Cayo Scoop! The Ecology of Cayo Culture

Cayo always cleans up at the BTB National Tourism Awards, as the base for Belize's sustainable ecotourism should.  Guava Limb won best restaurant, of course.  Gaia Riverlodge won hotel of the year, while Table Rock Lodge won best small hotel.  The San Ignacio Resort Hotel won for best hospitality, and Miriam Roberson won the Minister's Award.  Caves Branch won for best tour operator.  Congratulations to all the well deserved wins!

"Last night was the 13th National Tourism Awards.  Congratulations to all the winners.  Your hard work and dedication pays off.  CayoGuides.org congratulates the Cayo winners, those hard working Cayo people that brought all those awards home because when we win, the Cayo District wins.  And the Cayo winners are Guava Limb Cafe, Table Rock Lodge, Gaia River Lodge, San Ignacio Resort Hotel and Anderson’s Caves Branch Jungle Lodge.  Guava Limb Cafe won Resturant of the Year.  It is located in downtown San Ignacio.  The exterior is a colonial building with a modern touch.  It prides itself in serving quality coffee drinks, pastries, signature dishes and a wide variety of specials."

Belize was again ranked one of the world's happiest countries, this time by the Travel Channel.  Belize ranked 4th on their top 10 happiest countries.  Picture is the Five Sisters Falls, taken at Gaia Riverlodge.

"With the second biggest barrier reef in the world, a laidback Caribbean lifestyle and a favorable climate, there’s a lot to be happy about in Belize.  But its cultural diversity is what is truly believed to make this country so content and welcoming: European, Creole, Hispanic and Mayan are some of the prevalent groups that form one harmonious culture here. "

The Gaia Riverlodge now gets all their electricity from hydropower.  They changed the name from Five Sisters - they get the energy from the Five Sisters falls - and renovated the entire lodge only one year ago.  They have a good reputation since the changeover, and get great reviews on Trip Advisor.  Definitely proving they are a true eco-lodge.

"Using the nearby Five Sisters waterfalls as their energy source, the GAÏA Riverlodge is now run entirely by hydropower energy, eliminating the need for electricity.  But don't worry, the hotel does have a back-up system, an eco-friendly one too that's battery-powered.  The GAÏA Riverlodge is also cultivating an on-site vegetable garden which will bring fresh, or 'hyper-local' as they call it, produce to the lodge's restaurants. Awesome."

Gaia Lodge, formerly Five Sisters Lodge, has new owners, and has gotten a serious refurbishment.  They've really done a great job remodeling the main entry, bar, and restaurant palapa.  They have an outstanding collection of masks.  It's located in Mountain Pine Ridge, just down the lane from Big Rock Falls.