locolowe

Thinking about Belize for a trip next year (yah I start early). And looking at these three places in the Cayo District. From rainforest/animal perspective, would one place be better than another? Really want to see howler monkeys and be close to the action (animal activity that is).

As far as the grounds and immediate area - are any of these more "jungle-forest" than others?

I like Trek Stop for the value and ease of tours. I like Pook's Hill for the immediate access to hiking/exploring. I like Macal Camp for the access to Chaa Creek at an affordable price (do you get to use Chaa Creek's pool, spa and restaurant or do they separate you?)

Any thoughts on these would be appreciated.

hopefulist

I'm not familiar with Pook's Hill but stayed at the Trek Stop and at Macal River Jungle Camp for 3 nights each in July, 2003. They're very different but both great. The Trek Stop is by the main road to the border in a clearing under giant mango trees (mmm...) and has a share kitchen or you can order meals, good tipica. The village is a few blocks away and there's a Chinese grocery there for food shopping as well as fruit stands by the river. You can walk (a mile and a half?) to Xunantunich, float the Mopan River on tubes or in kayaks, and their butterfly enclosure is lovely. Hammocks strung all around under the trees and a bit of hiking. It's not really in the jungle but the setting is nice and it makes a great base for area tours. We did an overnighter to Tikal from there (no tour, they helped us figure it out and we left our extra baggage there) and they set up a visit to the Chechem Ha cave and the rarely visited Poustinia Earth Sculpture park for us. The owners are retired US professors and a man from the village - all very interesting, helpful people.

Macal River Jungle Camp is in a great jungle setting by the Macal River. The camp host, Dolcio, is very accommodating and the food was wonderful (dinner and breakfast provided). We saw toucans, motmots, and parrots from our hammocks, canoed down the Macal to San Ignacio on market day (very low-key market for locals, by the way, don't plan your trip around it), hiked the lovely trails for miles, and enjoyed the short hike to Chaa Creek to visit the butterfly place and the natural history museum. We used the internet there, too, but didn't know of/use a pool and weren't interested in the spa so you'd have to ask about that. It's 15-20 minutes down a bumpy road to the main highway so not a great base for day trips even if you have your own car. You either have to pay for a shuttle into town or possibly hitch a ride on a supply truck as we did (they offered).

You can't miss with either place, IMO, but they feel really different (and obviously the price is really different, too).

Our very best wildlife viewing was at Tikal - an overnighter HIGHLY recommended. Hit the Mundo Perdido area in the early morning for lots of birds, coatis, gray foxes, and howlers ROARING in the trees.

We also saw gray foxes and saw (but didn't hear) howlers when we stayed in the Cockscomb Reserve, but even a guided night tour didn't garner much other wildlife there.

Hope that helps! Happy trails!

hopefulist

Here's a link to our travelogue in case you're interested (you might have to copy and paste):

http://www.belizeforum.com/cgi-bin/u...;f=10;t=000362

That link will also put you onto the Belize Forum in case you haven't already discovered it.

locolowe

Thanks hopeful - I'm going to print out that trip report. I am also thinking about going to Jaguar Inn for a Tikal overnight as well. We did an overnight at Chichen Itza last year and it is so worth it - sounds like again its worth avoiding the crowds - having the ruins to yourself is just magical.

Did Trek Stop arrange for a van taxi to/from Tikal? or did you just walk up to the first person and negotiate? We are not conversant in Spanish so I wouldn't be too confident in doing that. Is there a driver that could take us directly to Tikal from San Ignacio?

If I get my howler monkey experience at Tikal then I think we'll stay at Trek Stop. We were at Osa Peninsula, Costa Rica this winter and having a howler monkey right above your cabin at 4am is just mind blowing!!

PS I have been scavagenging belizeforum too. THANKS!

hopefulist

None of us had workable Spanish when we were there, though now my sons are both fluent and I'm an intermediate level speaker. We taxied to the border, changed money, checked out of Belize and into Guatemala, and there were taxi drivers lined up waiting for our business. We picked one and he spoke enough English for us to explain we wanted a ride to Tikal and for him to come back and get us the next afternoon; we agreed on a price of $50 each way for all 5 of us, and everything went smoothly. It might be possible to do it more cheaply but this was still a lot cheaper than any tours we'd come across. You can ask John, Judy, and Tino at the Trek Stop what they can provide - they may know of someone who could take you. There are several tour companies in the area around Eva's café in San Ignacio that could provide that service, too, Mayawalk being one.

Keep us posted and let me know if there's I can do to help. Happy trails!

LanSluder

They are all three good places ... but very different.

Hopefulist has provided good information on The Trek Stop and Macal Camp at Chaa Creek.

Pook's Hill is a terrific mid-level jungle lodge. It's a good bit more expensive than either of the other two. It has the virtue of being in a more "real jungle" area than the other two, and it's also just a short hike from the # 1 attraction in Belize, Actun Tunichil Muknal, and in addition it's located right on a Maya site, where excavation has been going on for several years. There probably are howlers nearby, but I don't remember hearing or seeing any.

--Lan Sluder

locolowe

Thanks Lan - how extensive are their own hiking trails at Pook's Hill or Macal River Camp? We really want to go to ChanChich but I'm afraid that after all of their private transfers we will not be able to afford it. Really loved exploring Bosque del Cabo's hiking trail system (Costa Rica, Osa Peninsula) - could go several hours for multiple days. Sounded like Chan Chich was similar. What about the other two?

THANKS!

ladystack

I have not been to the lodges you mention, however I recommend looking at Mopan River Resort in Belize. This is a wonderful experience -- all excursions are included.
Have also spent time this February at Bosque del Cabo. You will not have the same frequency of animal sightings in Belize but the wonderful ruins and excursions make up for the lack of wildlife. However, you can see many great birds at Mopan River Resort. Make you sure you schedule a tour to Tikal.(wasn't Bosque wonderful!) Mopan River is similiar to Bosque -- quality food, accomodations and great dinner conversations at group tables.

Jackie

I think you were at Bosque del Cabo shortly after I was there!

While at BdC, we were always making comparisons to our stay in the Cayo District. We stayed at EkTun-you might want to check that out. I loved it there and in retrospect, I preferred our stay at EkTun. The cottages were similar to BdC, no ocean view tho; better food, personal service, better pool, and accessible to local attractions (thru Phyllis, the owner). At the time we considered Macal River Camp, but the shared bathroom made it a no-go. If the Trek Stop is the place at the butterfly farm, we stopped there. It is very basic and would be roughing it (IMO). We heard howlers, but didn't see them. Seemed to have more interesting bugs than BdC, but didn't have the wild life. We heard howlers, but didn't see any

locolowe

Thanks for the comparisons - I'll add those two places to my research list.

We had such an extra special time at Bosque del Cabo (literally in the top 3 places we've gone to and we do a lot travelling). I realize Belize and/or Tikal will be different. I love getting a variety of experiences, though we are already planning a trip back to BdC for our next special event in a couple of years.

hopefulist

I hiked for 4 hours from Macal River Jungle Camp and didn't run out of trails. They have some minor Maya sites that have been studied with interesting informational displays. I can't compare it with Pook's Hill, though.

The Trek Stop is the place in San José Succotz west of San Ignacio with the butterfly enclosure. It is very basic but we loved our stay there. It was not anywhere near the most basic place we stayed - it had electricity and running water! For a family of backpackers, basic has a different meaning.
Happy trails!

Jackie

Hopefulist, I chuckled when you referred to Trek Stop as not being the most basic place you stayed since it has electricity. It reminded me that EkTun has no electricity, but I still considered it to be kind of a luxury, and the most fun vacation I've ever had. Its all relative....

locolowe

I looked up both Mopan's and Ek'Tun's websites. Both really nice. Ek'Tun would definitely fit our description & about the same price as Pook's Hill. Noticed on their website they mentioned that "due to safety precautions requiring a buddy system no solo travelers" or something to that effect. Can anyone shed light on that?

hopefulist

There's basic and there's BASIC. I'm talking the basic that costs $5-10 per night.

Jackie

Re: buddy system. EkTun is really small with just 2 cottages and is pretty remote. There is really no staff around. Phyllis runs the place herself with some help from the local folks. There were no locks on the doors to the cottages and no electricty. I don't think I would have been comfortable going out and hiking the grounds alone; for that matter I didn't feel comfortable walking the trails at BdC alone either (more because of snakes and unfamiliar wildlife).

I was there about 3 years ago. When researching the trip, I had read (on this board) about some problems they had at a lodge up the road a few years before that. While that caused some concern, it didn't stop us from going.

karenlf

Jackie,
I just have to ask you why you liked Ek Tun better than Bosque del Cabo. We have been to Bosque twice and have considered Belize but felt it would never top the Osa Peninsula. We almost had a trip to Belize planned for last summer and cancelled it. Thanks.

Jackie

Karen,

I think it has to do with the level of personal service. The first night we were there, Phyllis asked everyone what they wanted to get out of the trip. There were 3 of us in one cottage and 5 in the other. In response to what she heard, she had us get ready for a night hike, and asking my brother-in-law to carry a machete (for snakes or whatever she never told us), we all took off for a couple hour hike through the jungle to a cave that was on her property. Between hiking and caving, she had us out until about 1AM. Each morning she joined us for breakfast and ran through all the activity options for the day, in the evening she had drinks waiting for us and was there to hear the adventures of the day. I can still see her standing in the lodge holding a gin and tonic for me as I walked thrugh the door after hiking on a hot, hot day.

Phyllis is such a unique character and had lots of stories. She was a wonderful host. We had no interaction with the owners at BdC and thats what I felt was missing. Also I didn't like the buffet style dining at BdC and, although I though the food was good, I wasn't as wowed by the meals as others have been. I did enjoy my stay at Bosque and would recommend it for someone looking for a jungle adventure.

EkTun is not nearly as polished as BdC, and definitely not for everyone, but I guess the whole experience was very genuine. I do wonder tho, if I'd been to BdC first, if I'd feel the same.

If you are considering a trip to Belize, I should add that we also went to Ambrigris Caye on that trip. I far preferred the trip into the jungle than the beach portion of our stay.

Jackie

Karen: I wanted to add that the Osa Peninsula is far more beautiful than any place I visited in Belize. There were many wow moments in the OP, like seeing the grounds turn red from the sunset, watching the dolphins jumping out of the water, or standing under the waterfalls. In Belize, I was wowed by the size of the plants and the butterfies.

karenlf

Thanks so much for your reply, Jackie.Did you visit Bosque when they were quite full? The first time we went there some years ago it was off season and there were just a few cabins occupied. We got the Congo cabina and there were monkeys in the trees, scarlet macaws flying overhead and beautiful birds and butterflies we could almost touch. It was like being in a Disney movie come to life. The monkeys were all over the grounds--no need to even hike to see animals. I looked at the web site for Ek Tun and it looks very nice.I guess we just need to decide if ruins and caves beats out animals.