The 33 acre Maya Organic Farm is an integral part of the Chaa Creek Reserve. It provides freshly harvested produce for The Lodge at Chaa Creek and the Macal River Camp. The farm integrates traditional Maya farming with more advanced systems of irrigated raised beds of composted soil fed with nutrients derived from natures store house.

It’s called Eco Challenge 2011. And it is in full swing at one of the most scenic places in the Cayo District: the Chaa Creek Resort. Love TV’s Producer Dalila Ical and cameraman Brian Castillo spend an overnight with the participants of the project and bring you this first of a two-part story.

The primary focus of the workshop involved training in the utilization of an educational publication entitled “A Teacher’s Resource Guide to Maya Archaeology, Ecology and Tourism of Western Belize” produced by the Belize Foundation for Conservation with support from the U.S. Peace Corps and the Ministry of Education. This resource guide was first introduced into Cayo District schools after the first workshop in November of 2003 and since then over 80 Belizean teachers have benefited from the training.

Two big birthdays will be celebrated in the Caribbean/Central American region this year as Belize and its first eco-resort, The Lodge at Chaa Creek, both turn 30. Chaa Creek, which had previously been a small family farm, first opened its doors to paying customers the same year that Belize, the former British Honduras, gained independence from Great Britain in 1981, and the celebration of these two milestones is turning into a major party.

All of Andrew Harper’s recommended properties possess exceptional character, a commitment to classic hospitality and a profound sense of place. Mr. Harper does not evaluate hotels by means of a checklist, but uses his three decades of experience to distinguish the truly enchanting from the merely excellent. The Lodge at Chaa Creek is delighted to be among the best of the best properties worldwide to receive his recommendation, which came initially in 1992.

Mick Fleming, organic farmer and naturalist, talks with a school teacher and a Nun from Belize City about helping them start an organic garden to grow food on a plot of land behind their school. The students had come to Chaa Creek Lodge for a tour of Chaa Creek’s Maya Organic farm and orchards, Natural History Center and the Lodge’s Blue Morpho Butterfly Farm.

Beginning in February, one month ahead of World Water Day 2011, each guest at Chaa Creek will be given an attractive refillable aluminium water bottle to use during their stay and as a souvenir to take home. Three convenient water filling stations have been set up at the eco resort’s bar, front desk and conference centre.

Would the Howler Monkeys jolt you out of your sleep with fear or excitement? You don’t know just yet, but you know that it will all be new, and you are definitely open to trying new things. You are excited by tours The Lodge at Chaa Creek offers and can’t wait to try them all.

The Lodge at Chaa Creek, Belize’s award-winning eco resort in the jungles of Central America is delighted to announce the winners of its Rainforest & Reef Vacation Sweepstakes.

Belize Ecotourism Vacation Sweepstakes- Essay#13
In a world where vacationing and traveling is based on personal fulfillment, it is a breath of fresh air to hear about a travel option that is both beneficial to the traveler and to those whose land is being visited. The moment that I heard of The Lodge at Chaa Creek’s “Go Green Belize” travel option, I knew that I wanted to celebrate a green vacation in Belize. My fiancé and I love to travel, …

Green Globe, the leading certification program for sustainability in travel and tourism and The International Centre for Responsible Tourism-Belize (ICRT-Belize), Green Globe Partner in Belize, congratulates The Lodge at Chaa Creek in the Cayo District of Belize, Central America on achieving Green Globe Certification. Throughout the certification and auditing process, The Lodge at Chaa Creek made significant investments to ensure that the resort’s infrastructure met the highest environmental standards. A key focus for the certification for the Lodge at Chaa Creek was their overall commitment to the environmental aspects impacted or affected by their operations. Chaa Creek has created a unique stewardship for their immediate area of operation through setting up a private reserve, practicing organic gardening, controlling river side erosion and assisting in onsite and in-country research by visiting students, professors and universities from abroad and locally.

WHY I WANT TO VISIT THE LODGE AT CHAA CREEK IN BELIZE, CENTRAL AMERICA 
QUESTION (asked by Mr./Ms. I.M.Green — a discerning eco-traveler):  
     Helloooo?? Does anyone out there know where I can go to experience a remarkable jungle paradise that’s unspoiled…yet still features the kinds of luxuries that make a vacation seem like a vacation?
ANSWER (given by 99% of the resort operators in the world): 
     Ahhh, so you’re looking for two separate vacations, then…? 
Sigh. That’s how it usually is in the …

In January, 1990, my wife and I were married after five years of dating. She was finishing college at the time. I have been in college on and off ever since. Next month, I will finish my doctorate degree and continue working at the local community college. She is now the mother of our two children and works part time to help us keep the kids in good schools.
Approaching our 20th anniversary and 25th year as a couple, we began …

            My wife and I have never visited Central America together, although we’ve been lucky enough to travel to some great places. We love to meet other travelers and to meet local people and learn about the history and culture of a new place. We love to have laughs, see authentic things, eat great food, enjoy some cold beverages at the end of a day of exploring; The Lodge at Chaa Creek seems like exactly the kind of place where …

After a few of the world’s worst vacations (a hurricane-induced evacuation from Roatan; getting robbed blind in Miami; and enduring a mosquito-infested room in the rainforests of Grenada), you can sign me up for a stay at The Lodge at Chaa Creek! You need only look as far as Trip Advisor to see that this resort is truly exceptional. Reviewers rave about the location, service, rooms, food, decor, and variety of activities; and with national coverage in Delta Sky Magazine, …

The world is an interconnected organism, alive and giving life. The waters of its oceans, rivers and lakes flow through and around its forests, plains and mountains, which nourish and sustain all, from the tiny hummingbird to the mighty redwoods to the children of every land. Unfortunately though, the same world that enabled ancient cultures to flourish throughout the ages is at risk in our time.
But, from all accounts, it is thriving joyfully at the Lodge at Chaa Creek in …

If bling’s your thing, there’s no shortage of glitzy hotels in the Caribbean. But for a more intimate experience, check into one of these boltholes where the welcome is personal and there’s not an all-day buffet in sight:
 Lodge At Chaa Creek, Belize
Even before Francis Ford Coppola opened his eco-lodges in Belize, Chaa Creek (chaacreek.com) was taking the greener approach to tourism. With some road-building help from the British army, this organic farm opened its first rooms in 1981. It …

The story of Chaa Creek Cottages began in 1977 when two young travelers stumbled upon what would later become their adopted home. In those days most business was conducted around bar room tables in Belize City and it was here that Mick and Lucy Fleming ran into the owner of an overgrown 140 acre farm in the Cayo District.

They soon moved out to the jungle property and within years the land was producing home grown vegetables. In those days the …