We couldn’t think of a better way to combine our love for cocktails and helping our local school, so we came up with The Succotz Cocktail: Sweet Corn and Banana Colada with a Choco Banana treat. All proceeds go to Succotz Primary School. Now who says a drinking habit is a bad thing?
Check out our new villas! It was worth the blood, sweat and tears in making them. I mean, everyone needs a plunge pool now and then, right? More details and images to come, but our first guests said “Perfection!“
The skeletal remains of an adult Maya, along with several artifacts and ceramics – reported to be over 2000 years old – was discovered during the replacement of drainage pipes on Burns Avenue: one of the busiest streets in San Ignacio, Cayo.
In addition, bone tools, ceramic vessels, conch shell fragments, deer antlers, obsidian blade fragments, peccary teeth and pottery shards were buried with the individual who, according to renowned archaeologist Dr. Jaime Awe, was a male. Of the ceramic vessels obtained, three were complete while the pottery shards included an etched Juventud-Red vessel which possibly dates the site as early as the Middle Pre-Classic Period. What’s more is that the situ, which may have been abandoned after being destroyed by flood waters, is believed to be a part of Cahal Pech, thus proving that the “Place Of Ticks” was as extensive a settlement as was originally thought.
The artifacts, ceramics and remains will be displayed in the Welcome Center which is currently under construction as part of the development and rehabilitation of San Ignacio Town. For the time being, though, locals and tourists alike flock to the site to offer assistance, speculation and support to the archaeologists who’ve halted public works until their excavation is completed.
Formerly British Honduras, Belize lies on the Caribbean Coast of Central America and is bounded by Mexico to the North, and Guatemala to the West and South. It is the second smallest country in Central America, roughly the size of Massachusetts, and the only English-speaking of the seven. With its population a little over 350,000, Belize is a true melting pot of cultures, rivaling that of its neighbors with an influence of Creole, Garinagu, Maya and Mestizo to name a few.
Its westernmost region, the Cayo District, is the largest and most populated of the six, and the epicenter of inland touring. Swathed in almost untouched jungles, it is dotted with ancient cities, riddled with underground passages and supports diverse ecosystems ideal for adventure as well as nature lovers. Its most popular archaeological sites include Actun Tunichil Muknal, Barton Creek, Cahal Pech, Caracol, Che Chem Ha and Xunantunich.
Cave Tube & Zip Line
Feel the adrenaline pumping through your body as you zip-line above the jungle canopy from treetop to treetop and relax while floating along cool waters on inner tubes, gently pushed by a current through a series of caves.
Visit The Region’s Popular Maya Cities
Cahal Pech, small as it may seem, is a 3,200 year-old Maya City where the architecture of these ancients is visible to the fullest.
Caracol, located in the heart of the Chiquibul Forest Reserve, is Belize’s largest Maya Ruin and home to Caana – the tallest structure in the country!
Only a 10-minute drive from Ka’ana, Xunantunich – one of the most popular sites in the region – is accessed by a hand-cranked chain ferry, providing panoramic views of Guatemala and the surrounding valleys from atop El Castillo.
Explore Portals To The Maya Underworld
You’ll be amazed by the many artifacts, including human remains, strewn about and experience the chills of sloshing in ice-cold river water – all inside Actun Tunichil Muknal, sure to be the highlight of your vacation!
Hidden within a Mennonite community, canoe into the Maya Underworld while listening to the history of Barton Creek Cave unfold.
Unlike ATM and Barton Creek, Che Chem Ha is a dry cave that offers a nine-layered journey into the Maya Underworld using ladders and ropes, as well as a refreshing dip in a 214-feet waterfall located only a few minutes away.
With numerous spectacular attractions, there are plenty of adventures to discover and explore the ultimate destination that is Belize!
Perhaps the only thing better than visiting a waterfall on a hot summer day, is visiting and having the entire place to yourselves. We think Big Rock Falls is one of the treasures of the Mountain Pine Ridge Forest Reserve because if you don’t know where you’re going you could literally drive past it. Set at the bottom of a semi-steep hill, you’ll know you’re close when the rush of water becomes a roar. Today, we’re sharing images from past guests Whitney and William whose recent private tour to the Big Rock Falls has us falling in love with this site all over again.
Renowned for its plethora of bellowing waterfalls and natural pools, the Mountain Pine Ridge Forest Reserve is home to one of the region’s most sought after cascades – Big Rock Falls.
After a scenic drive along the Cristo Rey Road en route to the Five Sisters Falls, a feeder road to the left leads you to a small clearing. Followed by a path downhill, the journey becomes steeper as the trail descends into the ridge, hinting at the view that awaits you. Fifteen minutes of carefree hiking later, the Privassion River comes into sight and the roaring sound of the fall resonates across the valley. An easy climb over the granite boulders along the banks of the river brings you to the base of the waterfall. The pristine water rushing over the forty-five-meter rocks and plummeting into the emerald green pool below is a breathtaking scene which provides a rush of excitement and caters to a refreshing swim.
Book three nights in a luxury Balam or Casita and get your fourth night for only US$18.00, which will be donated to our Adopt-A-School Program. This $18.00 can pay for a local Belizean child to attend school for a full year.
Ka’ana has committed to supporting the following programs at Succotz Primary School: Bathroom Rehabilitation Project, Nutritional Meals Program, Scholarship Fund and Sports Program.
We also welcome and facilitate donations for playground equipment, purchasing of computers and the refurbishment of classrooms or volunteer work at the school.
Offer Valid For Travel Between May 1st & November 15th.
We are pleased to announce twenty-three year old Calvin Choco as our 2011-2013 Electrical Engineering scholarship recipient. Mr. Choco will obtain his first degree from Pen Foster’s Career School, where he will undergo training in the categories and classifications of electricity, conduit fittings and supports, residential, commercial as well as industrial electrical installation, heating and lighting practices, and conductor properties.
Mr. Choco, from Toledo’s quaint village of San Miguel, is currently an employee of Ka’ana’s Maintenance Department and has already obtained his first certificate from the Institute for Technical and Vocational Education and Training (ITVET). He has also been approved by the Public Utilities Commission (PUC) under the Belize Electricity Act to hold his wire-man’s license. As Mr. Choco recanted his elation when he first received the news of being Ka’ana’s second scholarship recipient, he noted that he is anxious to learn the necessary skills needed to operate and “fix the modern gadgets of our new technologically advanced world”. Congratulations Calvin!
Immerse yourself in the tropical paradise that is Belize, exploring remnants of the Maya – ancient cities and exhilarating caves – while becoming one with the rainforest and its inhabitants. More than a vacation, Belize is a state of being; a place where your senses come alive and you find yourself not just living, but savoring every moment.
Co-created with the region’s last Mayan Shaman and deeply inspired by the sacred natural surroundings of the Belizean land, rituals and traditions, this Holistic Healing Retreat will encourage you to explore how you can live in harmony as well as find balance within yourselves and with all life in your midst. Offering both Sunrise and Sunset sessions either on Ka’ana’s on-site Yoga Pavilion or on scenic settings, such as the Ball Court in the ancient Maya City of Xunantunich and the Banks of the Mopan River, the rich content woven through this comprehensive retreat will be embodied through the practice of yoga. The physical exploration of yoga poses (asana) in a flow-based approach will build over the natural arc of the retreat and will serve to clear excess stagnation and stress, creating the space for abundance, vitality and a deep sense of peace.
An early morning departure from Belize’s Twin Town of San Ignacio to Flores, El Petén’s Capital City, will have you at Tikal where you can explore one of the most impressive Maya Pyramids. The Temple Of The Jaguar is sure to be the highlight of your trip as its stone walls, standing at forty-seven metres, rise above the rainforest canopy and allow you a panoramic view of the surrounding expanse of growth. The haunting sounds of Howler Monkeys and sightings of other exotic wildlife will only add to this unparalleled experience. Contact us to customize your tour of Guatemala’s City of Echoes!
