The 10 best eco-resorts in Belize

A heady mix of reef-edged Caribbean islands, lush swaths of rainforest and remnants of ancient Mayan culture, Belize is a pocket-size paradise that cares passionately about safeguarding the natural wonders that make it so special. This passion finds its best expression at the country's eco-lodges – sustainable lodgings promising a stay where the sounds of nature spill in through your window and hummingbirds buzz around you at breakfast.

One of Central America's smallest countries, Belize protects more than 40% of its land and sea territory as nature reserves and national parks, and good public transport links make it easy to explore it all with a smaller carbon footprint. While immersing yourself in Belize's endlessly vibrant and varied landscapes, you can rest up at solar-powered jungle lodges, community-run escapes on organic farms and reef-safe diving resorts.

Whether you're drawn here by the world’s second-largest barrier reef, dense rainforests alive with howler monkeys and toucans, or the mysterious ruins of ancient Mayan cities, picking sustainable accommodations will help ensure Belize's wonders can still be enjoyed by the travelers who come after.

If you prefer to minimize your ecological impact while you experience the natural beauty of Belize, here is our pick of the country's top eco-friendly resorts.

1. Blancaneaux Lodge, San Ignacio

Best for luxury

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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 guest cabins were added, in a remote mountain setting surrounded by 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. Building materials are locally and sustainably 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 enjoying the lodge’s infinity pool. For something more active, explore on horseback, spot wildlife in nearby Elijio Panti National Park, or just hang out in a hammock and watch hummingbirds hover over the hibiscus flowers.

Getting there: The lodge has its own airstrip, but it's more environmentally friendly to come by chartered car or 4WD from Belize City (a trip of around 2.5 hours).

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.

Getting there: Chaa Creek is about 1.5 hours from Belize City by car, off the road to San Ignacio. It's an easy trip by hire car or with a chartered car and driver.

3. Chan Chich Lodge, Gallon Jug

Best for relaxing near Mayan sites

You have to really want to get to Chan Chich. This resort lies deep in the 30,000-acre Maya Forest, inland from Belize City near the border with Guatemala, reached by a long, bumpy road trip on dirt tracks (or less sustainably, by chartered 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, at the heart of a vibrant Maya city. Remnants of the unexcavated city lie all around, and Chan Chich is within reach of Lamanai, arguably Belize’s most intriguing and beautiful Maya site.

The modern residents put conservation 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.

As well as exploring the ruins, you can 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 gourmands.

Getting there: Driving is the most environmentally sensitive way to arrive; the trip from Belize City takes about 2.5 hours by chartered car.

4. Hamanasi Adventure and Dive Resort, Stann Creek

Best for diving

For a sustainable seaside stay, pack your mask and snorkel and head to Hamanasi Adventure and Dive Resort, a sea-focused escape south of Belize City. With a long golden beach just a short boat ride from nearby atolls, guests can get the best from the wonders of the Caribbean at this five-star PADI resort, which is Green Globe certified and offers diving courses for all levels.

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The Belize Barrier Reef – a section of the larger Mesoamerican Barrier Reef – offers some of the best diving in the world. Its warm, crystal-clear waters are protected by the second-largest reef system on the planet, and are 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’ve finished diving, there’s canoeing, birding and hiking to enjoy. Or try your luck at spotting an elusive big cat at Cockscomb Basin Wildlife Sanctuary, the world’s only dedicated jaguar sanctuary.

Getting there: Hamanasi is a 2-hour drive south from Belize City; come by chartered car or hire car, or take a bus to Dangriga then a taxi.

5. Naia Resort and Spa, Placencia

Best for wellness

Welcome to Placencia, a spit of sand between Belize City and Punta Gorda that’s all about Belize’s laid-back Caribbean spirit. This skinny peninsula in southern Belize is the place to take things slowly, 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 resort's beachfront cottages reflect clean lines, modern luxury and the barefoot beach life. Sustainability is the focus throughout the resort, from water conservation and waste reduction initiatives to supporting local farmers and artisans and keeping two-thirds of the property preserved as forest and lagoon.

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 such as sea salt scrubs and cacao and coconut oil massages are inspired by the natural bounty of Belize.

If you can tear yourself away from the spa, explore the peninsula’s 26km-long beach by bike, or hop on a boat from the resort’s pier for a snorkeling trip off the tiny island of Moho Caye.

Getting there: Small planes come to Placencia's tiny airport from Belize City, but you can also get here by road, a trip of around 4 hours by car, following the peninsula. A slower option is to come by bus, crossing via the ferry from the village of Independence.

6. Copal Tree Lodge, Punta Gorda

Best for foodies

You’ll probably hear about Copal before you reach this retreat in a rainforest preserve near Punta Gorda, thanks to the on-site Copalli Rum distillery, which makes spirits from organic sugarcane. But alongside the rum operation, you'll find a 3000-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. The lodge focuses on social responsibility, supporting local 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. You can learn about chocolate making in a bean-to-bar workshop or discover the history of the estate on a farm-to-flask tour of the zero-waste rum distillery. Alternatively, join the Snorkel with the Chef tour – 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.

Getting there: You can reach Punta Gorda by air, or less pollutingly by bus; packages at the lodge include a shuttle transfer from Punta Gorda.

7. Table Rock Jungle 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, set on a raised bank above the Macal River, about 9km south of San Ignacio. 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.

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

Come for days in tune with nature. Pick fresh Valencia oranges, mangoes and avocados on the organic farm for lunch, go canoeing on the river, or hike trails deep under the jungle canopy. And if you want to roam further, you’re near San Ignacio, with easy access to the Cahal Pech Mayan site and the Community Baboon Sanctuary, an important reserve for howler monkeys.

Getting there: Local buses run from Belize City to San Ignacio (2.5 hours), where you can arrange a taxi to reach Table Rock.

8. Black Rock Lodge, San Ignacio

Best for self-sufficiency

Cradled by rainforest on the banks of the Macal River near San Ignacio, 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 local caves used by ancient Maya people, or hiking or biking on protected land.

Getting there: Start by taking the bus from Belize City to San Ignacio; the lodge can arrange a vehicle to meet you on arrival.

9. Xanadu Resort, Ambergris Caye

Best for an eco-conscious island stay

Framed by swaying palms at the southern tip of the coral island of Ambergris Caye, the dreamy Xanadu Island Resort offers beachy boutique comfort, backed up by a deeply rooted environmental ethos. Indeed, Xanadu was the first island property in Belize to be 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 provide safe 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 nature trails to see birds and iguanas, or hop over to Caye Caulker, Ambergris’ little sister island, for some reggae tunes in the sunshine.

Getting there: While you can fly to San Pedro, the main town on Ambergris, it's just as easy to arrive by boat from Belize City's water taxi terminal (1.5 hours), before taking a taxi to Xanadu Island Resort.

10. Cotton Tree Lodge, Punta Gorda

Best for affordability

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

The lodge spans 100 acres of jungle habitats, and it follows sustainable practices, with composting toilets, a rainwater filtration system, a thriving organic garden, strong ties with the local community and profit-sharing for staff.

Rooms and cabanas are simple but comfortable. Screened windows and ceiling fans sub for air-conditioning, and private decks have hammocks overlooking the river, offering the kind of view you'd expect to pay much more for.

While the luxury fluff is minimal at Cotton Tree, adventure is turned up to 10. You can pass the days enjoying jungle walks, yoga sessions, organic farm tours, river kayaking, chocolate making with local cacao farmers and swimming through caves to reach an underwater waterfall.

Getting there: Travel from Belize City to Punta Gorda by bus (6 hours) then take a local taxi (45 minutes).