Learn about Belize’s geography, history, climate, and people.
Looking for the ultimate Thanksgiving? There’s still time and a few spaces left for Belize’s Chaa Creek annual Thanksgiving Vacation Package for those who prefer an exotic setting and a side order of adventure with their turkey.
As temperatures drop in northern climes, the tropics naturally start looking inviting – just ask the countless birds making their way down to Belize right now. There are many other reasons that make Belize the perfect winter destinations, and here’s five that immediately come to mind.
This year Chaa Creek’s Jungle Bells all-inclusive Belize Vacation offers the gift of time and space – time to just kick back, time to spend with each other, time to slow the world down and reflect and appreciate!
Belize Halloween is well and truly alive in this multicultural haven and there are enough local spooky characters to keep any child – or adult, for that matter – occasionally checking under the bed and questioning those strange sounds we hear at night.
Indigenous Innovations: Revolutionizing the Cocoa Industry in Belize, is a project that is part of a radical new approach aimed at supporting small Maya communities by helping to boost production and then better market their ancestor’s favourite crop – cacao.
New reports from the Belize Tourism Board show that tourist arrivals for 2014 continue to increase, with this year’s third quarter numbers showing a significant rise compared to last year.
A recent Travel Pulse feature article agrees with our earlier post this week that Belize is on an upward trajectory. The article. “Belize is Booming And Has The Numbers To Prove It” (October 14, 2014 ) cites the same BTB tourist arrival figures we quoted, as well as Caribbean Tourism Organization statistics to highlight their view that, yes, Belize is booming.
Making up some eight per cent of Belize’s land mass, and over four times the size of Barbados, the Chiquibul national forest epitomises Belize’s Wild West.
Going on vacation doesn’t mean that your healthy lifestyle goes on hiatus. While exotic beaches may conjure up visions of piña coladas and endless napping for some people, it’s easy to stay healthy when you choose the right vacation destination – and visiting Belize is a super smart destination for people in search of a healthy living paradise.
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!
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.
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.
Belize Archaeology News: A Big Thank you to Dr Jaime Awe! Like many people in Belize, especially those of us with an interest in Maya … Read more
The report specifically acknowledges Belize’s success in protecting the marine environment and working towards the sustainability of local fisheries. “Belize has been a leader in the region for establishing marine protected areas and has a world-renowned system of marine reserves many of which form the Belize Barrier Reef Reserve System World Heritage Site,” Janet Gibson, Director of the Wildlife Conservation Society’s Belize Program reports. “It’s clear that no-take zones can help replenish the country’s fisheries and biodiversity, along with the added benefits to tourism and even resilience to climate change.” The WCS commissioned the report to look at the performance of no-take zones in Belize and in other countries to with an aim towards protecting the world’s highly diverse coral reef systems.
With the 2014 Commonwealth Games on the horizon, host Glasgow is busily ironing kilts and preparing venues while the National Olympic Committee confirms the events and names of athletes who will be contending. Yes, sports lovers, it has been announced that Belize will compete in five events at this year’s games.
It’s no longer Mother Nature’s best kept secret that Belize has an astounding collection of wildlife living within the 170mi (274 km ) by 68 mi (109 km)of this unique little gem of a country, with many familiar and many not-so-familiar species cohabitating in the huge pristine expanses of protected wilderness. One of the many things we like to do here is introduce some of our lesser known animal friends to the world, and this week we’ve chosen that nocturnal little scamp, the kinkajou.
More Good News for Air Service to Belize. Yes, it is great news that major airlines are keeping up with Belize’s growing popularity by offering more and more flights each year. Last month we posted that United Airlines was expanding its air service from Chicago to Belize with new direct flights beginning December 20 2014, and now we have even more good news for travelers. Delta airlines has just announced that, beginning December 4, it is adding four weekly seasonal flights to its Atlanta, Georgia – Belize City run. This is in addition to the eight weekly round-trip flights to Belize it currently offers year round.
The first Houston Caribbean Queen (HCQ) Pageant, billed as “a cultural, educational, and festive event that seeks to celebrate the talent and intellectual abilities of young Caribbean women” was held on June 28, 2014 and it seems only fitting to us that the very first HC Queen is a talented young Belizean, Rheisha Shol. Rheisha was born in the national capital of Belmopan and moved to Houston, Texas with her family, where she currently attends Texas State University.
It’s that time again to celebrate the opening of lobster season in Belize and show our appreciation for this gastronomic delight. Yes, all over Belize fishermen are out catching, cooks are preparing and diners are consuming the yummy bugs, as Caribbean Spiny Lobsters are known locally. And to celebrate the opening of the lobster season, several Lobsterfests are held around Belize, providing a rare opportunity to not only gorge on these delicious crustaceans, but participate in great community events as well. Here’s a list of the main fests, followed by some facts about rock lobsters that 80s band the B 52s for some reason left out of their tribute song.
The company said it is adding flights from Chicago’s O Hare airport to Philip Goldson International in Belize City, with a Saturday service scheduled to run through to May 2015, depending on government approval. Great news for visitors from the Windy City, as well as the substantial Belizean diaspora living in the Chicago area. With Delta Airline’s direct Los Angeles to Belize City flights that began last year, and joining American and Continental Airlines as well as USAir ways and TACA servicing Belize from Miami, Houston, Dallas, Atlanta, Charlotte, New York and Los Angeles, and given the close proximity of Belize to major North American hubs, paradise keeps getting closer for our American friends.
Belize sits within the Mesoamerican Biological Corridor, which stretches from Mexico through Central America and is home to a diverse range of birds and wildlife, helping to make the little country a birders’ paradise, with some 618 resident species and visiting migrants sharing the rich biodiversity of Belize. At Chaa Creek alone, the Birds without Borders project, conducted in conjunction with the Zoological Society of Milwaukee and Foundation for Wildlife Conservation, recorded 308 different species within the eco-resort’s 365-acre private nature reserve. And while Chaa Creek is one of the best places in Belize for birdwatching (small wonder it was picked for the Birds without Borders project), there are other renowned spots north, southeast and west where our feathered friends congregate. Here are five more guaranteed to whet any birder’s appetite.
San Ignacio, Belize is a small lovely town located on the Cayo region of the country and mere minutes away from the border with Guatemala. Considered as the heartland of the Belizean Mayan World, San Ignacio has its fair share of cultural and adventure attractions, even for those who travel with a tight budget. Here are 7 top cultural attractions in this western town of Belize, Central America.
Mayan for “Stone maiden” Xunantunich is definitely one of Belize’s prettiest Maya archaeological sites, renowned for exquisite architecture, beautiful frescos and stelae, as well as its park-like atmosphere and stunning views from the top of El Castillo, the iconic pyramid temple. Xunantunich was an important ceremonial centre built around AD 600 near the end of the Maya Late Classic Period, boasting a population of some 10,000 people at its peak, and apparently continued to thrive while other Maya centres such as Tikal and Caracol were in decline. However by around 1000 AD Xunantunich was abandoned.
So when the AARP says something, a big audience is listening. And recently the AARP named Belize as one of the top ten honeymoon destinations, sharing honours with Tahiti, the Maldives, Bali and other exotic tropical locations. Yes, tropical seems to be a key element for a happy honeymoon. But of course, it takes more than a warm sunny climate to make the AARP’s top ten. This is a discriminating group looking for the very best for its members, so no wonder Belize got a nod.
As part of our commitment at The Lodge at Chaa Creek is to work with our local communities in building awareness and educating our local people on conservation and preservation of our natural environment. And in that respect, as part of our community outreach program, today saw our “Butterfly on the Road” Program when two of our Naturalist Guides packed up their equipment and visited the Sacred Heart Primary School in San Ignacio Town.
While we don’t know Ambassador-designate Moreno personally, his impressive record and his personal history would seem to make him an excellent choice for the job, and indicates that the Obama administration takes the US relationship with Belize seriously.
Here are 25 Things To Know About Belize 1. It’s the only English speaking country in Central America: Belize was occupied by the British, making it unique among … Read more