In a groundbreaking discovery, a lost city has been found off the coast of Rhythm Reef Caye—a small tropical island just east of Hopkins, Belize. This unexpected find has left experts equally baffled and awestruck. Meanwhile, the tourists whose beach vacation led to the discovery have rapidly gone viral online. In a video shared by one of the travelers, a strange piece of stained glass is seen shimmering in the sand on the shores of Rhythm Reef Caye.
“Look at this,” says the traveler, 27-year-old Ronan Smith, as she brings the camera in for a closer look.
Smith and her friends had been enjoying a day trip on the island, located 40 minutes away from The Lodge at Jaguar Reef, the Hopkins beach resort where they were staying for the Spring. She’d been filming content for an Instagram reel when the reflective piece of glass caught her eye.
“What is this,” Smith asks before ending her video.
That question would be answered just one week later.
After hearing about Smith’s strange find on the beach, local historian and anthropologist Maria Benguche thought it was far too intriguing to ignore. She, alongside a small team of divers, headed out to Rhythm Reef Caye and began a search of the waters surrounding the island. According to Benguche, their mini expedition proved fruitful immediately.
Nestled amidst coral beds and hidden in the sand on the sea floor were small fragments of what seemed to be an ancient structure: columns of stone and even more pieces of stained glass. The team ventured deeper, and that was when they found it. Sitting undisturbed down in the depths just beyond a steep underwater cliff were the remnants of the lost city of Atlantis.
“We couldn’t believe it. I still can’t believe it,” said Benguche to local reporters. “Atlantis—here in Belize.”
Since the discovery, many are already making plans to visit Belize. In fact, The Belize Collection, whose properties include Rhythm Reef Caye, has already announced plans to offer underwater tours of the sunken city this summer. Interested in booking one? Unfortunately, this is an April Fool’s prank so no one will be visiting Atlantis anytime soon! If you do want to experience the very real Rhythm Reef Caye though, you can arrange for a fun day trip.
At 14 acres, Rhythm Reef Caye is a secluded island paradise and the perfect spot for a dreamy beach vacation. Experience it for yourself and get the chance to enjoy a day of fun under the Belizean sun. The tour departs from the docks of The Lodge at Jaguar Reef and from there, it’s a 40-minute boat ride to paradise. Unwind on plush day beds or explore the shallow waters that surround the island in a kayak or a paddleboard. Plus, get to enjoy a delicious island-style lunch courtesy of The Belize Collection’s executive chef.
Unleash your inner explorer (and beach bum) and book the Rhythm Reef Caye day trip today.
Contact Us
22 Canada Hill St. Belmopan City
Reservations:
(888) 822-24487
(501) 822-3851
We use cookies to improve your experience on our site. By using our site, you consent to cookies.
Websites store cookies to enhance functionality and personalise your experience. You can manage your preferences, but blocking some cookies may impact site performance and services.
Essential cookies enable basic functions and are necessary for the proper function of the website.
CloudFlare provides web performance and security solutions, enhancing site speed and protecting against threats.
Service URL: developers.cloudflare.com (opens in a new window)
These cookies are needed for adding comments on this website.
Google reCAPTCHA helps protect websites from spam and abuse by verifying user interactions through challenges.
Google Tag Manager simplifies the management of marketing tags on your website without code changes.
These cookies are used for managing login functionality on this website.
WPML is a powerful plugin that enables multilingual capabilities for WordPress sites, enhancing global reach and user experience.
Statistics cookies collect information anonymously. This information helps us understand how visitors use our website.
Google Analytics is a powerful tool that tracks and analyzes website traffic for informed marketing decisions.
Service URL: policies.google.com (opens in a new window)
Zendesk is a customer service platform that streamlines support and enhances customer engagement across channels.
You can find more information in our Cookie Policy and The Belize Collection Policies.

