The Lodge at Chaa Creek

The Lodge at Chaa Creek is a pioneering eco-resort set within a 500-acre private nature reserve along the Macal River near San Ignacio. Founded in 1981 by Mick and Lucy Fleming on a former citrus farm, it’s guided by the philosophy “wildly civilized”, a harmonious balance of rainforest immersion and refined comfort.

Accommodation options include thatched cottages, Tree Top Villas, spa villas with plunge pools, garden suites, and orchard villas, all thoughtfully designed to blend with the forest while offering modern comforts like infinity-edge jacuzzis, air conditioning, and private decks. Guests enjoy farm-to-table meals in the main lodge’s open-air restaurant, swim in a bi-level infinity pool, visit the butterfly farm, and explore nature trails, canoe the river, ride horses, bird-watch, or visit onsite cultural features including a Maya medicinal plant trail and the Natural History Centre.

The resort’s sustainability practices include solar energy, permaculture gardens, waste recycling, and its Chaa Creek Cares initiative, dedicating 10% of accommodation revenue to community and environmental projects. It has earned global recognition for sustainable tourism and Green Globe certification, thriving as a model of responsible travel.