One of the things Chaa Creek prides itself on is providing an informal learning experience for our guests by stimulating interest in Belize’s fascinating history, natural environment and culture, and then providing the tools to follow up that interest. For example, guests can wander up to the Belize Natural History Centre (NHC) and get a glimpse into the local ecology, Maya culture, flora and wildlife at their own pace, and then feel free to ask our knowledgeable licenced naturalist guides questions.

Fox News’ recent pick of The Lodge at Chaa Creek as a one of the world’s most outstanding jungle and rainforest retreats marks the third time the Belize eco resort has been featured by the US news agency this year, and is further proof that the tiny Caribbean country is coming into its own as a premier travel destination, marketing administrator Larry Waight said today.

Funded by the National Cancer Institute in New York, Rosita Arvigo is in a race against time, scouring the tropical rain-forests of Central America in search of cures for many deadly diseases like AIDS and Cancer, before they are wiped out by deforestation.

Check out these ten jaw dropping photos from around Belize. Which photo is your favorite?

Protected rainforests, Maya ruins, Caribbean beaches and the longest barrier reef in the western hemisphere. Add English as the official language and the widely accepted U.S. dollar, and you can get a great vacation on easy mode in Belize.

Madre de Cacao is nitrogen-fixing tree that can grow from 10 to 12 meters high. The tree is referred by many people as a quick-stick due to the characteristic of growing almost right away just by cutting it and directly planting it in the ground.

“February and especially St Valentine’s Day has always been a big month for us here at Chaa Creek, and this year we’re offering even more special activities and tours aimed at giving couples a truly exceptional exotic getaway. Love will definitely be in the air all month long,” she said.

The Rhyncholaelia digbyana is an uncommon and stunning species of orchid that is native to Mexico, Belize, Costa Rica, Guatemala, and Honduras. Below are seven surprising facts of this beautiful orchid:

The Ceiba Pentadra aka Cotton or Kapok tree is a tropical tree that is native to Mexico, Central America, the Caribbean and Northern South America. Here are ten interesting things about this tree.

As a kid I would want to help save our environment but I can’t do it alone. It takes more than one person but it starts with me. I will be eco friendly to help save the planet and so I could live in a greener and safer world. Eco friendly is not doing anything to hurt yourself or the world you live in. A family that goes green together stays together.

I enjoy learning about animals and plants. By learning about nature, I will be able to encourage my friends to do the same and appreciate nature for what it is. By doing that, they will recycle, and see nature how I see it as a wonderful place where there are things still to be discovered. They will want to protect it too. This is why I want to be an eco kid.

I want to spread the news about going green and keeping the environment clean. When I see people wasting water I think about the people who don’t have water. I want to try to conserve water.

I want to be an eco kid because I love nature and would like to help protect the rainforest. When I visit the rainforest, the shade from the canopy of trees refreshes me, the smell of green trees relaxes me and the songs of the birds inspire me. I hope and pray that I might find and follow a jaguar’s paw prints on a trail or I may look up high above and see an owl staring back at me. I am lucky to have seen soldier ants carrying leaves to build their homes, pigs grunting by and howler monkeys hanging on tree branches, sounding like thunder. It’s amazing how the rainforest makes such a positive impact on little me.

The success of last week’s Belize tourism expo is one more indication that the growth of the Belizean travel and tourism industry is on the right track, the owner of Belize’s premier eco lodge said today.

Prince Harry enjoyed both his stay at The Lodge at Chaa Creek and the real life rags-to-riches story about how his fellow countrymen turned an overgrown little farm on the banks of a then remote part of Belize into a 365 acre luxury eco-resort fit for, well…

Today’s Belize Photo of the Day is the Gray Cracker Butterfly which is scientifically known as Hamadryas februa. The Gray Cracker Butterfly is a butterfly of the Neotropic Eco Zone, South America, with its circulation area extending from Mexico, Colombia, the Caribbean Islands, to Brazil. It is one of the most conspicuous species of butterfly found at The Lodge at Chaa Creek.

The Lodge at Chaa Creek in the Cayo District of Belize has some pretty awesome horse stables. We went riding with them on a guided trail ride tour with an awesome guide who showed us everything from local wildlife to trees and fruit. We rode to an unexcavated Maya site on top of a hill overlooking the beautiful rainforest sourrounding Chaa Creek.

Todays Belize photo of the day the Lantana and its scientifically known as Lantana camara. Lantanas are a native species to the New World and Old World Tropics and the Southern parts of the United States.

After years of research and consideration, Cecilia and Robert are focused on moving to Belize. They think this could be a place where they want to live, at least part-time. But what really attracted them to Belize, over all the other countries they considered, was finances. “We aren’t wealthy people, but we’ve managed what we have,” says Robert. “We see this new adventure as a next step in that process.”

I just returned from an amazing educational adventure in Belize. It was a cross between “Survivor” and National Geographic. I went as a part of my Master’s in Conservation program that combines summer field experiences with collaborative projects. I climbed Maya temples, explored caves, snorkeled the coral reef, hiked through rainforests, chased howler monkeys and much more. I also attended lectures from conservationists, did daily inquiry projects and engaged with local communities.