Chan Chich Lodge
Opened in December 1988 with the goal of stopping an ancient Maya city from being looted.
our historyGallon Jug sits in the north of Belize, on land that's been fought over for centuries. The Maya were here first, and by the 1700s the British and Spanish were still wrestling over the same ground, until it became part of British Honduras in the 1800s. Gallon Jug takes its name from a scattering of ceramic jugs a British settler found at an abandoned Spanish encampment nearby, a small detail that stuck long after its history faded. For the better part of a century afterward, the rainforest itself was worked hard. Mahogany and cedar were hauled out by steam railroad, the first leg of a journey that ended in England, while chicleros, (bushmen who walked deep into the rainforest), tapped sapodilla trees for chicle once used in chewing gum.
OUR FOUNDERSir Barry Bowen discovers a Maya City
It was against this backdrop, in 1984, that Sir Barry Manfield Bowen, K.C.M.G., a seventh-generation Belizean businessman, bought the holdings of the Belize Estates & Produce Company, the very company whose crews had cut mahogany and sapodilla trees across this land. Soon after this acquisition, he led an expedition into the northwest, which was nearly inaccessible back then, covering the ground in Land Rovers and tractors, on foot, and by machete. An old chiclero named Tenico had mentioned a long-forgotten camp called "Santa Maria," and it became the expedition's first discovery.
Santa Maria had been found once before. The archaeologist J. Eric Thompson recorded it in 1938 and named it Kaxil Uinic, after the chicle camp beside it. Belize Estates Company had abandoned that camp shortly before Thompson arrived, so he excavated San Jose instead, and the rainforest closed back over Kaxil Uinic for nearly fifty years. In 1987, Bowen and Tom Harding relocated the site and renamed it Chan Chich, meaning "little bird" in Maya, after the creek running past it, and began to build.
The city has never been excavated, so guests won't find the tall standing Maya structures seen at other traditional sites in Belize. What's here instead is a series of grass-covered rises scattered across the property, each one a real structure still waiting beneath the surface. The walking tour starts at the Ball Court Ruin, the main plaza where the city's ball games were once played, then continues past the Twin Pyramids and the Maya Stela Ruin on the way to the Palace Ruin, where guests can glimpse several "looters' trenches" from within. For the wonder of large, fully excavated sites, we can arrange an off-site tour.
1988A Lodge Built to Protect History
The idea behind Chan Chich Lodge was simple. If people were living and working at the site every day, looters would stay away.
Founder Barry Bowen obtained permission from Belize's Department of Archaeology to build a conservation-minded lodge directly on the ancient Maya plaza. Before approval was granted, a government commissioner spent a week supervising every post hole and foundation trench, confirming that construction would not harm the archaeological site.
The lodge was built almost entirely from materials found on the property. Trees and palms cleared from nearby fields were milled on site, while local craftsmen built every window, door, and bed at Chan Chich. The thatched roofs were inspired by traditional Maya architecture.
Chan Chich Lodge welcomed its first guests on December 4, 1988. Its aptly named Looter's Trench bar quietly remembers the very reason the lodge was built.
The idea worked. Looting stopped, trophy hunting disappeared, and the property has remained protected ever since. Today, the reserve is among the best-preserved in Belize, allowing guests to experience wildlife and history in a place that has remained remarkably untouched.
A LEgACY THAT LIVES ONIn Memory of Sir Barry Bowen
Chan Chich Lodge stands as a lasting tribute to the vision of Sir Barry Bowen, whose passion for Belize's natural and cultural heritage shaped everything here today.
His determination to protect an ancient Maya city transformed this corner of the Maya Forest into a sanctuary for history, wildlife, and those fortunate enough to experience it. Every guest who visits becomes part of that story, helping ensure this remarkable place continues to be valued and protected for generations to come.
His legacy lives on, not only in the lodge he built, but in the rainforest he helped preserve and the memories created here every day.
fast forwardToday, at Gallon Jug
The Bowen family continues the mission of Sir Barry to protect this 30,000-acre private reserve, home to Chan Chich Lodge and one of the largest privately protected landscapes in Belize.
Additionally, 3,000 acres are organically farmed, producing coffee, fruits, vegetables, pasture-raised Hereford beef, and many of the ingredients that are used in the lodge's restaurant and bar.
In 2021, Gallon Jug Estate joined more than a dozen conservation partners to help protect the 236,000-acre Belize Maya Forest, part of the vast Selva Maya that stretches across Belize, Guatemala, and Mexico. Together, these protected lands safeguard one of Central America's most important rainforest ecosystems and provide habitat for iconic species such as jaguar, tapir, scarlet macaws, and hundreds of bird species.
For guests, the result is extraordinary. Chan Chich sits at the heart of an immense, protected rainforest where wildlife thrives, making it one of Belize's premier destinations for birding, wildlife viewing, and experiencing nature much as it has existed for centuries.
WANT TO VISIT US? WE HAVE OPTIONS.Bed & Breakfast, All-In Explorer or a Reef & Rainforest Package
There are a few ways to build your Belize vacation with Chan Chich, rest assured there’s something for everyone. Below are some options.
Bed & Breakfast
For the self-planner who doesn’t like to formalize details until arrival.
All-In Explorer Package
For those who don’t want to worry about a thing. Everything included, right from the start.
Reef & Rainforest
Want to see Belize beyond the jungle, we can help match you with a reef property to add onto your stay.