3 Regenerative Adventures That’ll Convince You To Take A Land-Based Belize Trip
From the mist-capped peaks of the Maya Mountain Mastiff—including its most famous resident, The Sleeping Giant—to lush banana plantations of the Stann Creek District and gurgling pools of granite-carved paths in the Mountain Pine Ridge, Belize is known for its impressive landscapes. It’s easy to be first drawn by almost 300 km of coastline and the Belize Barrier Reef Reserve System, which extends another 250 km wide as the world’s second-largest reef system, but don’t overlook Belize’s verdant interiors, especially when a land-based Belize trip can (easily) fit the bill of regenerative travel. After all, more than three-quarters of global travelers want to travel more sustainably over the coming year.
Thankfully, exploring inland Belize doesn’t just stop at low impact: whether it’s “experience-rich” adventure travel around native wildlife, unique gastronomy tours with fewer food miles between farm and table than your corner franchise on Google Maps, or slow travel woven with strong community ties. Be ready for the most memorable holidays on the market, where ethics shine from every facet of small, experience-led affairs. Here, we’re exploring everything from spotting polychromatic Scarlet Macaws with a local bird guide, to seasonal food tours harvesting alongside San Antonio farmers, and taking a battery-powered night safari on 30,000 acres of private reserve to chance ocelots at play!
- See Belize’s Brightest, Feathered Friends Flying Free
Even if you’ve never been birdwatching before, we suggest adding a high note to your vacation after flying to Belize—one of the best bird-watching destinations in Central America—for the unparalleled charm of seeing its endangered Scarlet Macaw flying free in the wild! A haven not just for wintering snowbirds (of the human kind), English-speaking Belize boasts 608 recorded species that are the perfect introduction to tropical birdlife, and the Scarlet Macaw is one of the nation’s most impressive. Seemingly beautiful just for the sake of it, the squawking crimson-gold-azure glory of one of the largest parrots in the world can be seen in all their natural glory from December through March in Southern Belize’s Red Bank Village, the wintering grounds of choice and the country’s largest concentration for the ~350 scarlet macaws found in the wild.
Aside from using bird-based ecotourism (which includes hiring a trained Bird Guide directly from the small, predominantly Maya community) and birdwatching being an inherently low-impact activity, dozens of beaming bright red pairs flapping from Polewood treetop-to-treetop are sure to stun any visitor in the Stann Creek District. Hooked on birding? Return for the annual Belize Birding Festival, held every October.
Go beyond in Belize: your visit to Red Bank Village with a local Bird Guide supports community conservation of the macaws’ feeding grounds, while donating or volunteering with the non-profit non-governmental organization Friends for Conservation and Development (FCD) protects them during nesting season in the Chiquibul Forest. Thanks to their fervent avian devotion and brave boots on the ground, FCD boasts a 100% success rate rearing chicks most vulnerable to pet-trade poaching: nine scarlet macaws were safely rehabilitated and released from the Las Cuevas Research Center in 2024 alone!
- Experience A Loved Legume Like Never Before in San Antonio Village
Feasting on local, seasonal food washed down with the local tipple conveys a sense of place better than any travel brochure. The village of San Antonio, located in the central Cayo District, is a popular stopover point for intrepid travelers attracted to Mountain Pine Ridge Forest Reserve’s brick-red hiking trails, yawning caves, ancient Maya sites, and waterfalls by the score. Yet the “adventure capital” of Western Belize isn’t limited to adrenaline-inducing activities alone! Indulge in community ties and preserved culinary heritage for an unsuspecting, immersive food tour: going from (organic) field to table in the very plots that churn out 100,000 lbs of peanuts per year for the country. Local farmers of San Antonio become storytellers of their region, guiding visitors through the local Yucatec culture and indigenous farming techniques that just happen to be sustainable.
Head out to handpick your harvest before roasting the traditional way—hand-cranked over an open flame—for the freshest, universally loved legume. After all, the true enjoyment of peanuts—no matter where they’re eaten—comes from sharing them with loved ones, and San Antonio is serving up a history as rich and complex as the spices they’re often cooked in.
Go beyond in Belize: Processing 300 pounds of hand-harvested peanuts per shelling, you can directly support peanut farmers with Local Produce San Antonio, a small cooperative farmshop that features seasonal fruits, vegetables, and more—all harvested within a 25-mile radius.
3. Zero-Emission Battery-Powered Night Safari in Belize
Safaris aren’t the typical adventure you picture hearing of Belize or the Caribbean. But the flora, fauna, and culture of Northern Belize’s less-traveled district are putting a new spin on responsibly interacting with wildlife: specifically, in a solar battery-powered open-backed truck. Stealthily stalk the shadows of Gallon Jug Estate—whose combined corner of the country with Rio Bravo Conservation Management Area and the Maya Forest represents nearly a tenth of all the land area of Belize—for incredible biodiversity, like the nocturnal Northern Potoo or elusive Jaguar. Off-grid, tour guests of Chan Chich Lodge are swathed in the sounds of only the rainforest, your guide’s voice, the gravel beneath the car, and a low hum of high-powered spotlights in pursuit of eyes that shine back!
Go beyond in Belize: Discover extraordinarily rich archaeological Maya heritage nearby with either of the nearby eco-lodges that are rivaled in tenure only by the ancient stone architecture that rise above the treetops. La Milpa Lodge is a mere three miles away from the third largest archeological site in Belize, while Chan Chich Lodge helps preserve the plazas it stands atop, which are believed to have served as ceremonial grounds between 300 and 600 A.D.
Banner/Row Photo Credit: Carolee Chanona, Row Photo Credit: Chan Chich Lodge
