Building Up Belize
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Your "Taste of Volunteering" Project
Assisting with sustainable agriculture, community health & development, and environmental conservation. Projects include:
- building wood conserving stoves
- establishing school gardens
- planting cacao seedlings
- building ecologically friendly toilets
- constructing improved chicken coops
- repairing fences
At each site, you share a typical Belizean lunch with a family from the community.
As English is the official language of Belize, you have unparalleled opportunities to make connections with the communities you are assisting and interact in meaningful ways.
Trip Summary
Connect with the people and culture of Belize on this unique tour into the unspoiled Toledo District in Southern Belize. Visit caves, Mayan ruins, waterfalls, and rainforests. Assist local villages with sustainable agriculture projects.
English is the national language, so nothing is lost in translation. Your itinerary is based at Cotton Tree Lodge, an acclaimed eco-resort nestled between old growth rainforest and the tranquil Moho River.
Your Accommodation: You stay in private wood and thatched roof cabanas. Each cabana is fully mosquito-screened and equipped with ceiling fan, private bathroom, hot shower, drinking water, hand-woven textiles, and 24-hour electricity.
Meals: Breakfast and dinner is eaten in the Main Lodge. Menus incorporate a fusion of American and Belizean flavors, taking advantage of fresh local seafood and produce from the on-site organic garden. Breakfast is a hot buffet, lunch is a picnic on tour or prepared by host families at volunteer sites, and dinner is a five-course plated meal. Most dietary restrictions can be accommodated.
The Cotton Tree Lodge bar is open daily, and serves a selection of beers, wines, an cocktails.
Day by Day Itinerary
(Saturday is the best day for this itinerary to begin and international flights must arrive by 4pm to make the domestic connection.)
Day 1: Arrive Belize International Airport (BZE) and transfer to your local flight to Punta Gorda. Evening orientation and dinner at Cotton Tree Lodge.
Day 2: In the morning, travel to Blue Creek Village to visit Tumul K’in Center of Learning, a unique residential high school focused on preserving Maya culture. Explore the grounds, meet the students, and observe classes like marimba or basket weaving. Enjoy a picnic lunch alongside the river, then hike to stunning and unusual Blue Creek Cave, where you will swim through limestone caverns to the source of the Moho River.
When the school is in session, they welcome visitors on Sundays to observe their culture classes.
Day 3: Drive to the nearby Maya village of Santa Anna. Learn to make corn tortillas from scratch with a Mayan homemaker. Return to Cotton Tree Lodge for a Kekchi Maya language lesson, and enjoy a free afternoon on the grounds. Activities available include swimming, kayaking, and horseback riding.
Days 4, 5, 6: Commence your meaningful service projects in villages around the Toledo District, to introduce sustainable agriculture techniques as an alternative to slash and burn farming, along with improving local nutrition and economic prospects.
You can help to provide farming families in Central America with the training and tools to overcome poverty while restoring our planet's tropical forests.
Work side-by-side with villagers on projects which may include building wood conserving stoves, establishing school gardens, planting cacao seedlings, building ecological toilets, constructing improved chicken coops, or repairing fences. At each site, volunteers will share a typical Belizean lunch with a family from their host community. As English is the official language of Belize, you will have unparalleled opportunities to make connections with the communities they are assisting.
Day 7: Free day to relax at the lodge or go on an optional tour. You may choose to join one of the daily tours offered by the lodge, including jumping off the cliffs at Rio Blanco waterfall, visiting Lubaantun Ruins, exploring Tiger Cave, participating in a medicinal plant walk, or making chocolate at the Cotton Tree Chocolate factory. Ocean excursions, including snorkeling, diving, and sailing, can also be arranged through the lodge for an additional fee.
Day 8: Departure. Transfer to Punta Gorda Airstrip, domestic flight to Belize City International Airport, and connect to flights home.
Included:
Round-trip domestic airfare between Belize City International Airport (BZE) and Punta Gorda (PND)
All ground transportation within Belize
$150 donation per participant to the Volunteer Program
All meals, (7 breakfasts, 6 lunches, 7 dinners)
Unlimited drinking water
Activities as mentioned in itinerary: Tumul K’in Center of Learning, Blue Creek Cave, Tortilla Making, Kekchi Language Lesson, Volunteer Projects, optional tour on Day 7
Tax
If you are a solo traveller and are looking for people to travel with, click here
Not Included:
Gratuities
Alcoholic beverages
Snorkeling, diving, or sailing excursions
Please note: This trip is not available from 1 August until 25 October due to the rainy season making travel very difficult
Feel free to contact us if you have any enquiries about this trip.
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