Location
Punta Gorda, Belize

Belcampo is a 12-room ecolodge at the center of a vibrant agritourism project on the Rio Grande River near the Caribbean coast of southern Belize. Private accommodations are in 12 individual premiere suites with grand canopy beds, custom wood armoires, luxurious spa-style baths and screened open-air verandas. The suites are elegantly furnished using almost exclusively local materials, from woodwork to tiles to wall art. All rooms have ceiling fans, air conditioning, in-room safes and complimentary Wi-Fi.

The lodge offers dining and lounge areas, rum and coffee bars, and observation decks with magnificent views of the coast, rainforest and Maya Mountains. A garden path connects the lodge to the spa where a pool and sundeck invite relaxing. The firepit is where guests gather each evening to share stories from the day’s adventures. A 400-foot private tram conveys guests to the lodge’s riverside deck where waterfront dining and the Maya Bar await, as well as boat cruise departures on the Rio Grande. Dining at the lodge is a highlight: chefs combine flavors that showcase Belize’s unique cultural diversity, reinterpreting traditional dishes with influences from Maya, Garifuna, Creole, Indian and Mestizo communities. Much of the food is sourced from the farm’s own organic garden and local humane livestock producers.

The self-contained nature sanctuary is surrounded by a 3,000-acre farm and 15,000-acre rainforest preserve that lie at the heart of the watershed for one of the world’s most spectacular marine environments. Belcampo’s mission focuses on conservation of the barrier reef’s marine life through sustainable agricultural management and conservation of intact rainforest ecosystems. The lodge environs are paradise for birders, wildlife lovers and tropical botany enthusiasts. The area’s rainforests, meadows, marshes and cayes provide habitat for the more than 600 bird species native to Belize. Several hundred additional migrant species from North and South America also pass through seasonally.