Macaw Bank Jungle Lodge — Hotel in Cayo District

My 21-year-old daughter and I visited the amazing Macaw Bank Jungle Lodge near San Ignacio, Belize from August 1-5, 2025. We were searching for somewhere off the beaten path, in a unique ecosystem with lots of nature and animals to observe. Well we got it all and then some! Macaw Bank Jungle Lodge is one of those places that gets into your soul, and you begin missing it the moment you leave. ||Leticia, Raul, and their sons welcome you with open arms and guests become family as soon as they arrive. The perfectly charming and comfortable (super clean!) cottages feature screened in porches that are like something out of a jungle movie. We spent a lot of time reading and relaxing on the porch while listening to the many jungle sounds all throughout the day and night. Be prepared! There is no A/C, but you will quickly get used to the temperature. It truly is worth it because you are constantly immersed in nature. ||Raul is a fantastic chef and provides fresh and delicious meals for breakfast and dinner. Pancakes, fry jacks, blackened fish, chicken - all with fresh fruits (grown on site) and veggies. Leticia delighted us with great conversation before dinner and brought us fresh squeezed fruit juices in the morning and evening. Desserts were very creative and unusual. Wine and beer are available too. We were usually gone at lunchtime on an excursion and lunch was provided. If you choose to go into town, or a coffee shop, you can grab lunch on your own too.||As far as your daily schedule, you can hang at the lodge and read a book in a hammock or take one of the many excursions that Leticia will completely plan out for you. She will explain the excursion in detail and make all of the arrangements. Raul also leads on site 6AM bird watching walks for those interested. The Macal River runs alongside the lodge and is accessible down a short path. It is suitable for tubing and swimming, or a quiet retreat anytime.||Excursions to view ancient Maya ruins, tour caves with ancient artifacts, horseback ride, hike, and more are available. The tour companies will pick you up near the lodge, (arranged by Leticia) and travel with you throughout the day, even providing lunch. The tour guides are extremely knowledgeable and are professionals at teaching tourists about the environment, animals, insects and history. More "laid back" excursions include touring a small local chocolate factory, which gives visitors a 45-min tutorial on chocolate making. (Very interesting), and a visit to a local coffee maker. There is also a butterfly farm nearby, which provides tours.||Things to be prepared for if you aren't used to traveling "in the wild":|-As I mentioned, no air conditioning (unless you go in town, also in the excursion vans there is A/C)|-Some rough roads (bumpy drive for about 2 miles on dirt mostly dirt road to Macaw Bank Lodge, but totally worth it! You get used to it quickly)|-Obviously, internet is sketchy in places|-Jungle noises all the time, which we loved - windows always open but they have screens|-Shower is outside but so quaint. very private, you'll love it!||If you've never done it (I hadn't, my daughter talked me into it) Leave the typical hotel or resort vacation aside and try something completely new. I was completely out of my comfort zone and had the time of my life. The people of Belize are kind, welcoming, and really are the part of the trip that makes it so special. You will leave feeling like you have family in Belize. Thank you, Leticia, Raul, Abner and Henry, Max and...

I stayed in Macaw Bank Jungle Lodge in May 2022. I have been traveling to many countries and Belize is my 70th. This is my first time leaving a review for a hotel/lodge.

Leti and Raul are the best hosts I have ever met. Because of the pandemic, the tourism in Belize has been being very low. I was the only guest in their jungle lodge. Even though, everything in the lodge was under good care and maintenance. Leti and Raul took care of everything for me, including transportation, tours, all the entertaining chatting and very delicious meals. I booked for 3 nights but ended up staying 5 nights with them. Of course the famous ATM cave is a must visit site. The agent worked with them runs super good tour and all the way the is full of joys. There are some more special tours provided the jungle lodge: morning birdwatching, garden trail, and medicine trail. I was surprised by how professional and knowledgeable Raul is in the field of birds. He can recognize all the them even the sounds. We saw tens of different species of birds including toucans and parrots during the morning birdwatching and river canoeing. Their garden is planted with more than 40 species of plants and fruits. I had fresh fruit and fresh juices every day and most of them I have never tried in my life (and I come from a subtropical country). We also went to Big Rock waterfall, swim and picnic. One thing that must be mentioned and you shouldn’t miss is, the meals! They are fantastic. Raul is a genius in cooking. It’s not like you can find in other restaurants. They are Belizean meals for sure, but much healthier and tasty. They used everything in their garden (except the meat). I know will definitely miss them and the food they cooked.

For the cabin, there is bug/mosquito nets around the windows and front terrace, so not a single bug inside the room. The room is very clean that you can walk with bare foot. There are fans but I didn’t feel hot at all and I only turned them on at noon. There is fridge you can use in the common area. Overall, it’s just perfect!

If you are here, you don’t need to worry about anything. They take good care of everything. On the day I left, my bus is super early in the morning. They woke up at 2am and made and packed breakfast for me to eat on he way. I bet I couldn’t find better hosts than them in other places...

We stayed 3 nights in early December 2021. I highly recommend booking one of their packages if possible - since it includes transportation and food, having a package deal made our stay stress-free and easy-peasy. The team were very accommodating and let us sub one of the tours we had previously done with a day trip to Caracol - which wound up being our favorite Mayan ruin we've seen to date. Like many have said, Raul & Leti are the supreme examples of hospitality. Leti reminded us of a hummingbird, tiny and buzzing with friendly energy. She loved teaching us excitedly about plants and vegetables we'd never seen or eaten before and did an excellent job coordinating details for our stay. Raul served as chef extraordinaire during our visit, and oh my gosh... we both wholeheartedly agreed that his was the best food we had eaten in country, ever (on our third trip to Belize). 3 course meals perfectly paired, full of new and interesting foods presented slightly differently or with a local veggie twist, but not so exotic that you couldn't recognize the base intent. Sublime and worth every cent for these normally penny-pinching travelers. Raul is also a 5-star birder and nature guide. You MUST go on both his night walks and birding walks. We saw all the things we wanted to see (so many parrots and toucans!) and were lucky enough to see creatures we hadn't known existed - kinkajou, agouti... Photos of the grounds do not do the place justice -- the plants and surroundings are gorgeous. Lodging is jungle-basic. Former backpackers & naturalists looking for a few days of relaxation will LOVE this place. Instagrammers looking for connectivity, AC, and strong water pressure... you may want to book elsewhere and save this gem of a place for the rest of us. Would recommend to anyone wanting an easy & relaxing but "true jungle" experience -- complete with twilight fireflies, gecko-chirped lullabies, and sunrise birdsong so loud you'll never manage to sleep through it. For those worried about COVID-era travel, we found travel to and from the lodge to be safe and stress-free, and everyone in Belize is very careful about masking due to expensive (and enforced) fines. Macaw Bank did a great job at making COVID a non-concern...