The best eco-resorts to visit in Belize

A heady mix of Caribbean reefs, lush rainforest and Maya culture, Belize is a pocket-size paradise that’s big on safeguarding what makes it special.

This Central American nation protects over 40% of its land and sea through reserves and national parks, and there’s no shortage of ways to explore it sustainably.

A collection of solar-powered jungle lodges, reef-safe diving resorts and community-run reserves let travelers engage with the endlessly vibrant and varied landscape – from the world’s second-largest barrier reef, stretching along 240 miles of Caribbean coastline, to dense rainforests alive with howler monkeys and toucans and dotted with the tall towers and mysterious ruins of ancient Maya cities – while casting a smaller footprint. 

If you want to reduce your ecological impact and still experience the natural beauty of Belize, stay at one of these top eco-friendly resorts. 

1. Blancaneaux Lodge, San Ignacio 

Best for luxury

American film director Francis Ford Coppola fell in love with Belize in the 1980s. He stumbled across an abandoned jungle hideaway and purchased Blancaneaux Lodge, hidden in the Mountain Pine Ridge Forest in the Cayo District of southern central Belize, after finishing Apocalypse Now. 

It became his family retreat, and eventually 20 thatched cabins were added to this remote mountain setting of rushing waterfalls, limestone cliffs and emerald pools.

Today, Blancaneaux is deeply luxurious, but behind the scenes, the lodge is plastic-free and powered entirely by hydroelectricity, wood is locally sourced, and the restaurant serves organically farmed ingredients whipped up into favorite Coppola family recipes. The resort also supports local artists and schools. 

The villas perch on the banks of the Privassion River, whose pools beg to be plunged into (when you’re not the lodge’s infinity pool). Or explore on horseback, spot wildlife in Elijio National Park, or just hang out in a hammock and watch hummingbirds hover over the hibiscus flowers. 

2. The Lodge at Chaa Creek, San Ignacio 

Best for families

This pioneering eco-resort located on the country's western fringe was one of the first eco-lodges in Belize. Chaa Creek calls itself “wildly civilized,” an apt description for its collection of cottages, treehouses and suites set within 400 acres of rainforest wilderness on the edge of the Macal River. 

The resort uses solar power, harvests and filters its own water, and partners in the conservation of howler monkeys, birds and plants (10% of Chaa Creek’s accommodation revenue goes to local environmental and community projects).

This is a great stay for wildlife-mad families, who can watch toucans in the trees, go horseback riding in the jungle and make friends at the on-site butterfly farm. 

It’s tempting to stay put at Chaa Creek, given that there’s an infinity pool, a spa, an organic farm and a network of walking trails on site, but there are plenty of things to do nearby, including the Maya sites of Cahal Pech and Xunantunich, caves for spelunking, forests for zip-lining and the Belize coast for snorkeling. 

3. Chan Chich Lodge, Gallon Jug 

Best for Maya sites 

You have to really want to get to Chan Chich. This resort deep in the 30,000-acre Maya Forest is reached by a long, bumpy road trip on dirt tracks (unless you want to charter a plane). 

It’s worth the journey, though. The 12 luxurious yet pared-back thatched cottages are grouped on what was once, astonishingly, the main plaza of a Maya temple, in the heart of a vibrant Maya civilization.

Remnants of the unexcavated city are all around, and Chan Chich is within reach of Lamanai, arguably Belize’s most intriguing and beautiful Maya site. 

The modern residents put conservation firmly first. Almost all of the food served at Chan Chich comes from the resort’s organic farm, rainwater is purified for cooking and cleaning, and there’s a big focus on protecting local wildlife. 

Traverse miles of hiking trails, canoe in a nearby lake (before nightfall to avoid the crocodiles), or take a night drive through the dense jungle in search of jaguars. 

The lodge is part of Gallon Jug, a sprawling estate growing coffee, chilies and organic produce, and touring it by truck or on horseback is like a safari for gourmets. 

4. Hamanasi Adventure and Dive Resort, Stann Creek 

Best for diving 

For a sustainable seaside stay, pack your snorkel for Hamanasi Adventure and Dive Resort. Nearly 1000ft of golden beach and easy boat trips to Belize’s atolls mean great access to the wonders of the Caribbean from this PADI five-star resort, which is Green Globe certified and offers diving courses for all levels. 

Belize is home to some of the best diving in the world. Its warm, crystal-clear waters are protected by the Belize Barrier Reef, the second-largest reef system on the planet, teeming with rays, turtles and reef sharks. 

Unlike many of the country’s beach resorts, Hamanasi is located on the mainland, south of Hopkins in southern Belize, so there’s more on your doorstep than diving. Hamanasi takes its love for wildlife seriously, with 30 acres of the property designated as a nature preserve for birds, bats, fish, turtles and crocodiles. 

Stay in a brightly decorated treehouse suite on stilts, and when you’re not diving, there’s canoeing, birding and hiking, or try your luck at spotting an elusive big cat at Cockscomb Basin Wildlife Sanctuary, the world’s only dedicated jaguar sanctuary. 

5. Naia Resort and Spa, Placencia

Best for wellness

Welcome to Placencia, a spit of sand that’s all about Belize’s laid-back Caribbean spirit. This skinny peninsula in southern Belize is the place to take things slow, and nowhere is keener to help you out with that than Naia Resort and Spa. 

Set along a private stretch of Placencia’s golden sands, the beachfront cottages reflect clean lines, modern luxury and the barefoot beach life. 

Sustainability runs throughout the resort, from water conservation and waste reduction initiatives to a focus on supporting local farmers and artisans and keeping two-thirds of the property as forest and lagoon reserves. 

Food served in the 1981 restaurant, named for the year of Belize’s independence, is fresh and locally grown, or caught that day off the coast.  

At Naia's core is its award-winning spa, dotted across a series of small lagoon islets linked by wooden bridges. Holistic treatments are inspired by the natural bounty of Belize, like sea salt scrubs or cacao and coconut oil massages.

If you can tear yourself away from the spa, explore the peninsula’s 16-mile beach by bike, or hop on a boat from the resort’s pier for a snorkeling trip off the tiny island of Moho Caye.  

6. Copal Tree Lodge, Punta Gorda 

Best for foodies 

You’ll probably hear of Copal before you reach this retreat in a rainforest preserve: the on-site Copalli Rum distillery, which makes spirits from organic sugarcane, is on the site. But alongside this famous producer are a 3,000-acre organic farm and a cluster of 16 luxurious private villas. 

Rooms at Copal Tree are eco-chic, with huge showers, hammocks on the deck and windows framing the jungle, while the turquoise pool has views of the surrounding Maya Mountains of Punta Gorda. 

The lodge focuses on social responsibility, supporting farmers, artisans and entrepreneurs, and it works with local growers whose ingredients are served at the Garden Table Restaurant. 

Adventures here have a foodie flavor. Learn about chocolate making in a bean-to-bar workshop or the history of the estate on a farm-to-flask tour of the zero-waste rum distillery. 

Best of all, during Snorkel with the Chef, you’ll travel down the Rio Grande with the lodge’s chef, and any fish, spiny lobster or conch caught during your trip will be cooked up on the boat’s wood grill, with a few Copalli rum cocktails to wash it down.   

7. Table Rock Lodge, San Antonio Village 

Best for privacy 

Tiny and tasteful, this peaceful eco-lodge has just 10 guest cabanas in a 105-acre jungle reserve in central western Belize, on a raised bank above the Macal River. 

Guests can choose from garden-facing rooms, a thatched-roof cabana, jungle- or river-view suites, or a two-bedroom rainforest cabin that used to be the owner’s home – all are 100% solar powered and carbon neutral. 

Table Rock is completely off the grid, producing all its own electricity, and most of the resort's water needs are supplied using purified rain and river water. 

The lodge champions the Mahogany Reforestation Project, which has planted over 1000 mahogany trees to restore the native canopy. 

What to do in a day? Pick Valencia oranges, mangoes and avocados on the organic farm for lunch, go canoeing on the river, or hike trails deep under the jungle canopy. 

You’re near San Ignacio, with easy access to the Cahal Pech site and the Community Baboon Sanctuary, an important reserve for howler monkeys. 

8. Black Rock Lodge, San Ignacio 

Best for self-sufficiency 

Cradled by rainforest on the banks of the Macal River, Black Rock Lodge feels carved out of the wild – and it aims to leave as small a footprint as possible on its surroundings.

This off-grid, carbon-neutral property has 20 modern cabins built across 18,000 acres of protected wilderness, and bedrooms have big views of the jungle and river. 

This eco-retreat runs completely autonomously – powered by a mix of solar and hydro energy and using a natural wetland system to filter wastewater.

The on-site farm provides fresh milk, eggs and cheese (you can even pop in to give the resident goats a cuddle). 

Days at the lodge are spent tubing the river, kayaking to hidden waterfalls, practicing yoga in the lodge’s shala, exploring Maya caves, or hiking or biking in protected land. 

9. Xanadu Resort, Ambergris Caye 

Best for eco-conscious 

Framed by swaying palms on the southern tip of the coral island of Ambergris Caye, Xanadu Island Resort appears to be beachy boutique comfort on the surface, but there’s a deeply rooted eco-conscience here too. 

Xanadu was the first island property in Belize certified by Green Globe. You’ll sleep in a suite built from recycled materials under a thatched palapa roof, designed to reduce energy use and offer refuge from hurricanes. 

Throughout the property, you’ll see thoughtful sustainability in action: solar-heated water, rainwater harvesting, bikes and kayaks to borrow, and a passive approach to pest control that keeps nature in balance. 

The whole point of a stay here is going slow: laze by the freshwater pool, snorkel on the reef that fringes Belize’s Caribbean coast, roam a nature trail set aside as sanctuary for birds and iguanas, or hop to Caye Caulker, Ambergris’ little sister island, for some reggae tunes in the sunshine. 

10. Cotton Tree Lodge, Punta Gorda 

Best for affordability

Tucked deep into the rainforest of southern Belize, along the banks of the slow-moving Moho River and at the foot of the Maya Mountains, community-owned Cotton Tree Lodge offers an eco-conscious escape that also happens to punch well above its price point, to the delight of budget travelers. 

The lodge spans 100 acres of jungle habitat and is grounded in sustainable practices, with composting toilets, a rainwater filtration system, a thriving organic garden, strong ties with local communities and profit sharing for the staff. 

Rooms and cabanas are modest but comfortable. Screened windows and ceiling fans sub for air-conditioning, and private decks have hammocks overlooking the river.

While the luxury fluff is minimal at Cotton Tree, adventure is turned up to high: jungle walks, yoga sessions, organic farm tours, river kayaking, chocolate making with a cacao farmer and swimming through caves to an underwater waterfall.