Belize Trip Report: The Lodge at Big Falls

April 2012, Belize
By Lyndsay Harshman

The Toledo District is the most Southerly district in Belize and truly a hidden gem with off-the-beaten path Maya archeological sites, intact modern-day Maya culture, adventure activities like caving, zip-lining, kayaking, inner tubing and more! The rugged Maya Mountains are the backdrop for the lush green landscape, rivers bisect the forest and rustic Maya villages dot the countryside. It’s just plain beautiful and quintessentially Belizean.

Not only is the district less traveled than the other major tourist spots in Belize (like the Cayo and Cayes), but the sights are also easy to reach making a tour to the region relaxing with less time in the vehicle and more time out exploring.

The Lodge at Big Falls is a small owner-operated, lodge located near the village of Big Falls along the Rio Grande River about 25 minutes outside of Punta Gorda. The Lodge has 8 cabanas, 6 in the traditional thatch style and 2 wooden cabanas with A/C and kitchenettes, which are ideal for longer stays or travelers who would prefer not to sleep under a thatched roof (the thatch is cooler and, I think, offers such a nice atmosphere). On site amenities and activities include a swimming pool, badminton, inner tubing on the Rio Grande, kayaks, bird watching and more! Rob and Marta Hirons are the owners and live on-site. Our assistant manager and staff are all from Big Falls villageand have worked with us for many years. Steven Choco is our lead guide at the Lodge and is one of Southern Belize’s top birding guides. Steve has completed the Massachusetts Audubon Society’s Bird Ecology program and leads our regional tours in addition to our birding tours. The Lodge at Big Falls is a licensed ground handler and while we do sell room and board-only packages, the Lodge generally focuses on offering tour-inclusive packages that focus on adventure, culture, birding and Maya archaeology. We also offer Reef & Rainforest packages inclusive of transfers and “beach” accommodations at a selection of coastal properties we work with.

April 22, 2012 – Arrive Belize City, transfer to Punta Gorda and to the Lodge at Big Falls

After a mid-morning arrival into Belize’s Philip Goldson International Airport, cleared customs and immigrations and connected to my flight to Punta Gorda in the Toledo District (in the far South of Belize). As usual, customs and immigrations officials were friendly and welcoming, and having not checked a bag, I sped through the line and got settled for my domestic flight. There are two airports in Belize City – Philip Goldson  (BZE) where international and domestic flights operate, and Belize City Municipal airport where only domestic flights operate. Tropic Air and Maya Island Air are the primary carriers for Belize. TACA flies regionally. Tropic Air has daily flights to Flores, Guatemala, as well. When booking internal flights for your travelers, be sure to note which airport they will be flying from (BZE is the preference, especially when connecting with an international flight).

Flying within Belize is a great way to get around – flights are at most an hour and usually less (some are direct, while others make quick stops en route).  Travelers should be prepared for small planes, sometimes  choppy weather and stunning views on the low altitude flights. I recommend including both flights and drives in your travelers’ itineraries as Belize is incredibly scenic, most main highways are in good condition and getting a feel for local life is a key part of a trip to Belize. Usually, connecting travelers to their first destination in Belize by air would be ideal as they can get there quickly and get right into the fun on their trip.

Belize is generally thought of as a reef & rainforest destination, but additional activities travelers can experience include adventure, Maya archaeology/history, culture, birding, wildlife the list goes on and on! There were two elements of my trip to Belize that really resonated with me; 1) the living Maya culture (in the areas I was in, Mopan and Kek’chi) is an amazing treasure and should be experienced by travelers and protected;  2) getting off the beaten path in Belize is easy to do and extremely rewarding.

Getting back to the story…the flight from BZE to Punta Gorda (PND) is about 1 hour and touches down in Dangriga or Hopkins and Placencia en route. Flying low over the turquoise sea, coastal mangroves and Maya Mountains is breathtaking.  Landing in Punta Gorda (locally known as PG) the sea falls away and the land appears just in time for the wheels to hit the tarmac.  Upon arrival Steven or one of the team from the Lodge at Big Falls always greets our visitors and escorts them the 25 minutes back to the Lodge in the village of Big Falls. Rob picked me up at the airport and on our short drive to the Lodge, the warm, humid air embraced me. The thing I love about the Toledo District and PG is the lack of tourists.  Toledo remains largely undiscovered by mass tourism and travellers can often enjoy the sites alone with their guide  It’s really Belize at its best, truly. The Lodge at Big Falls is set just outside of the village. As soon as the vehicle enters the property, the forest comes alive and I feel far away from civilization. One of my favorite things about Belize is the story-telling, the casual atmosphere, the intimacy of a tropical country with just 300,000 or so people living in it. Belize is a great place to relax, sleep under a thatched roof and let the birds wake you in the morning. That being said, the Lodge is a prime example of simple elegance where no comfort is spared. Belize is a great spot for a quick getaway from the US, ideal for less experienced travelers and/or families and those looking to enjoy the adventure and cultural activities.

Arriving at the Lodge, we’re greeted by Rob & Marta’s three vocal, friendly dogs who escort us to the public area for our check-in briefing.  One of my favorite things about lodges in Belize – luxury or basic, big or small – is that a huge number are owner-operated and have a wonderfully homey feel. Rob and Marta, the owners of the Lodge at Big Falls, have lived in Belize for over 10 years and reside on the property full time (the Lodge does not close seasonally).  To me, this equates to a high-quality, authentic and relaxed experience.

Catarina, our assistant manager, grew up in the Big Falls village down the street from the Lodge – let’s just say that she doesn’t have much of a commute, and she’s now been with us going on 7 years!  On arrival she briefs guests on ‘Cabana 101’, activities on site, meal times and options, etc., etc. Her understated, Belizean manner is cool and charismatic all at the same time. The Lodge has 8 spacious cabanas, 6 are traditional thatched rooms with en suite bathrooms (garden showers) private verandahs with hammocks and lounge chairs, and tasteful tropical décor.  The public areas include the Iris Bar, the screened dining room, a library and small gift shop, swimming pool with plenty of space to lounge, outdoor BBQ, badminton court and expansive gardens  (with labeled/identified species). The Lodge sits in a crook of the Rio Grande River and boasts more than 300 bird species, on site kayaking, inner tubing and nearby zip-line. One of the best things, in my mind, about the Toledo District is how close everything is; almost all of the activities we include during a typical stay are within 25 miles or so of the Lodge. The Lodge manages to feel remote and central all at the same time. No two-hour drives on bumpy dirt roads to reach destinations, our Maya ruins, caving trips, hiking, waterfalls, cultural visits and adventure activities are all in the palm of our hand. This really hit home with me after BETEX and while staying in the Cayo District, I ventured out to Caracol. Both the lodge (Black Rock) and the site were well worthwhile, the 2.5-3 hr drive each way was taxing.

After Catarina showed me to my cabana, I spent the afternoon at leisure waiting for the other group members to arrive, lounging in the pool and chatting with a local resident whose daughters were swimming. He was an experienced soy processing engineer cum restaurateur in PG who had worked in Liberia just after the war on a soy processing project. Rob and Marta offer a local-rate for use of the pool and grounds and on occasion residents from Punta Gorda come to take advantage of this and spend a few hours enjoying the property. This is exactly the mantra that Rob and Marta live by – this is Belize and everyone is a key part of the equation: the locals, the local staff, the nearby village, the rainforest and all of the natural surroundings.

Dinner is served nightly at 7pm with most guests meeting first in the Iris bar for drinks and mingling. When you have 20 guests or fewer, travelers tend to be like-minded and enjoy each other’s’ company. Dinner starts with a seasonal appetizer such as conch fritters, ceviche or plantain and tamarind soup, followed by a choice from several mains (except on curry nights when guests are treated to a diverse selection of curries and local veggies and rice or outdoor BBQs) all followed by superb desserts and coffee service (dessert selections include chocolate mousse, key lime pie made from local limes, cheesecake, homemade chocolate ice cream, and yes, they are all as good as they sound!).

Each of the thatched cabanas offers a queen bed, plus a single or a set of bunk beds, making the Lodge ideal for families. The rooms are really spacious and include a writing desk, ample storage for luggage, closet area, en suite bathroom with shower (each shower has a floor-to-ceiling screened window that overlooks a private garden). Additionally, we have two newly constructed wooden cabanas that have 2 queen beds, en suite bathroom with shower, kitchenette and dining table (plus A/C). These rooms are great for longer stays, those who require A/C or prefer not to sleep under thatch (please request these cabins specifically in advance).

Dinner the first night included a selection of conch fritters (the season was ending two days later so we had conch options both evenings in an effort to utilize the last of the season’s fresh conch), plantain and tamarind soup, local snapper or chicken satay, veggies and hot-from-the-oven homemade breads. Belizean food is often prepared to be quite mild in terms of spice, but thanks to a lady named Marie Sharp whose hot sauce bottles grace every table in Belize, you can spice your dish as you please.

After dinner the early risers headed to bed in preparation for a bird walk the next morning, others lingered in the bar or on the verandah and watched the moon rise. The temps were unseasonably cool and the evening breeze was absolutely perfect for relaxing with an after dinner drink.

April 23, 2012 – Big Falls, Belize: Home visit, local lunch, zip line and Blue Creek Cave

The birds woke me early to start another great day in Belize! Rob, the owner at the Lodge at Big Falls, is working with two of the families of employees at the Lodge to create sustainable tourism programs in their homes. Visitors then get to see how traditional Maya live in the Toledo District and being English (and Maya) speaking communities, the level of interaction is quite high. We spent the morning with a Kek’chi Maya family in the Big Falls village learning how they make their traditional craft wares including the cuxtal (the traditional woven shoulder bag used by men for planting/carrying seeds, their lunch, etc.), baskets, sun hats and calabash cups, bowls. These are all products that the Maya in the area traditionally use. Some have been adapted to increase tourist appeal (such as carvings on the calabash), but generally speaking Carlos’ family is creating these products to sell  to local Mayans.

Carlos’ mother-in-law made tortillas over the fire, then roasted habanero peppers and made salsa. Lovely! We learned how the family grows and processes the cacao grown in their yard for daily consumption in the form of a rustic “hot chocolate.” Juan, the father, demonstrated carving bowls and utensils from fallen rosewood limbs. The moment we walked into the house, we could feel the heart-felt welcome and the hours we stayed flew by.  It was a truly authentic experience… I learned more in a couple hours in their home than I have on other week-long trips in other areas!

We enjoyed lunch at Coleman’s Cafe in Big Falls – fried pork, black beans and rice, sweet, caramelized plantains, coleslaws, stewed chicken, beans and pig’s tail…lunch was a typical Belizean culinary adventure and great fun.

After lunch, the best thing to do is to launch yourself through the air at high speeds on a zip line, clearly. So, that’s what we did. The new zip line at Big Falls is strung across the Rio Grande and through the surrounding forest. The six sections take you through the treetops and over the river roaring below. The safety standards were top-notch (double wires, Petzl carabiners, several accompanying staff with each group) and the crew was professional and welcoming. Great experience all around!

We continued on to the Blue Creek Caves for a hike and cave swim. We hiked up to the mouth of the cave over a rocky (and at points, slippery) trail. The Blue Creek cave is a wet cave so you swim in with a headlamp. Swimming into the massive cave opening, vines hanging down, bats flying around – it was great fun. We swam back to the waterfall half way through the cave, viewing the stalagmites sparkling on the ceiling above (more active travelers can continue deeper into the cave to the source of the subterranean river. From the waterfall we floated back to the entrance and were greeted by the bright daylight.

Upon returning to the lodge, the sun was sinking in the sky, rum punch was waiting for us and lots of great conversation. At dinner we enjoyed conch ceviche, which was very good, and baba ganoush, chicken satay with peanut sauce and a variety of other carefully prepared selections. My chocolate mousse dessert was excellent!  Another great day in Belize!

April 24, 2012 – Lubaantun, Rio Blanco and Anita’s House

This morning we headed to the Maya ruins at Lubaantun (the site of the discovery of the purported Crystal Skull) about 30 minutes or so from the Lodge. Now I am a bit of a Maya archaeological site nut and have seen quite a few in my day, but Lubaantun was a new spot for me and I really enjoyed it. Lubaantun (meaning place of fallen rocks in the modern Maya language) is a late Classic site where apparently no mortar is used between the rocks and diverse architectural styles can be found, including rounded corners and no doorways. The Maya sites in Southern Belize are smaller and less significant than Caracol, Lamani, Xunantunich, etc., but the beauty is that they are often void of tourists and filled with birds, wildlife and lots of hidden corners to explore. Nim Li Punit is the other Maya site near the Lodge and is set high on the hill overlooking the coastal rainforest and sea beyond (on a clear day), it is also home to an  impressive collection of stelae. Lubaantun’s structures are taller and feature some fascinating architecture and stone work. Plus, the birding is excellent – right off the bat our guide Steven repetition  spotted an aracari and a pair of bat falcons. Santiago, the guide for the site itself led us throughout the ruins explaining the history of the excavation (he was part of the original team), the site itself and general information on the Maya. Since all of our tours are private, we leave timing flexible and guests spend an hour or two at the site depending on their interest. I could have stayed for hours – the setting, the surrounding views, trees and birds were all superb. There were 4 other people at the site at the same time. There’s something to be said about getting off the beaten path in Belize and in Toledo, it’s easy to do!

From Lubaantun we continued on to Rio Blanco National Park for swimming, hiking, bird watching and a picnic lunch. Driving towards Guatemala and into the Maya Mountains, we passed Mopan Maya communities – women dressed in the traditional blue or green smock sold handicrafts outside their homes. The rugged Maya Mountains and the lush green landscape dotted with small villages made for quite the backdrop to our day. At Rio Blanco, travelers walk 5 minutes down a trail and a set of steps to the river’s edge where a series of small waterfalls cascade down the worn limestone riverbed. The preferred picnic spot is set on a massive boulder overlooking the river and a natural pool created by the “C” shaped arc of the last tier of limestone. The river plunges over the edge (with varying fervor depending on the season) and more adventurous travelers can leap off the rocks into the cool deep pool below. After a selection of sandwiches, fresh fruit, limeade and homemade brownies, we sat in the warm preparing to jump in for a swim. Half the group jumped off of the falls and swam, while the others hiked up-stream through the limestone formations and smaller, clear pools. A swallow-tailed kite flew overhead and swooped down low to drink from the river. It was a lovely afternoon and an ideal spot for lunch.

From Rio Blanco we returned to Big Falls for our second home visit. Anita used to work at the Lodge and her mother-in-law has opened her home for us to visit and experience a traditional Maya kitchen. While our first home visit took place in their Maya kitchen, the visit was more focused on the traditional handicraft trades (weaving, carving, basket-making). Anita’s visit gave lots of great background on how the Maya people lived not long ago – as recent as the older generation (her in-laws were one of the original Maya families to move to the Big Falls area from the South nearer Guatemala) – prepared their meals, dried and ground maize for tortillas, cooked on the traditional comal, which is still quite common even in modern homes/kitchens. We spent a couple of hours with Anita and her mother-in-law all the time asking questions, I tried out the metate and ground maize, we made tortillas and ground dried “bird peppers” (tiny,  spicy, smoky peppers that had been dried in a basket above the open fire). The kitchen also had a traditional bed with a “mattress” made of the balsa bark…it didn’t look comfortable enough for any of us to give it a try. Anita’s daughters returned from school in town and we all sat down together to enjoy a simple soup made of heart of palm and a light broth accompanied by tortillas (luckily our misshapen, ugly tortillas were hidden at the bottom of the container and we joked with Anita’s mother-in-law that she should give them to her husband of 60+ years for dinner and see how he responded. We all got a good laugh out of that) and the traditional cacao drink slightly warmed. The soup was excellent and there was something simple and unifying about sharing food together, sitting close to the earthen floor and observing traditions that are disappearing daily (in the Maya society and in ours alike). We bid Anita’s family farewell and returned to the Lodge to relax before dinner.  Before dinner most guests meet in the Iris Bar or grab a beer and sit outside on the verandah chatting about their day. Tuesdays are usually curry nights or an outdoor BBQ. This Tuesday we enjoyed a variety of curries, fresh veggies and perfectly cooked rice. Key lime pie made from local limes followed – YUM! We enjoyed an after dinner drink sitting out in the refreshing night air and retired early in anticipation of the birds waking us at dawn!

April 25, 2012 Big Falls to Belize City

This morning some of us rose early for a bird walk and were pleased to see many of the 350+ species spotted on our property, including a variety of woodpeckers, parrots, herons and more. After breakfast we headed on the Hummingbird Highway through orange groves and the Maya Mountains to Belize City for the BETEX trade show and conference. Farewell to the Toledo District and the Lodge at Big Falls for now, but I’m already looking forward to my next visit!