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Site Information:
Chan Chich Lodge
Retrace the footsteps of the Mayas or local guide with extensive knowledge of flora, fauna and Maya history. The lodge is located in the lower plaza of an ancient Maya city and is in a private nature reserve of over 250,000 acres.
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More Info:
Chan Chich Lodge can be reached by air from Belize City or by automobile. If driving, four wheel drive is strongly recommended, and plan on taking all day from Belize City. Although a long drive (4-5 hours) you will have a unique opportunity to see a number of different ecosystems in the country and, no doubt, a considerable amount of wildlife. It is a memorable drive.
As a guest at Chan Chich, you are no doubt curious about Gallon Jug. Maya sites are scattered throughout the forests surrounding Gallon Jug, including Chan Chich Lodge itself, which is situated, with the Archaeology Department's blessing, in the lower plaza of one. Most of these sites are not yet named and undoubtedly, there are many others waiting to be discovered.
Like much of Belize, its history is closely tied to that of the timber industry. During the 19th and early 20th centuries, land in large blocks was sold cheaply to attract people to Belize. At one time, the venerable 150 year old Belize Estates Company owned roughly one fifth of the entire country, about one million acres including much of the northwest corner of the country.
From the turn of the century until the 1960's, timber, mainly mahogany, cedar and santa marÃa, were selectively logged from this area. In the early days, bullocks were used to haul logs to the rivers, eventually giving way to steam engines. Logs were then transported via a railroad, no longer in existence, to the New River Lagoon at Hillbank. From there they floated via a circuitous route past Orange Walk Town to Chetumal Bay and finally down to Belize City. Today, tropical forest deforestation is a global issue, but in Belize, selective logging practices have left her forests roughly 75% intact, in direct contrast with much of the rest of Central America.
During the mid-1980s, Belize Estates Company was purchased by Belizean Barry Bowen and subsequently divided into four parcels. Just south of the Rio Bravo lands, lies the Gallon Jug parcel, some 130,000 acres retained by Bowen. The Rio Bravo lands are currently under the stewardship of a local conservation organization known as Programme for Belize. Bowen donated an additional 10,000 acres to be under their management and protection.
With 2,500 acres under intensive agriculture, and the development of Chan Chich Lodge for ecotourism, Bowen seeks to conserve the Gallon Jug block of tropical forest as a private reserve in a self sustaining manner. With the Rio Bravo lands, this gives protection to about 350,000 acres of tropical forest. When considered from a tri-national park point of view with Kalakmul in Mexico and the Maya Biosphere Reserve in Guatemala, the Gallon Jug block becomes even more important as contiguous habitat for a healthy biodiversity by allowing genetic exchange.
Farming efforts at Gallon Jug include corn, soybeans, coffee, cacao and cardamom. An ambitious cattle project using new embryo transfer technology was begun using English Hereford bloodlines to improve the local stock. While this project is centered at Gallon Jug, a regional application is planned. It is hoped that these agricultural activities will allow the remainder of the land to remain forested.
And how did Gallon Jug get its name? In July 1943, according to the Belize Estates Company logging foreman Austin Felix, it was decided to move the logging headquarters from Hillbank closer to the head of the railroad. Eventually they settled in an area of "high bush" to set up the new camp. Several names were considered including Muddy Camp and Botlass Camp, neither of which were considered quite apropos.
But when Austin Felix found three old gallon jugs lying in the grass near his house, he had a name: Campamente Galon de Jarro. "But," as he says in The Gliksten Journal, "Gallon Jug was simpler, and Gallon Jug it became."
Nearby Attractions:
In Mayan, Chan Chich means "little bird" and the vast number of species found in the surrounding forests make this a birder's and naturalist's paradise. With the highest Christmas bird count in Belize (and fifth highest in Central America), Chan Chich has been recognized as "Wilderness Retreat of the Year" by Andrew Harper's prestigious "Hideaway Report" and has been featured in recent issues of both Conde Naste and National Geographic Traveler magazines.
Our extensive trail system covers more than nine miles through various tropical forest habitats maximizing opportunities to experience tropical forest wildlife. Along these trails you can experience the same sights and sounds that the Maya enjoyed more than 1200 years ago.
Chan Chich Lodge is in a tropical lowland forest where minimum temperatures rarely drop below 50 degrees and the diversity is impressive. While technically "subtropical moist," ecologists recognize many distinct forest types within this category. Often people refer to these forests using the generic term "rainforest." The diversity of forest types becomes even more interesting as you discover where one starts and another ends. If you are a birder, you will want to spend time in each distinct area in order to add many of the habitat specific species to your birding list. On the other hand if you enjoy walking where the ancient Maya trod 1200 years ago, our trails featuring items of an archaeological nature will interest you.
The Ring Road
Driving and birdwatching tours to other parts of the extensive Gallon Jug property are available as well as night walks and night drives, horseback riding, canoeing and exploring the many unexcavated Mayan sites in the area. An example of the diversity around Chan Chich is the Ring Road.
The Ring Road circles Gallon Jug with roads radiating from it like spokes from a wheel. For those interested in natural history, there are many areas around Gallon Jug to explore.
If you follow the road northwest of the airstrip, you will arrive at Laguna Verde where one can enjoy a canoe ride around a small spring fed lake, or lagoon. It is actually part of a wetlands system including the much larger Laguna Seca to the north, which is reached from the Blue Creek road which also runs north.
In Spanish, "seca" means dry. To our knowledge, this wetlands area has never been dry but the aquatic grasses growing up from it in the shallower section may give that impression. Laguna Seca features a nice trail to a fairly large Maya ruin and a tranquil area to relax. You can also walk along the edge of a peninsula, with deeper water on one side and the shallower grassy areas on the other. Crocodiles are often seen here. Birdwatching features many wetlands species such as the elusive Agami Heron and Pinnated Bittern.
Also just off the Blue Creek Road, about a mile from Gallon Jug, there is another extensive Maya site. It makes a nice horseback ride or can easily be reached on foot as it is only a short distance from the main road.
The Punta de Cacao road branches east from the Blue Creek Road through some lovely forest to Peterson Creek. The "PC road" was formerly known as the Hillbank Road and it was once possible to reach the historic logging center at Hillbank using this route. There is another large Maya ruin in beautiful cohune palm forest at the fork in the road between the PC road and the Gongora Rd. This is a very popular horseback ride which can be arranged at the Chan Chich desk.
The old Hillbank railroad once cut through the banks of what is now called the Hillbank Road. The skeleton of an old trestle is all that remains of this narrow gauge railroad at the Hillbank gate. If you take this road, you will pass through an area where cacao is cultivated under the shade of the existent trees. The small pond by the side of the road is home to a resident crocodile which can frequently be seen.
The next "spoke" one comes to is the four mile ride to Chan Chich, which contains a spectacular suspension bridge (the largest wooden bridge in Belize), built by Bowen for better access to the Chan Chich Lodge Site. This road is one of the best places for mammal sightings.
The xibal is a low lying swampy area on the road to Sylvester village. Xibal is sometimes seen spelled "sibal" or "zibal," but since it is a Maya word in origin meaning "swampy", we have used a more traditional spelling here. There are no trails through it being far too soft and mucky, but it is a favorite area for birding groups as different bird species specialize here. Notable are the White-throated Flycatcher and Grayish Saltator.
If you continue on, you will eventually reach Sylvester Village where you can get a soda or snack at the local shop if you like and then proceed across the Rio Bravo on to the escarpment. The escarpment area is about 10 km from the village and you gradually climb up to a scenic overlook. You can see Gallon Jug from this vantage point. Bring binoculars and scan the area for raptors.
Amenities:
The 12 thatched-roof cabanas surround two central buildings that contain the reception desk, restaurant, bar, gift shop, and library. Each cabana is fully screened and has two queen-size beds, ceiling fan, private bath with hot and cold water, 24 hour electricity and a wrap-around veranda complete with hammocks. The cabana is beautifully finished inside with local exotic hardwoods.
After an exciting day of discovery and exploration, you can relax at the Lodge with a refreshing cold drink from our well stocked bar (aptly named "The Looters Trench") or a dip in the pool and watch the sun go down while sipping a margarita in the spa. Later, enjoy a candlelit dinner sampling a variety of native and international cuisines.
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