RubyTwins

Last year we went to Drakes Bay in Osa in CR and it was incredible birding and just seeing animals like sloths and monkeys and Macaw sitting on our deck and a beautiful beach (snorkeling was ok but crowded and cloudy water). But we did have to stay at a lodge and it was fine but a few times it reminded me of Season one of The White Lotus. (Some VERY privileged demanding families).

How do people travel in Belize? If you want to really be there to bird, snorkel etc. Is it a lodge? Is it renting a house (is that safe)? I am just starting to think about this idea for a trip. (I am not a hardcore birder btw... I just love to bird watch and I paint birds). thank you.

volcanogirl

We love the Osa too; we stayed at Bosque del Cabo and loved it. We haven't really done a birdy vacation in Belize, but we've stayed at Victoria House, Chaa Creek, and the Lamanai Outpost Lodge and enjoyed all of those. I hear good things about Chan Chich. We had a private driver and also used Tropic Air. We had friends that rented a house in CR, and it was broken into while they were sleeping, so I'm always a little leery of that. Probably usually okay but what would you do in that situation? I prefer staying somewhere with security just for peace of mind.

Jeff_Costa_Rica

House rental seems more of a thing in Costa Rica than it is in Belize. Visitors do rent houses in "beachy" locales like the Cayes and to a lesser extent, Hopkins and Placencia on the mainland. The lodges vocanogirl mentions are good bets.

The Belize Audubon Society administers seven protected areas around the country on behalf of the government. Cockscomb Basin and Crooked Tree are the largest and best known. All offer birding opportunities. BAS has a "Birding Nation" section on its website that gives you some ideas of the where and how to. Click specifically on the "Birding in Belize" link for more detail.

Birding in Belize

RubyTwins

First time I went to Costa Rica we were broken into. I woke up and there was a guy reaching for my passport. So we locked everything up after that.

Nelson

We recently returned from Black Rock Lodge in the western Cayo district of Belize. We loved it and thought the birding was fantastic. We are not super birders but the lodge attracts a lot of serious birder types and birding groups. We saw 75+ species in two weeks, the birders saw over 100 in a day.
https://www.blackrocklodge.com/birding-in-belize/

This is in the mountains so there is no snorkeling.

volcanogirl

That's scary Ruby, smart to lock everything up. When we were at Lamanai Outpost Lodge, they delivered the bags to our room when we weren't there and left it unlocked. They seemed surprised that I would be nervous about that. Oh it's fine, won't be a problem, etc.

volcanogirl

Nelson, thanks for the recommendation on Black Rock Lodge. Looks great.