Mick and Lucy Fleming turned their family farm into Belize’s first jungle lodge in 1981. Over 30 years later they describe the Chaa Creek experience in just two words: “wildly civilized.”
The 400-acre private nature reserve sits on the banks of the Macal River in the Cayo District, and there you’ll find sensitively constructed palm-thatched cottages and a wide range of educational centers showcasing the area’s natural resources.
Founded in 1993, the Chaa Creek Natural History Centre was the first of its kind in Belize, covering everything from anthropology to zoology. Students, both local and international, benefit as much as resort guests from the property’s introduction to the history and culture of the ancient Maya and Mesoamerican civilizations. Follow Belize’s journey from prehistoric land formation to the shifting of the continents, before delving into local history and geology. You can also watch each stage of the Belizean Blue’s life cycle unfold at the Blue Morpho Butterfly Exhibit.
That isn’t where Chaa Creek’s devotion to education ends. The resort works in accordance with the Rainforest Alliance, and has partnered with organizations like Yerkes Primate Institute, the Zoological Society of Milwaukee County, the Foundation for Wildlife Conservation, and the New York Botanical Gardens on a variety of projects, including the reintroduction of howler monkeys to the population, cataloging local vascular plants, reforesting bay palms, and conducting research on neotropical migratory birds, archaeology, and agroforestry.
Certified by Green Globe and Sustainable Travel International, Chaa Creek has been on the front lines of the eco-tourism movement from the beginning, and has been recognized by National Geographic, Conde Nast, Travel & Leisure, and many other high-profile publications.
The resort’s commitment to eco-conscious activity starts with its purchasing policy, which requires suppliers to use environmentally safe products with reduced or bulk packaging. Locally produced goods are given special preference, and all cleaning products use natural ingredients. Energy and water are typically the first things we think of in relation to responsible environmentalism. At Chaa Creek, you’ll find energy-efficient flourescent lights with automatic timers, motion detectors, and photovoltaic switches. Far from simple water conservation, the resort produces its own water with state-of-the-art high filtration systems. Each guest receives a souvenir aluminum water bottle and has access to hygienic refill stations. Low-flush toilets and low-flow shower heads reduce overall water consumption. Recycling on the resort also happens in unexpected ways. All kitchen waste and grass trimmings are composted to fertilize the on-site ornamental and vegetable gardens, while restaurant leftovers are donated to a local farmer for his livestock. Metal cans go to a specially designed manual crusher and are ultimately used in concrete building foundations as fill material, while glass bottles and jars are either reused or crushed to become additional aggregate in cement mixing. Used cardboard boxes find a second life as ground cover on the resort’s organic farm, or are recycled.
In addition to following the principles of Leave No Trace, starting the Belize Foundation for Conservation, and engaging in creative recycling, the resort ensures its operations not only preserve the environment but also support the local community. In fact, 10% of all accommodation revenues go directly to social and environmental programs and contributions. The full-time staff is comprised entirely of local Belizeans, six of whom serve as special constables with the Belize Police Department. The staff’s loss prevention manager also helps nearby communities establish neighborhood watch programs to improve local safety. The owners provide scholarships to 12 secondary school students, host a week-long summer camp for 24 local children, and support an Environmental Education Outreach program to raise environmental awareness in nearby schools. Guests are encouraged to support Chaa Creek’s Pack-a-Pound program and devote one pound of their luggage space to school supplies to be donated to a local school. The resort also provides support to a local senior center, an institute for the deaf, an orphanage, and various community projects like public park maintenance and anti-litter campaigns. Meanwhile, the property’s contingency reserves can provide emergency assistance in the event of a natural disaster or other tragedy.
Chaa Creek’s 23 rainforest cottages offer a basic level of accommodation, but those looking for an upgrade can choose from a few ultra-luxe villas. The three-bedroom Belize Spa Villa commands panoramic views of the Macal River Basin from its glass-walled living room and wraparound veranda. Not open to children under 10, this villa provides the unique service of professional massage treatments from the privacy of your room. The resort’s one-bedroom Tree Top Suites will grant you a bird’s eye view of the surrounding landscape, literally, as you share the skies with toucans, parrots, kingfishers, and more. Couples and families alike will be well served by the hilltop garden-set Macal Cottage, which boasts a private terrace and jacuzzi with river overlook. The Garden Suite and Garden Jacuzzi Suite can be booked separately or together, depending on the size of your group, though both have private screened verandas. Finally, the Belize Orchard Villa is designed for families, but popular with all groups. Featuring a screened sitting room and overlooking both the gardens and the river, it easily accommodates four to six guests. Budget travelers have their place too at the rustic and remote Camp Casitas. Get closer to nature at these 10 small bungalows on raised platforms with private verandas, no electricity, and restricted vehicle traffic.
All guests have access to the resort’s amenities. A conference center is available for business meetings, retreats, weddings, and other private functions, while the bi-level freshwater infinity pool is friendly to adults and children alike. The hilltop spa offers massages al fresco – all the better to enjoy its panoramic mountain and rainforest views with. You can also select natural herbal-based treatments, facials with aloe vera or vitamin C, eye treatments, manicures, pedicures, waxing, or body polishes and wraps.
The dining room is also outdoors, and serves both local and international cuisine. Breakfast might be light tropical fruit and yogurt, or you can go local with refried beans, eggs, and tortillas, while the lunch menu includes pizza, pasta, quesadillas, and tamales. The real attraction is dinner thanks in particular to the daily four-course connoisseur menu, which features dishes like carrot ginger soup, cho cho canteloupe salad, and fresh fish wrapped in Santa Maria leaves. While some ingredients are locally sourced, most of the kitchen’s produce is grown at the on-site organic farm.
Guests can learn more about the 33-acre farm on an educational guided horseback tour. The farm employs traditional Maya techniques in concert with more modern approaches like irrigated raised beds and composted soil. The onsite horse stables are open to riders of all levels, and you might also choose to take a guided ride through the resort’s nature reserve. The numbered trail network is also suitable for hikers. For an even more unique treat, pay a visit to the woodworking shop, where carpenters and craftsmen show off their current projects.
Chaa Creek particularly shines in its huge array of all-inclusive vacation packages.
Families can join a five-day expedition centered around an educational program for kids ages 6-15, which includes a treasure hunt among jungle trails. Each family also gets a personal butterfly hatchery to release a new Blue Morpho Butterfly into the wild. Other fun excursions include a guided tour of Xunantunich and a visit to a local family in Cristo Rey village where you’ll learn how to prepare corn tortillas.
The Belize Eco-Green Package itinerary focuses on sustainability, conservation and local culture. You’ll tour the organic farm, butterfly center, and a trail full of traditional Maya medicinal plants. Enjoy horseback riding, bird watching, canoeing, and hiking, as well as a special presentation on ecotourism. It’s the perfect introduction for anyone new to responsible travel. Bird lovers can opt instead for a specialty package, including full day excursion to Mountain Pine Ridge, Caracol, Tikal, and El Pilar.
Even chocoholics have their vacation needs covered. The Maya were among the first civilizations to fall for chocolate; cacao beans were even used as currency in their culture. The Chocolatisimo Package includes 3-course candlelit dinners with Mayan-inspired desserts, a bicycle ride through a cacao grove, and chocolate-based massage treatments.
Honeymooners have a few packages to choose from. Take a sunset canoe tour before a private candlelit dinner, and enjoy early morning bird watching the next day, or extend your time in the country with one of Chaa Creek’s combination packages, formed in partnership with other Belize resorts. The Los Dos Cayos Belize Honeymoon will take you to Victoria House in Ambergris Caye for kayaking, snorkeling, and diving, while the Moveable Honeymoon Feast hops first to Chabil Mar Villas in Placencia for a Monkey River boating excursion, and then to Hatchet Caye on the Belize Barrier Reef, where you’ll picnic on a secluded island in the Silk Cayes Marine Reserve.
Many more of Chaa Creek’s vacation packages involve partnerships with other resorts, such as Bolontiku Boutique Hotel in Guatemala, Robert’s Grove Beach Resort in Placencia, Turneffe Flats on the Turneffe Atoll, and Las Terrazas Resort or Mata Chica Beach Resort in Ambergris Caye. On these you might enjoy excursions to the Mayan ruins of Tikal, Caracol, or Xunantunich or to stunning cave systems at Barton Creek or Actun Tunichun Muknal. Jungle zip lines and canoe trips down the Macal River will dominate your time in the jungle, and when you leave Chaa Creek for the coast, you’ll have access to your choice of water sport, be it kayaking, paddle boarding, snorkeling, or diving.