Jungle Lodge by Public Transport

Our general plan is to travel Caye Caulker - Cayo - Hopkins. I would like the jungle lodge experience but we will be traveling by public transport, and we are fairly budget conscious. And at some point we would like to see San Ignacio, the Saturday market, etc. I'm wondering how others have found the best of all these worlds. One option we have come across is the TrekStop lodge which is right off the Western Highway and provides access to ruins and other activities. Are there others that you have found where you enjoy the jungle lodge but also have easy access to transport, activities, etc without relying completely on the lodge? thanks.

Not too many Belize lodges that are accessible by bus.

Trek Stop is a good choice for a budget lodge, and it's right on the highway (Western Highway aka Benque Road). Another lodge in the San Ignacio area with an entrance on the Western Highway is Clarissa Falls, although it's a half mile or so on a dirt road through a cattle ranch to the lodge. Nabitunich is another one near the highway.

There are several lodges in the Bullet Tree Falls village area a few miles from San Ignacio that can be reached by colectivo, including Parrot's Nest.

There are several lodges on or fairly near the Cristo Rey Road going into the Mountain Pine Ridge from San Ignacio, but there is only very limited bus service on that road -- ask for one to San Antonio village.

Banana Bank Lodge and Belize Jungle Dome are fairly near the Western Highway if you take the Banana Bank boat over the Belize River.

There are also a couple of small places near the Baboon Sanctuary that can be reached by bus from Belize City.

With a combination of buses, colectivos and taxis you should be able to get around okay.

--Lan Sluder

The Trek Stop would certainly be an excellent choice to satisfy all your requirements.

It's about 6 miles west of San Ignacio, but the bus service is half-hourly and cheap (about BZ$1 each way), so you can easily get to SI for eating, shopping, tour companies, banking, etc.

Parrot Nest is closer to SI (3 miles) and they offer free transport between the lodge and SI once a day each way. However, for a distance of 3 miles, a taxi should be BZ$10 or less.
A friend stayed here and loved it!
http://www.parrot-nest.com/

I don't consider the Trek Stop to be a jungle lodge but we had a great stay there and I'm heading back this summer. It's a nice wooded setting with cute cabins and a share kitchen. It's hiking distance to Xunantunich and you can float the Mopan on inner tubes.

Macal River Camp has a terrific jungly setting - we saw toucans, parrots, aracaris, motmots, and iguanas from our hammocks. The tent/cabins are cute and you eat in an open air palapa. The camp host, Docio, and the food are also excellent. At $55/pp + tax it's not a budget place but a great value. You'd need a taxi or shuttle to and from town unless they let you hitch a ride on the supply truck (worked for us). Have a great trip, whatever you decide!

I agree with hopefulist that Trek Stop really isn't a jungle lodge, because it's right beside the highway and not far from Succotz village, but it is a good budget place to stay outside town.

It's shrouded by trees from the highway and it feels a little jungly - those big old mango trees and a few ceibas plus the very cool butterfly enclosure. If you're there during mango season you can gorge yourself. :-)