Located close to Punta Gorda in Toledo, southern Belize, Tanager Rainforest Lodge is the district's premier inland resort. Offering not only elegant accommodation, fine food and drink, the lodge will introduce you to eco-tours of the local Mayan people and culture through easy access to the natural wonder and archaeological history of the area. Being a small, family-run lodge, six thatched cottage-style cabanas are suitable for either single or family accommodations. Each cabana has a queen-size double and either an extra single bed or full-size bunks. The Lodge also has a full-service restaurant and bar. Lodge meals offer a range of local and international dishes, with vegetarian, vegan, kashrut, and children's alternatives. The lodge is also a licensed tour operator offering a wide range of tours and activities within its packages and all of them include a mix of natural history as well as cultural encounters with local people.
Our cultural tours offer authentic experiences of the Mayan and Garifuna cultures and Mayan archaeology. Toledo is the center of cacao (cocoa) production with most of its product being exported for manufacture as Green & Blacks Maya Gold organic chocolate, the first Fairtrade product in the UK in 1994. Ixcacao is a local Mayan chocolatier. Our full-day trips can combine two or three different tours in a day.
The Living Mayan Experience
The Living Maya Experience in Big Falls consists of two interactive cultural home visits that offer guests a fascinating glimpse into a fast-disappearing world in which the local Kek’chi Maya depended upon the forest and found everything in it to satisfy their needs from food to furniture to medicine. The Cal family showcases a Mayan home as it would have been fifty years ago and guests help prepare and share a vegetarian meal with the family Chocolate Making Mayan Chocolate
Chocolate Making Mayan Chocolate is the only Maya chocolatier in Toledo and one of only two in Belize. Visits include a tour of the cacao grove and a demonstration of and a chance to practice basic chocolate making. If you visit at lunchtime they offer meals that include their own delicious mole sauce. Vegetarians are catered for. Local Market
A morning trip to Punta Gorda on the market day gives guests the opportunity to experience the fruit, vegetable and fish markets. You will see an array of seasonal fruit and vegetables and can watch the fishermen unloading their catch and buying fresh from the traders. Cotton Tree chocolate factory offers free tours around their small production facility. Guatemalan traders offer handicrafts and the Fajina women’s cooperative displays locally made Mayan crafts. Nim Li Punit Maya Site
Nim Li Punit visitor center houses the finest collection of Mayan stelae in Belize. These recount the history of war and conquest in the area. It sits atop a hill with views over the coastal forest all the way to the cayes of the Port Honduras Marine Reserve. Lubaantun Maya Site
Lubaantun is a Late Classic site flourishing between 700-900 AD. Lubaantun is most famous for the discovery of the Crystal Skull there in 1924, for its distinctive masonry techniques and its clay whistles (ocarinas) Warasa Garifuna Drum School
Ronald Ray McDonald provides interactive lessons in traditional Garifuna drumming, dancing, drum making and culture.
Birding and Monkey Watching - Over 200 bird species can be found on site and transportation is available to go offsite to see birds such as the Scarlet Macaw only 40 minutes away.
. Bird Watching
Spend a day with our local birding expert Steven Choco, a vastly experienced, knowledgeable and skilled birding guide. There are varied habitats to explore from high forest and swamp lands to savannah grasslands and coastal forest and mangroves. Monkey River
Explore the banks of the meandering Monkey River and see basking crocodiles, turtles and an abundance of birds. Then visit the Howler monkey sanctuary managed by the tour guides of Monkey River. Manatee Watching
Combine a day on Monkey River with a trip northwards from the river mouth. Traveling slowly through the beds of turtle grass and coastal mangroves our guests can encounter manatees curious to see their strange human visitors.
Water Activities
The Snake or Sapodilla Cayes
Snorkeling, swimming and fishing, manatee and dolphin watching in the turquoise waters around the southern cayes. A great marine adventure. Kayak the Rio Grande
A three to four-hour float downstream from San Miguel village in our Hobie sit-on-top kayaks ending at the lodge itself. See iguanas, coatimundi, neo-tropical river otters, white-tailed deer and many species of heron, kingfisher, raptors and other birds. Rio Blanco National Park
Rio Blanco National Park is a small community-managed national park and includes a two-mile forest hike as well as the opportunity to jump from the rock cliff into the deep pool below the waterfall. We stop here for a picnic lunch and a swim. River Tubing
Relax on a Jungle river while passing by Monkeys, Parrots, and Iguana's beautiful trees and scenery. Swimming Pool
On site, a swimming pool is maintained year-round for your leisure and relaxation after a long day of adventure.
Rides and Hikes
Horse and Mule Rides
The lodge cares for Horses and Mules for on and off-site rides. Rides go through Rainforests, along River banks, and edges of a Mayan village. Buggy rides can be arranged for groups that are not able to get on a mule or horse. Truly a unique Buggy ride. Hiking
Toledo is a hiker's paradise. We offer guided hikes from Blue Creek village along the river to nearby caves for adventure. For more experienced hikers, we offer guided hikes to Cockscomb national park.
We are located in a Rainforest - So it rains, but normally at night or in the morning before clearing up. For the days that it rains so much to cancel a trip, we offer Books for Reading on your own hammock or by the river, and Massages when available from a local masseuse. Board games for kids, Swimming pool relaxation, Horseshoes, Frisbee and Fishing off the river bank.
Our guide and driver were very good with their knowledge and were very helpful with our questions. It was a very pleasant visit that would have been impossible to do on our own. Hotels and restaurants were fantastic. The special places we got to go to, like the kitchens, were great. Enjoyed the entire trip!
Very responsive to questions. Helpful with all arrangements
Roz
1 day ago
The ship company they sent us on was perfect in every detail
lisa wegener
2 days ago
I’m so glad we found AdventureLife. Jess, our planner, was such a pleasure to work with. She readily shared her extensive knowledge about Panama, she offered good suggestions and creative ideas, kept everything organized and handled the details each step of the way.
Tim King
3 days ago
Jessica was wonderful! She made every effort to ensure our trip was just what we wanted.
Celine Krafft
3 days ago
Erin was easy to work with and very helpful. She was patient and helped us figure out the adventure tour we were hoping for in Belize. Can’t wait to go on this trip!
