Top Ten Belize Adventures

Where an earthy ambience prevades (Chan Chich Lodge)

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Chan Chich means "little bird." Actually the word has many translations, depending on which Maya dialect you use. The Maya site itself is a fairly recent discovery in the northwestern corner of Belize. Because of its isolation, it was a favorite spot to raise marijuana, and looters attempted to steal the treasures buried within the tombs. But no more! Now, under the watchful eye of Chan Chich managers/builders Tom and Josie Harding and the ardent guests wandering the jungle trails, it is no longer an easy task for robbers to dig their trenches and tunnel unseen, or to raise the weed.

The lodge offers an adventurer's ambience with a jungle location and rustic architecture that blends surreptitiously into the surroundings of Maya and nature. When you drive your own car into Chan Chich, you are especially amazed at what you find. After miles and miles of backcountry, rugged roads that might even be washed out at places, and sights of rainforest and streams that have seen little human touch, suddenly the trees part and you find yourself in a beautiful green world. Green grass everywhere! Green grass covering obvious Maya pyramids surrounded by lovely, well cared for cabañas.

Chan Chich Lodge

Text © 2001 by Chicki Mallan & Patti Lange. Used by permission of Moon Handbooks. All rights reserved. Book is available through local bookstores and online booksellers.