Category: Belize Resort and Vacation Blog

For avid bird-watchers, there are few better places to be than the beautiful Central American nation of Belize. The country’s lush jungles and rainforests are filled with a wide variety of unique birds, such as the keel-billed toucans, lineated woodpeckers, and gartered trogons.

On October 19th and 20th, 2019, the 2nd Annual Belize Birding Festival promises to take the region’s avian appeal to a whole new level. The event, organized by the Belize Audobon Society (BAS), Belize Tourism Industry Association (BTIA), and the Belize Hotel Association (BHA), will take place at the San Ignacio Resort Hotel. Renowned birding experts such as Dr. John Fitzpatrick, Dr. H. Lee Jones, and Serge Arias will be present.

While the inaugural festival took place over just one day, the second iteration of the event is set to deliver two days of tours, presentations, exhibitions, and conferences. The first day will begin with an Urban Bird Walk, a three-hour hike through the bird-filled San Ignacio area. Throughout the rest of the day, visitors will be able to spend time on the exhibition room floor, attend the keynote address, view the panel discussion, and enter competitions and raffles. The day will conclude with cocktails and snacks by the pool.

Day two looks set to be just as exciting. Attendees can begin the day with a birding excursion to Black Rock, Cahal Pech, or the Crested Caracara Provete Teserven Private Reserve. During the rest of the day, visitors can tour the exhibits, attend a Q&A session, and attend a discussion about bird watching in Central America. There will even be another round of competitions and prizes. The day will finish with a thank you address by the organizers and the presentation of awards.

Whether you want to attend the 2nd Annual Belize Birding Festival in October or just want to visit Belize to marvel in its natural beauty, you will undoubtedly need a place to stay. Chabil Mar in Placencia, Belize is an excellent option. Our villas are luxuriously appointed and our location provides easy access to a host of nearby sights and attractions.

Put simply, there’s a lot to love about this amazing resort. If you would like to learn more, contact our team, or make a booking, all you need to do is visit the website.

Tropic Air has introduced weekly air tour flights from Placencia to the Blue Hole of Belize. Starting November 13, 2019, the hour-long air tours will give visitors an aerial view of one of Belize’s top attractions.

The Beauty of the Blue Hole

The Blue Hole is a 300-foot-wide ocean sinkhole located close to the Belize Barrier Reef. It is part of the site that was designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The Blue Hole is one of the most prized destinations in the world for scuba divers and ocean explorers.

The Blue Hole is recommended as a scuba trip only for the most advanced, experienced divers. Because of this, few people have been able to visit it. The new air flights allow more people to witness a spectacular attraction in Belize.

The Blue Hole extends almost 500 feet below the surface. It is filled with natural stone and coral formations. It attracts colorful fish, sea turtles, several varieties of shark, manatees and dolphins.

Comfortable Travel and Spectacular Views

Topic Air’s new flights allow tourists who do not snorkel or scuba dive to see the Blue Hole in all its stunning and mysterious beauty.

Each air tour holds 11 passengers. The planes feature comfortable seating, air conditioning and large windows. Each pilot is also a tour guide who is knowledgeable about Belize’s natural history.

Placencia is a Popular Destination

The Placencia Peninsula has become an increasingly popular tourist destination in Belize. Part of the reason is its proximity to the Belize Barrier Reef and the Blue Hole.

“The time is now right to offer a scheduled flight for the growing tourism market in the peninsula,” said Tropic Air president John Grieff. “We know visitors to Placencia want the opportunity to experience Belize’s number one attraction the way it should be seen, from the air, and we will deliver.”

Tourists also enjoy the charm and convenience of Placencia Village.

Chabil Mar Welcomes New Arrivals to Placencia

Chabil Mar Villas is pleased to know that Tropic Air’s new flights will allow more people to view one of the most stunning sights in Belize.

We welcome everyone who’s traveling to Belize to stay at our centrally located, luxury resort in the Placencia Peninsula. Our posh resort provides the ideal location for visiting the Blue Hole and charming Placencia Village. Contact us today to schedule your best Belize vacation.

Archaeologists find signs in Belize that climate change and migration are inexorably intertwined.

There’s no denying it: Strange and sometimes catastrophic weather experienced around the globe is making a solid case for climate change. While Central America has stayed out of the news as headlines focus on diminishing Polar ice caps and catastrophic melting in Greenland, breaking news from Belize is just beginning to grab the world’s attention: Archaeologists are proving that migration and climate change go together.

What exactly has grabbed the attention of climatologists, archaeologists, and historians? New Belize digs that have unearthed some of this hemisphere’s earliest tools, each of which contributes to a growing body of research that Mesoamericans experienced climate change that leads to southern migration patterns. In fact, a close collaboration between project social scientists and local Maya communities (whose ancestors created these tools many centuries ago) is one of the most interesting aspects of this project.

According to the publication Science Daily, University of New Mexico (UNM) teams, working in Belize’s Bladen Nature Reserve, recently found “some of the earliest stone tools ever used in southern Mesoamerica.” These tools are evidence that “waves of immigrants” from the north, responding to ice age encroachment, fled south around 13,000 years ago, bringing with them stone tools necessary to help them adapt to warmer surroundings.

“Popular Archaeology” editors were so impressed by this news, details, and photos of students working on the Belize dig were featured on the front page of their September 2019 issue. They quote dig principle, UNM Anthropology Professor Keith Prufer, with saying that “This is an area of research for which we have very poor data regarding early humans.” This project is likely to add substantive evidence to that void.

What contemporary lessons can we learn from this project’s ongoing discoveries? That human beings are amazingly adaptable. When climate change made inhabited areas unlivable, people were clever and creative enough to see the signs, adapt their lifestyles and undertake migrations that were likely arduous and dangerous. But the will to survive proved stronger than changing weather patterns.

If your interest is piqued by this fascinating project and you’re interested in seeing why Belize is fast becoming a leader in Western Hemisphere archaeological research, you’ll need accommodations to sustain you during your own investigative journey. Chabil Mar not only offers luxurious lodgings, a gourmet onsite restaurant and Belize vacation packages, but as the only full-service resort on the Placencia Peninsula, guests can arrange for archaeological tours guaranteed to satisfy everyone’s curiosity.

Shoulder season rates remain in effect until December 19th, so you may even save money while you delve into the past. As news of these discoveries spread, Belize anticipates a tourism spike, so you’re advised to book your villa as early as possible in order to see for yourself what the scientific world is talking about!

Visit our website chabilmarvillas.com for more information on Belize, and don’t hesitate to send us an email, or call US/CAN Toll Free: 1-866-417-2377, Local: (011-501) 523-3606, if you have questions or need help in planning a Belize vacation.

Sports fans in Belize and beyond are eagerly anticipating the kick-off of the XIX Central American Men’s & Women’s Beach Volleyball Championship. The event will take place on Kukumba Beach in Old Belize from August 16th to August 19th, 2019.

Games will begin at 9:00 am on each day of the tournament and will run through until approximately 6:00 pm. The cost to attend a full day of high-level beach volleyball is just $10.

This year, Belize will have three teams competing in the tournament:

• Bryton Codd and Francis Hauze (Males)
• Michael Jenkins and Edgar Martinez (Males)
• Emma Hoare and Clara Sabal (Females)

Hopes are high for these teams after a strong performance at the U-21 Central American Beach Volleyball Championship in Guatemala in July. Francis Hauze and Michael Jenkins, in particular, will be hoping that they can replicate or better their bronze medals from that tournament.

The Belizean teams, who have been coached by Profe Juan Carlos Perdomo, will compete against teams from six other Central American nations to see who will be crowned the champion. Those countries are, Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Nicaragua, and Panama.

The entire staff and management team here at Chabil Mar wishes all of the Belizean teams the best of luck in the upcoming competition. We will be cheering loudly and are confident that they will do the entire nation proud!

Anyone who will be attending the tournament is, of course, always welcome to stay in one of our luxurious villas. Our comfortable rooms, delicious dining options, and scenic views are the perfect spot to come back to after a long day of cheering on the home team.

Visit our website chabilmarvillas.com for more information on Belize, and don’t hesitate to send us an email, or call US/CAN Toll Free: 1-866-417-2377, Local: (011-501) 523-3606, if you have questions or need help in planning a Belize vacation.

When a small nation wins a big prize, everyone takes notice, thus when Team Belize took second place at the recent Under-23 Central American Female Volleyball Championship 2019 in Managua, Nicaragua, these feisty athletes immediately became the darlings of a country eager to show the world that one needn’t come from a world capital to perform like a superstar.

Belize’s 12-player team showcased their expert training and willingness to go the distance against equally seasoned volleyball players and did the country proud. Every woman, all three coaches and one referee returned home to Belize wearing silver medals to show that they not only rose to the challenge but exceeded it.

What do the players say about their road to this victory? That it was a hard-won experience made possible by a coach who refused to stop pushing each woman by calling 6:30 a.m. practices so players were conditioned to wake up early and perform to a highly-set standard.

Team Captain Sherika Burton said, “We all knew it was going to be difficult, especially since our competitors were equally desirous of medaling. And we had to contend with Nicaragua’s hometown fans, so our team had to stay extra focused.”

Was Coach Jose Fontes happy with his team’s performance? You bet. “Each player went into the competition with a great attitude and displayed all of the teamwork and camaraderie a coach could ask for. By placing second, our team earned the respect of all Central American fans and the sky is the limit when it comes to future competitions.”

Chabil Mar management and staff are proud to salute these 12 heroic female athletes and the dedicated behind-the-scenes team that supported their hard work and tenacity. “These twelve women are putting Belize on the map,” say Chabil Mar employees who followed every minute of the competition. “We’re so inspired by their amazing performance. Next year, gold!”