. There are fishermen's stilt houses in Cayo Central, the largest and central of the islets, which are used as temporary camps for tourists who come to photograph, film, and swim among these beautiful corals.

We remind you that it is very important to be a responsible tourist and not touch the reefs or corals.