Hummingbird Guest Lodge & Hostel

This review is over due and I feel awful that I am just getting to it now. Everyone at Hummingbird was beyond fantastic. While planning our Belize trip, I searched high and low for a rock climbing instructor in the Country. Eventually the name Mario Perez was given to me and once in contact, he suggested I stay at the Hummingbird Lodge and Hostel. We paid a very minimal fee to pitch our tent and made use of the composting toilets and communal kitchen. I would consider Hummingbird to be an Eco Lodge with the low environmental impact of the hostels and lush jungle surrounding the property. Hummingbird operates like a co-op. Those who have shares, have say in the growth of the company. It was a relief to stay some where that has locals involved in the operation. We had many long conversations with the resident family and learned much about Belizean life. Bob was also great to talk to and very helpful in directing our questions. He also offered rides to some people for food or ice cream. There is one store in a small town that was about a 20-minute walk. They had a grocery store though it was limited. We picked up most of what we needed when in Belmopan. Blue Hole park is a common day trip from the property. We briefly visited the waterfall on the property before we left which was actually more beautiful and pristine than the blue hole itself. Next time, we will spend a day at the waterfall. Mario Perez, offers excursions directly from Hummingbird. We went caving and rock climbing in two days. Our caving experience was far off the beaten path, and once the van could drive no longer into the woods, we set off on foot. We had a picnic in the cave saw ancient artifacts. On our next trip, he again took us deep into the jungle, cutting through the path with a machete, and gave me the most informative rock climbing session I had ever had. These excursions are not your average tourist trap. If you are a dedicated outdoors person, Mario is the man to see!