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BZE-LamOut-vu.jpg (18655 bytes) Lamanai Outpost Lodge

Belize

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Cabana Exterior

Each of the Outpost's cabanas offers rustic elegance while blending in with the lush tropical gardens. The cabanas are handcrafted of local hardwoods with a palm thatched roof.

The Lamanai Outpost Lodge is perched on a hillside overlooking the crystal-clear waters of the New River Lagoon.  It is adjacent to the Lamanai Maya ruins.  It offers a unique combination of Maya ruin and a rainforest with excellent wildlife.
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Inside Cabana		 Each cabana offers:

  • Lots of screened windows for an open, airy, feel

  • Powerful ceiling fans

  • Private bath with hot and cold running water

  • 24 hour electricity with standard outlets

  • Purified water

  • Daily housekeeping

  • Available laundry service

  • A verandah overlooking the lush tropical garden or lagoon

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Lobby
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Lounge
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Dining Room
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Dock
There is an open air restaurant and bar with panoramic views of the New River Lagoon and the ever-changing garden. There is also a reference library and lounge area to relax with a cold drink before dinner. The cuisine is a blend of Belizean and North American cuisine featuring tropical fruits, vegetables, and other locally grown products.  There is a fleet of canoes with paddles and life jackets, a dock with reclining chairs, a gift shop with local crafts and a lagoon-side hammock area.  The Lodge offers fax service, e-mail service, direct-dial phones and even postal service

GETTING TO LAMANAI:
Most visitors use the overland journey from Belize City to the Lamanai Outpost Lodge. The first part traverses the Northern HIghway passing through several small villages. You travel via air-conditioned van. After 1 1/4 hours, you will arrive at the docks on the New River, close to Orange Walk. Board your camouflaged boat, driven by one of the Outpost's experienced naturalist/guides, for a cruise up the New River to the Lodge.  Have your binoculars and a camera ready. Of course, the wildlife you will see on this trip up the ancient Maya trade route will vary with the season and the weather, but visitors are often treated to up-close views of fantastic orchids, white-lined sac-winged bats, Northern Jacanas, and numerous herons. Usually, something rare pops up on the trip... perhaps a King Vulture, or the endangered Manatee, or the largest flying bird in the Americas - the Jabiru stork.

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 You can also fly from Belize City to the Lamanai Outpost Lodge's private airstrip. The flight is only 15 minutes long via one of Tropic Air's modern planes with experienced pilots.
BZE-LamOut-river.jpg (16915 bytes) ACTIVITIES:

Activities:  

14 new and exciting activities to choose from:  -  

Maximum of 3 activities per person per day/night:  

  • Sunrise at Crab Catcher Lagoon
  • Lamanai Maya Ruins
  • Breakfat on the River
  • Water Sports and Lunch on the lagoon
  • Airboat Safari and Nest Search
  • Native Fishing
  • Jungle Dawn
  • Cultural Immersion: The Milpa
  • Irish Creek at Dawn
  • Howler Trek
  • Pontoon Fishing
  • Sunset Cocktail Cruise
  • Crocodile Encounter
  • Maya Medicine Trail
  • Headling Canoeing
  • Water Sports
  • Night Spotlight Safari
  • Jungle Expedition
  • Night Walk
  • Sunrise Canoe Excursion
  • Cultural Immersion: The Mennonites
  • Sedan Fair Tours (additional cost)
Here are descriptions of some of the activities:

Night Spotlight River Safari : The Spotlight Safari offers visitors the opportunity to see nocturnal wildlife up-close and personal from the comfort and safety of a custom-built safari river boat. Depending on the season, wildlife may include: Morelet's Crocodiles, Yucatan Nightjar, Common Potoo, arboreal porcupine and even some of our native cats.

Lamanai Maya Ruins Tour: Explore the mysterious jungle-shrouded temples of Lamanai with one of our guides, well-versed in the history and culture of this fascinating civilization. Learn about the history of such structures as the "mask" temple, the "jaguar" temple, and the Lord Smoking Shell stela. Of course, the Lamanai Archaeological Reserve is a major site with excavations still underway, so new information may come to light with each visit.

Sunrise Canoe Trip: A canoe trip with the rising sun and waking birds through mist-covered waters is a wonderful way to start the day at Lamanai. The trip takes you across the lagoon and up Dawson Creek where you may find yourself surrounded by various egrets and herons, Northern Jacanas, Limpkins, Rufous-browed Peppershrikes, and often the elusive Black Catbird, a species considered near-threatened by BirdLife International.

Sunset Lagoon Trip: There can be no finer way to end the day: on a boat in the New River Lagoon, surrounded by tropical forest and wildlife, a well-stocked cooler on board, and the orange glow of the sky as the sun sets. An indescribable feeling of relaxation comes over you as you return to the lodge for dinner at the end of your adventure-filled day. 

Herbal Medicine Walk: Tropical forest plants hold the key to unlocking the secret of how to wipe out most any ailment. These chemicals - called secondary compounds - are often produced by the plant as protection against insects and other herbivores. Many modern drugs (aspirin for example) come from these compounds, but most plants have not been investigated by scientists for their effects on disease. On the other hand, the medicinal properties of local plants are well-known to indigenous peoples and you will gain some of this insight on this fascinating tour. 

Guided Birdwalk: Perhaps you're just a budding birder or would just like to broaden your knowledge yet again. In addition to our Three Night and Five Night Tropical Birding Packages we offer "a la carte" walks focusing on the local bird life. We offer guided walks through the forest, through the milpas and on the savannah. More than 375 species have been recorded around Lamanai, and even a short visit is bound to turn up numerous species.

Dawn River Cruise: Dawn is one of the best times for birds, and this river cruise is designed for excellent bird viewing opportunities. The New River is home to many species, including Roseate Spoonbill, Great Black Hawk, Social Flycatcher and more. Your guide will point out termite nests, wild orchids and more on this spectacular starter trip.

Night Jungle Walk: Ever wonder what it's like to wander through the jungle at night? The jungle changes completely at night, and what better way to experience it than by taking a walk? Listen to the cacophony of insects, frogs and birds calling all around you, while a bat swoops overhead. Wildlife varies from day to day, but Owls, frogs, snakes, and mammals are all possibilties. Belize's big cats are active at night, so keep your eyes open!

BIRDING:
Located along the banks of the 28-mile long New River Lagoon, the area surrounding the Lamanai Outpost Lodge and the Lamanai Field Research Center is perhaps the best-kept birding secret in Belize. Over 375 species of birds have been recorded here in a variety of habitats from vast wetlands to broadleaf forest to pine savanna. All of these habitats are found within a two-mile radius of the lodge and are easily accessible by boat, canoe or trails. 

Various birding excursions are structured to visit a maximum number of habitats and maximize the number of species you will experience. Spend a morning canoeing up Dawson Creek to look for Agami Herons, an evening watching the Jabiru stork on her nest, or a night watching the Yucatan Nightjar perched silently in the spotlight.

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ARCHAEOLOGY:
The Lamanai Archaeological Preserve is just a 20-minute walk from the lodge. Laman'ai (a corruption of "Lam'an/ayin", Mayan for "submerged crocodile") is an ancient Maya center known to have been continuously occupied for almost three millennia beginning in approximately 1500 B.C., one of the longest known occupation spans of any Maya site.  Today, approximately 720 structures have been mapped within an area of 4.6 sq. km, 70 of which have been excavated to varying degrees.