Those few of you still unfamiliar with Aurelio, and the richly textured music of Belize’s (and Honduras, Guatemala and Nicaragua’s) Garifuna will find moments of joyous inspiration amid a backdrop of rhythm and soul. Not the gospel inspired, North American soul, but that impulse springing from a deep, universal mix of feelings and aspiration.
Like most things at Chaa Creek, river tubing began as a couple of one-off adventures that caught on. In time, through experience and word of mouth, tubing became more and more in demand, to the point where it’s now another regular daily offering.
Belize’s Actun Tunichil Muknal cave has topped a “Sacred Places of a Lifetime” list compiled by National Geographic, bolstering Belize’s reputation as one of the world’s best cultural tourism destinations.
The Battle of St George’s Caye, commemorated as a national holiday in Belize on September 10, was the defining moment in the birth of the country, bringing together a disparate group of individuals willing to risk their lives to foster a unified British Honduras and paving the road to the eventual creation of today’s Belize.
After Canul’s group defeated a British detachment, killing five and wounding 16 other soldiers, things began heating up, with the British determined to subjugate the Maya or drive them out all together by further burning houses and crops. However, Canul and his men fought on, eventually taking Corozal Town on 1870. In 1872 they attacked the British barracks at Orange Walk on the New River and Canul was mortally wounded. The Maya retreated, and, with their charismatic leader gone, this was the last major attack on British forces.
There’s no better time to visit someone than during their birthday party! September is the biggest month on the Belize social calendar, and for the savvy traveller, it’s one of the best times to visit this exuberant yet laid back little tropical paradise. Here’s five reasons why!
Bestselling author David Meerman Scott research led him to visit Chaa Creek and now, a couple of years later, when he was looking for a place to spend some quality time with his mother Carolyn and Yukari, we were honoured that he chose Chaa Creek. Let’s face it, the man could stay anywhere in the world he liked.
The World Bank has approved a US$ 30 million project aimed at helping Belize manage climate risks with more resilient roads and other infrastructure improvements. Learn how this will improve resiliency against climate change!
On Friday, 22 August, the Taiwanese Ambassador Benjamin Ho presented Diane Haylock, President of the National Institute of Culture and History (NICH) and Co-Chair of the National Celebrations Commission, with a healthy cheque to help fill the skies with the light, sound and colour of an enormous fireworks display.
Number Three in the Wet and Wild Inland Belize series is the world famous Actun Tunichil Muknal cave, otherwise known as ATM, and one of most impressive day trips to be had anywhere.
Chaa Creek’s donations through the Inland Expedition Guides/Staff Program once again brought joy and much needed school supplies to 37 local children ranging in age from 5 to 13.
Twelve young Belizeans are further along the road to promising futures thanks to a successful scholarship program sponsored by the Lodge at Chaa Creek.
On this series of Wet and Wild Inland Belize, we bring you to one of the prettiest swimming holes to be found anywhere in the world; the Rio On pools up on the Mountain Pine Ridge. And, as long as we’re in the neighbourhood, we’ll throw in a stop at the Rio Frio Cave.
One of the great unsung attractions of Belize is the Macal River in the Cayo District. This meandering waterway was one of the ancient Maya’s superhighways, linking urban, trade and ceremonial centres and connecting the interior to the coastal trade routes.
The Lodge at Chaa Creek has been recognised as “Belize’s Leading Spa Resort” at the recent World Tourism Awards, an event the Wall Street Journal called “The travel Industry’s equivalent to the Oscars.”
Yes folks, the September Celebrations are just around the corner, and this year’s nationwide fiesta is looking to be the biggest and brightest yet.
We’ve been to The Lodge at Chaa Creek several times over the years, and people ask why we keep coming back. There are many reasons; the friendly staff providing impeccable yet unobtrusive service, the excellent food with fresh ingredients grown right on site at the Maya organic farm and the many activities.
The Lodge at Chaa Creek’s inclusion in this summer’s USA Today Travel “bucket list” of eleven top travel destinations shows that an emphasis on environmental sustainability can go hand in hand with high quality and excellent service.
Sometimes the trials and tribulations of this world get to be almost overwhelming, but my husband and I recently discovered an oasis of tranquillity that went a long way in putting things back in perspective. Its name is Belize.
Belize’s reputation as an eco-paradise has as much to do with people as with the stunning natural environment. We’re always hearing about individuals who show a deep commitment to the environment and take it upon themselves to protect our endangered animals and ensure their survival. Jamal Galves is one of those people.
A recent story from the Belize Zoo was so heart-warming that we thought we take the unprecedented step of posting it here in its entirety. More and more, Belize is being known as an eco-paradise, due to the vibrant eco-tourism industry, environmental education in our schools and the efforts of individuals, groups and businesses in caring for and protecting our land, water and wildlife. We’ve posted stories about crocodile and manatee rescues in the past, and here’s a lovely one about concerned individuals, a local business, a government department, wildlife rescuers and the Belize Zoo all working together to save one of Belize’s iconic birds. We think such efforts should be acknowledged, so why not share this one if you like it?
A “Caracol remote-sensing project” was sponsored by the US space agency NASA to determine if LiDAR can be used to see below the forest canopy to provide images of an ancient Maya landscape in Belize. The project was even more successful than researchers hoped it would be, with just a few flyovers providing a more detailed picture of this ancient city than all the previous, painstaking on the ground research had. The project produced a detailed view of nearly 80 square miles, more than six times the area previously mapped, showing the topography, ancient structures, causeways, and agricultural terraces. Researchers now have a much better picture of how big Caracol actually was, how it was structured, and how the ancient Maya altered their landscape to create a sustainable urban environment. Because of this, some previous ideas about how this amazing civilisation developed are being reconsidered.
Local market days are great opportunities to experience Belizean life and color, and this is certainly true for Cayo where every Saturday the market area comes alive with its own multicultural blend of colors, sounds, flavors and foodstuffs. This is the day when farmers and almost everyone comes into San Ignacio town to buy, sell, trade, gossip and generally catch up. If you want to experience real Western Belize life, this is the place, and what a pleasant, heady experience it is. Vendors from nearby and remote communities contribute to the melodic mix of Maya, Creole, English and Spanish while Mennonite farmers can be heard conversing in German.
New figures show a significant rise in tourist arrivals to Belize during the first half of 2014 in what the Lodge at Chaa Creek hails as further proof that Belize is maturing as a premier holiday destination, providing benefits for both visitors and locals alike.
While this was the end of the 2014 Eco Kids Educational Camp, it was also the beginning for 24 newly hatched environmentalists, who now have a better appreciation of Belize’s stunning natural world and an understanding of what it takes to ensure that Belize’s precious natural resources will still be around for their children, and their children’s children.
Let’s Cheer on Belize’s Commonwealth Games Athletes! Belize’s fastest men and women began competing yesterday in the 20th Commonwealth Games at Glasgow, and, along with most … Read more
We promised an update on the Eco Kids educational summer camp, and as our budding environmentalists rounded the half way mark of this weeklong educational adventure the job just got harder – not from trying to find things to write about, but by having way too many cool things to pick and choose from. There’s no doubt the Eco Kids have definitely hit the right balance between education and fun while giving their dedicated camp councillors a run for their money.
Summer has peaked and the days have begun getting shorter, but there’s still plenty of time to discover what so many savvy travellers have – Belize is one of the best summer vacation destinations on the planet, and especially convenient if you’re based in North America.
The Eco Kids summer educational adventure camp is now underway in the lush jungles of Belize, with Chaa Creek once again hosting twenty four budding environmentalists in a week long learning adventure that combines fun with hands-on education.
A recent NY Times article shows how Australian environmental technology is being used to monitor destructive, illegal fishing activity along the Belize Barrier Reef, and, with other Green applications planned for the future, giving the non-military use of drones a good name. Belize Fisheries Department personnel are now being trained up to operate small but highly effective drones to patrol Belizean waters in a bid to combat illegal fishing, just as this year’s lobster season begins. It seems only fitting that Australia, with the world’s largest Great Barrier Reef, has developed drone technology that is coming to the aid of Belize, home to the world’s second largest barrier reef.