The Belize Zoo and Tropical Education Center — Attraction in Belize District

I don't know that I would want to stay here for multiple days. The accommodations are basically one step up from glamping. It is really hard to fit a family of four in a cabin without people doubling up in beds, which let me tell you, teenagers do NOT take well to. The dining options are pretty much "here's what we have today", though I get a sense that they will take requests and will certainly accommodate vegans based on the log. The beds are comfy, and I really did like the pond house we stayed in, which had a bed on the porch outside. Waking up to birdsong and sunrise (and a screen keeping the mosquitoes out) was pretty sweet. Plus, they've got an in-cabin coffee maker so you can sip before breakfast. The lack of AC is not bad at night, but does make it hard to keep comfy in the cabins during the day. However, they do have a pool, it is clean, it's screened and shaded, and it is lovely cold. That was an essential way to get comfortable.||Supper and breakfast are sort of included with the room; they provide them, but you are going to get charged a supplement per person for each. Supper for us was meat, potato, and veg, but they had a nice fruit punch to go with it, and there were cold beers for purchase for B$5 each. Supposed to be sodas for the kids, but they were out. Breakfast was classic Belize, fry jacks and eggs and beans, but with some good fruit alongside. Seconds are available on anything you want if you're hungry. Kids who are classic picky American eaters will need to be encouraged a bit to get their hunger to take over. ||The property has some basic walking trails. It's more for birding than traditional wildlife-watching, but they're nice little walks, and for the most part have shade. ||The reason you absolutely should stay one night here, however, is that it's the way to get a night tour of the zoo, which is PHENOMENAL. No more trying to find the jaguar or ocelot or margay hiding in their thickets. They come right up to you and do tricks for the guide carrying a bucket of chicken. You don't see the birds or other animals as much, so it's worth doing the day visit, but the night tour was positively the...

Short version: 100% include this friendly place in your Belize itinerary. If you can stay overnight, do it and book a night zoo tour.

This is one of the best places in Belize. I just went for the third time, as this is part of every trip to Belize for me. The zoo itself is charming, and it has been the driving force for nature education and a crystalizing effort for conservation in the country. Animals (mostly rescues) are healthy and well. Staff are knowledgeable, completely dedicated to the animals, and very friendly and helpful with guests. The zoo took significant damage from Hurricane Lisa two months ago, and the recovery work is visible everywhere --- as an indication of how much love and effort is being put into it.

This time, we stayed overnight at the Tropical Education Center. I can't recommend it enough! Our lodging in Casa Lagoona was spacious, comfortable, with a complete kitchen and a large screened porch with hammock overlooking a small pond. Staff were attentive and genuinely friendly. The food was excellent, and dietary requirements were accommodated without compromising the quality and variety of meals. As overnight guests, we were able to book a night tour of the zoo. With a keeper, we got to meet all the nocturnal celebrities of the zoo (and feed them snacks!): Jaguars, ocelots, puma, Margays, two owl species, crocodile, tapirs, kinkajou, and porcupine!! It was the best tour I've ever...

My wife loves to visit zoos, and we have a membership at a local zoo. This place is for rescue animals; they had been injured in the wild, or were illegal "pets". This zoo was one of the "official" excursions on our Carnival cruise, and decided to visit. It's well done, and you can get pretty close to most of the animals.

We visited in November, so it wasn't too hot and muggy, and the animals were out and active in most cages. We wore "bug bands", and didn't have problems with mosquitoes or flies. However, I'd suggest spraying around your ankles too, as I wore the band on my wrist and found several flea bites on my ankles. :-/

The howler monkeys were pretty entertaining... you can hear them LONG before you get to their enclosure. They sound much bigger than they really are. :-) lol They have spider monkeys, deer, tapirs, gators, birds, and more. The paths are paved, and good even if you have mobility problems; there are also a couple of raised pedestrian platforms where you can get a better view of the animals and enclosures. The enclosures have signs and details about the animals.

There is a gift shop and cafe. If you go on a timed tour (cruise ship, etc), they suggest you order lunch as soon as you arrive, so that they can start cooking while you are looking at the animals, and the food will be ready when you return. The food is fresh cooked, so it takes a little time... don't want to...