El Golfete is a widening of the Rio Dulce that occurs about six miles upriver from Livingston. The widening forms a shallow lake approximately ten miles long and three miles wide at its widest point. El Golfete is six to twelve feet deep over most of its area. Many cayes (islands) dot the surface of El Golfete. Some cayes have dry land and others are just clumps of mangrove. Many are surrounded by stands of tall reeds. The shores of El Golfete hide many quiet bays and lagoons and numerous rivers and streams empty into El Golfete. Its shores are largely uninhabited but there are a few dozen small Indian settlements and private homes. El Golfete is a wonderland for people interested in wetland ecology. The water is clean and clear and teeming with life. The mangrove roots and stands of reeds provide ideal conditions for many wetland species. At night the trees fill with snowy white egrets and long-necked white herons. On the north shore roughly in the middle of El Golfete is El Biotópo de Chocón Machacas (the Manatee Reserve). The reserve has been set aside to protect the severely endangered manatee or "sea cow". Manatees are mammals and grow to weigh up to 2000 pounds. They were once found in large herds in many places throughout the Caribbean but over the past 200 years were hunted almost to extinction for their meat. Manatees were originally unafraid of man but have since learned to be extremely shy and elusive. It is possible to spot them on El Golfete but you must be willing to sit quietly for hours in a dinghy or canoe. The slightest noise will frighten the manatee away.