Copal Tree Lodge
Belize's most serious jungle lodge sits in Toledo, the deep south, outside Punta Gorda. The estate runs to 16,000 acres, with 12,000 of them protected from deforestation, and the rooms are canopy suites and jungle suites raised into the trees, plus a three-bedroom family villa; the four Signature Canopy Suites are adults only. The lodge grows its own food on a certified organic farm, distills Copalli rum on the property, and runs a jungle spa, infinity pools, a garden restaurant and a rum bar. Kayaking, biking and the trails are free for guests; guided tours are booked separately. It has earned a Michelin Key and a Condé Nast Readers' Choice award, and was previously named the Caribbean's agritourism destination of the year. Toledo is wetter and wilder than Cayo, and this is the place to see it from. Book direct on the lodge's site.
Flying to Punta Gorda and what the package covers
Most guests fly the last leg. From Philip S.W. Goldson International in Belize City, Tropic Air and Maya Air run commuter flights of about an hour, with a few short stops, to the Punta Gorda airstrip, where the lodge shuttle collects you. The last Punta Gorda flight leaves at 4:30 pm, so land in Belize City by 2:30 pm and send the lodge your arrival time.
By road it is about four hours from Belize City. The lodge advises against driving for US and Canadian guests but suggests it for travelers coming overland from Mexico or Guatemala, and parking is free for overnight guests. From Livingston in Guatemala, an hour-long water taxi reaches Punta Gorda, where you clear customs and the lodge can send a shuttle to the port. Your passport must be valid for 90 days past arrival, and you need a return or onward ticket.
A jungle tram carries you up to the four Signature Canopy Suites, which run about 1,848 square feet with a king bed, an indoor daybed, a tub on the veranda and their own infinity pool and bar. Jungle Suites are 836 square feet with a king and sofa bed or two queens, and a screened balcony with a hammock. All rooms have air conditioning, a ceiling fan, a safe, coffee and tea and a water refill station, and the wifi needs no password, with the best signal in the lobby. Rooms are ready at 3 pm, and you leave them by 11 am.
The all-inclusive package adds a welcome drink, three farm-to-table meals a day with snacks, local drinks including Copalli rum, and the airstrip transfers both ways. Kayaking on the Rio Grande, bike rides through the villages and the trails are complimentary. Guided tours and spa treatments need booking at least 24 hours ahead, and children under 10 must be with an adult on tours. Options include night hikes, sunset river cruises, chocolate making, a look behind the scenes at the distillery, Maya sites and the Scarlet Macaw Reserve in Red Bank Village.
The farm grows sugarcane, cacao, coffee and vanilla; rainwater is collected and filtered on site, so the lodge hands out no plastic bottles; and it works with the Ya'axché Conservation Trust on threatened tree species. It says 99 percent of its staff are from southern Belize. Read our Belize jungle guide, or pair Toledo with Cayo at Sweet Songs.
- Copal Tree Lodge: Getting here: international airport, commuter airlines, flight length and stops, last flight and arrive-by time, shuttle, drive time, water taxi from Livingston, parking, passport and ticket rules, read 22 October 2026 (text read through the r.jina.ai reader because the page renders by script)
- Copal Tree Lodge: FAQ: check-in and checkout, room features, wifi, tour and spa booking notice, children on tours, driving advice, read 22 October 2026 (via the r.jina.ai reader)
- Copal Tree Lodge: Signature Canopy Suites: four suites, size, king bed, daybed, veranda tub, infinity pool and bar, jungle tram, read 22 October 2026 (via the r.jina.ai reader)
- Copal Tree Lodge: Jungle Suites: size, bed options, screened balcony with hammock, read 22 October 2026 (via the r.jina.ai reader)
- Copal Tree Lodge: All-inclusive package: welcome drink, meals and snacks, local drinks, airstrip transfers, read 22 October 2026 (via the r.jina.ai reader)
- Copal Tree Lodge: Belize adventures: complimentary kayaking, biking and trails, tour list, Scarlet Macaw Reserve, read 22 October 2026 (via the r.jina.ai reader)
- Copal Tree Lodge: Sustainability: farm crops, rainwater system, no plastic bottles, Ya'axché partnership, staff from southern Belize, Toledo address, read 22 October 2026 (via the r.jina.ai reader)
Punta Gorda, Toledo District
Photo: Denis Barthel, CC BY-SA 4.0