Category: Belize Resort and Vacation Blog

For adventure enthusiasts all around the world, an event worthy of hype and excitement is finally here. The 2016 Maya Mountain Adventure Challenge in Belize is back and the epic competition will be as fierce as the Belizean jungles in which the race will take place.

Belize provides the perfect setting for an action adventure race. Set in the Maya mountains in the lush tropical jungles of Belize, co-ed groups of four compete for 3 days and 3 nights traversing more than 220 miles of the Maya mountains.

Competitors will spend the three days mountain biking, trekking, orienteering, canoeing, rappelling and spelunking. The epic race starts and ends in the beautiful town of San Ignacio, nestled in the foothills of the Maya mountains which serves as the gateway to adventure.

The competition showcases the very best of what Belize has to offer nature and adventure enthusiasts all over the world. Sprawling valleys, exotic wildlife, fresh pure rivers, breath-taking scenery, ancient Mayan cities, off-beaten trails and untouched cave systems become the backdrop for the epic race from start to finish.

Speaking about the race, executive director  of Friends for Conservation and Development (FCD), Rafael Manzanero, said that there is another part of Belize that is rarely seen, the Maya mountains, and the FCD challenges people to come and see what this country is really all about.

“The Maya Mountain Adventure Challenge has taken on a life of its own. What started as a typical adventure race production has developed into a testament of one of the last truly unspoiled corners of the world,” Julia Pollock, director of the competition said.

The 2016 race begins on February 20th.

After experiencing Belize’s vast and unspoiled countryside, participants of the Maya Mountain Adventure Challenge are invited to relax and rejuvenate at Chabil Mar on the beautiful Placencia peninsula in southern Belize.

The resort offers a plethora of Belize vacation packages including a premium 7-night package to scuba dive at the site the famous explorer, Jacques Cousteau, made popular: the Great Blue Hole.

Placencia Belize, which was recently selected as one of Travel and Leisure’s best places to visit in 2016, is one of the most unique destinations on earth; with immaculate, pristine beaches, world class cuisine and fine local dining, fun night-life, romantic sunrise and sunsets.

For more information about the Maya Mountain Adventure Challenge Race and visiting Belize, feel free to chat with our Concierge at: concierge@chabilmarvillas.com or contact our Reservations Manager at:reservations@chabilmarvillas.com. Or perhaps you would like to call toll free from the US or Canada: 1-866-417-2377.

Photo by www.ellentv.com

Last weekend, all eyes turned to Steve Harvey, who sparked international outrage after mistakenly announcing the wrong winner of the Miss Universe pageant. Expressing solidarity with the popular entertainer and comedian, the Belize Tourism Board sent a tweet to Harvey, inviting him to host the 2016 International Costa Maya Festival in San Pedro, Ambergris Caye.

Larry France, the marketing manager of Chabil Mar Villas in Placencia, expressed his hope that Steve Harvey will accept the Belize Tourism Board’s offer to come to the country and host the International Costa Maya Festival.

“Should Steve Harvey accept the Belize Tourism Board’s offer to come to the country, he should definitely visit Placencia,” said Mr. France. “Placencia was just rated by Travel and Leisure as one of the top destinations to see in 2016. With miles of pristine beaches facing the turquoise waters of the Caribbean Sea, Placencia is one of the best places on Earth to enjoy scuba diving, fishing, sailing, and snorkeling.”

Many local Belizeans also hope that Mr. Harvey will take up the Belize Tourism Board’s offer to host the International Costa Maya festival.

“Once Mr. Harvey has finished hosting the International Costa Maya festival in San Pedro, Ambergris Caye, he can explore and experience some of the world’s best scuba diving off the coast of the Placencia Peninsula or visit the world-renowned Cockscomb Basin Wildlife Sanctuary which is home to over 150 square miles of tropical rainforest that preserve some of the last endangered jungle jaguars in Central America,” said France. “Mr. Harvey can then relax and unwind in one of the luxury villas at Chabil Mar while sipping on a delicious cocktail as he enjoys an unparalleled view of the beautiful Caribbean Sea.”

Chabil Mar is a privately owned resort located in the Stann Creek District of Belize. It opened its doors in 2005 and has built an international reputation since that time. Historically, Chabil Mar—Maya for “Beautiful Sea”—is nestled between a Garifuna settlement and the former Creole fishing village of Placencia and in close proximity to ancient Maya ruins, rainforests, jungles and some of the best scuba and deep-water diving in the Western Hemisphere.

For more information about the resort, visit https://chabilmarvillas.com/ or call (011 501) 523–3606. If calling from the U.S. or Canada, use Chabil Mar’s toll-free number: 1-866-417-2377.

It takes courage for a government to serve notice to powerful offshore oil exploration companies that they’re not welcome, but that’s exactly what the Belize government has been doing throughout 2015. Standing up for the nation’s endangered Belize Barrier Reef Reserve System—a World Heritage site that’s fragile, delicate and threatened—was the Belize Prime Minister and his cabinet, all of whom agreed that a policy to ban offshore exploration wasn’t just a good idea—it could be the only way to save this unique ecosystem.

As the second largest reef system on the planet, the Belize Barrier Reef is regularly subject to natural assaults from wind, rain and climate change and cabinet members agreed that by allowing oil drilling, reef disintegration, already problematic, could accelerate rapidly. It’s not the last action the government will take in its efforts to preserve the integrity of the reef; it’s first in a three-prong effort to get the Belize reef off the list of endangered World Heritage sites.

To undertake so Herculean a challenge, members of a World Heritage Committee convened in Belize early in 2015 to estimate how badly the reef has begun to deteriorate. Honorable Prime Minister Dean Barrow conferred with Drs. Elena Ospova and Fanny Douvere, head of UNESCO’s World Heritage Marine Program. Everyone worked tirelessly to put together an aggressive Desired State of Conservation plan that imposes a permanent ban on mining the region’s waters for oil. It’s set to take effect on January 31, 2016.

What will happen once this ban goes into effect? First, stressors imposed on the reef will be confined to natural influences, the sale, lease and development of mangrove islands will cease and desist and penalties for members of the extractive sector who try to get around these preventative measures will be onerous. But the winners in this situation will be more than the environment—for the tourism industry dependent upon this iconic reef for its symbolic and historic role off Belize’s mainland, these protective measures are not to be underestimated.

For example, resorts like Chabil Mar attract legions of visitors eager to see this unique UNESCO World Heritage Site. Chabil Mar has put into place Belize’s most comprehensive reef exploration experiences by affiliating with knowledgeable excursion guides who understand that a visit to the reef must be informative, fascinating, exciting and educational, whether a guest explores the reef as an observer, snorkeler, diver or photographer.

Book a Belize vacation package at Chabil Mar and enjoy a beautiful suite as well as other attractions if you stay in Belize longer. By prioritizing a trip to see the reef now, you can tell friends that you visited a UNESCO World Heritage Site that’s receiving international attention and governmental intervention so this natural wonder is around for many generations to come.

For more information about traveling to Belize, feel free to chat with our Concierge at: concierge{@}chabilmarvillas.com or contact our Reservations Manager at:reservations{@}chabilmarvillas.com. Or perhaps you would like to call toll free from the US or Canada: 1-866-417-2377.