“The Lodge is committed to making year-on-year improvements in all the GREEN GLOBE 21™ key environmental performance areas. This includes measuring, recording, setting targets and communicating our performance. We have appointed Mike Green, Nature Reserve Manager, as the Green Globe Coordinator, who is responsible for ensuring ongoing environmental performance, identification of environmental risks, recording of impacts and implementing environmental and social sustainability measures.” – Larry Waight, The Lodge at Chaa Creek, Belize

As a private 365-acre nature reserve set along the banks of the Macal River in the foothills of the Maya Mountains, The Lodge at Chaa Creek provides a unique adventure travel experience for thousands of people while maintaining an unspoiled ambiance.

The story of Chaa Creek Cottages began in 1977 when two young travelers stumbled upon what would later become their adopted home – 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 farm had no road access so the produce was transported by dugout canoe to the ready markets of San Ignacio Town, much as the Maya had done 1,000 years before.

When other travelers heard about the farm they would often trek out to visit, sometimes staying to lend a hand. As more visitors came, the idea was launched to build a guest cottage from materials found on the land. Chaa Creek Cottages, the first jungle lodge in Belize, opened its doors in 1981 and over the next two decades growth has kept pace with the increasing number of visitors. more…

Today, the jungle lodge has 23 comfortable palm-thatched cottage rooms, all nestled along the riverside, and the Chaa Creek restaurant offering delicious meals. Guests interact with nature while exploring the river, miles of well-maintained forest trails, Maya temple sites, and through activities such as hiking, canoeing, horseback riding, mountain biking and bird watching.

Chaa Creek is the only Green Globe certified business in Belize, committed to sound environmental management practices that incorporate conservation, education, and transparency into all areas of operations.

>> Read more about Chaa Creek’s sustainability practices at The Soapbox!

>> Find Chaa Creek on Ecotourism Explorer