Cayo Belize Jungle Lodges

Ek' Tun can only be reached by boat crossing over the Macal. 

Lodging is in one of two natural thatched (and quite well-appointed) cabanas with large bath (hot and cold water), sitting area, queen-sized beds and terrace.

Phyllis Dart, Ek' Tun's owner and caretaker (her preferred descriptor), is a professional landscaper, so Ek' Tun's grounds are beautiful, with a wide variety of exotic jungle plantings.

However, only a small portion of the Ek' Tun property has been "tamed" - with most of its 300 acres still pristine and untouched.  (A bushwacking and cave exploration adventure on the Ek' Tun grounds is a guest favorite.)

And then there's the pool - formed by a small branch of the Macal River, framed by Phyllis' landscaping, and bounded by large boulders found on the Ek' Tun property.  Some guests believe the pool has magical powers.

Magical powers or no, it's one of the most beautiful swimming pools to be found in Belize -- or elsewhere.

And if all this beauty and seclusion weren't enough, Ek' Tun is a bird haven, including the orange-breasted falcon (globally endangered), Emerald Toucanets, Violaceous Trogons, White Hawks, Grey Hawks, Keel-billed Toucans, Collared Ariçari, Trogons and the Spectacled Owl, just to name a few that can be seen from the cabana and main lodge terraces.

In short, Ek' Tun is the perfect spot for a romantic honeymoon or anniversary, quiet contemplation to escape the trials and tribulations of the "real" world -- or to just bask in the natural beauty of place.

Upper-moderate price tier.  Contact us for more information.

Perhaps Chan Chich comes by that ambiance honestly.   The Lodge itself is located within the plaza of an ancient Mayan ruin. 

And, the land on which the lodge is located was once part of the property of Belize Estates Company, a British-owned timbering and logging operation that owned about 1/5 of what was then British Honduras.

The Chan Chich Jungle Lodge is now part of almost 250,000 acres of tropical forest under special management and protection by The Programme for Belize (steward of the Rio Bravo lands north of Chan Chich) and the Gallon Jug Estate, both carved out of the former Belize Estates Company ownings.

(Gallon Jug Estate was named in 1943 by logging foreman Austin Felix who found three old gallon jugs at the site of a new high bush logging camp established in the area.)

Birding is one of the primary activities at Chan Chich, which has the distinction of having the highest Christmas bird count in Belize and the fifth highest in Central America.

Chan Chich has also been recognized as "Wilderness Retreat of the Year" by Andrew Harper's prestigious "Hideaway Report" and has been featured in recent issues of both Conde Naste and National Geographic Traveler magazines.

Chan Chich boasts a 9-mile trail system that passes through several distinct forest subcategories of the general subtropical moist forest designation as the Chan Chich forest is scientifically categorized.  

Other activities include driving and bird watching tours to other parts of the extensive Gallon Jug Estate, as well as night walks and night drives, horseback riding, canoeing and exploring the many unexcavated Mayan sites in the area.  (An extensive Maya site lies just off the Blue Creek Road, about a mile from Gallon Jug - - a nice horseback ride from the Lodge.)

Upper price tier.  Contact us for more information.