Bullet Tree Falls is an awesome little town located just outside of San Ignacio in the Cayo district of Belize. This was one of my favorite places to visit whether it was to admire the amazing environment or just to kick back with a rum in my hand while floating down the river in a tire inner tube. When you are coming into the falls you will go across a big bridge that is high above the Mopan river and one of the things you will most likely see while walking across are children and their families splashing away.
From this view you can also see what is often referred to as the "Tube Shoot", if you look off into the distance you can see somewhat of a split in the river where the water rushes through two bits of land. This small but fast water fall of sorts is probably some of the most fun you can have in an old tire tube, plus you get the challenge of swimming yourself to the bank in order to enjoy a couple more "Tube Shoot" rides before floating further downstream.
If you ever find yourself in Bullet Tree Falls don't worry about a place to stay either, especially if you are looking for a homey retreat in the jungle with a great view of the river. One such place that is definitely worth mentioning is the Parrots Nest lodge, where you will get to spend your time with this lovely family:
Where you will do a lot of this:
(This by the way is Marcus the happiest man you will ever meet, seriously I don't think he ever stops smiling. Anyways he is an amazingly kind person, who you can absolutely have a blast with.)While spending your evening in one of these:
The Parrots Nest is definitely the place to be if you want to be treated like family, this includes having amazing meals cooked for you and plenty of honest advice as to where to go and what to see while staying in Bullet Tree and the Cayo area. Also it is worth mentioning if you want to stay up to date on whats happening in San Ignacio check out the Cayo Scoop another side project Marcus contributes a lot of his time to.
If you are feeling a bit more on the fancy pants side, don't worry there is a place for you too in Bullet Tree at Mahogany Hall . If you like fine dinning, upscale rooms, and all that fancy stuff than Mahogany Hall is the place for you. Although I have never stayed the night it is an awesome place to visit. In particular I am speaking towards their awesome location on the Mopan where you can catch some awesome currents and go soaring down the river.
(Photo's of Mahogany Hall are copy-written by Johnathan Cariddi)
If you ever have the pleasure of meeting one of the owners of Mahogany Hall Jonathan Cariddi you will not be disappointed. He is a very funny but also a professional, along with Mahogany Hall Jonathan also runs Mr.Greedy's Pizzeria located in downtown San Ignacio.
Now that you have a taste for places to stay and visit while in Bullet Tree, I would like to talk to you about the Bullet Tree Environmental Committee.
This is a committee made up of locals from Bullet Tree Falls and the surrounding area with a love for the environment and the willingness to protect it. On their facebook page one of their goals is "Support Programs for Community Development", something more communities need. In addition to their efforts towards protecting the local environment and water ways the committee focuses on community involvement. This includes creating campaigns such as "The Bullet Tree Falls Safe Water Mission". You will also see a lot of events on their page such as river clean ups, but it is also important to remember that this committee puts a lot of time and effort in organizing these events and proposing better solutions to current environmental issues.
In other words a lot of discussion and paperwork!Another large part of the committee is focused on helping preserve the green iguana populations, which is highlighted in their committee logo.
I chose to give a shout out to the Bullet Tree Falls Environmental Committee not only because I love Bullet Tree, but because they are doing amazing work for their community and environment. This is the type of work I want to be able to do when in Belize, and have this type of community involvement because those are the people who are going to make changes in Belize. Belizeans are some of the kindness and hardworking people I have ever had the pleasure to meet, and I am confident that they are capable of anything, which is why I want to promote and start my own Environmental Education Center there. So, please do check out all these lovely people I have highlighted throughout this post, they are definitely worth it. Also, don't be shy to branch out do some of your own reading on Belize culture and their environment I promise you will not be disappointed.
