Casa del Caballo Blanco is an eco lodge that supports a bird rehabilitation and release program in Belize. Green travel packages and tours add to an interesting vacation.

For a small country, Belize has an amazing variety of diverse ecosystems. And, like many South and Central American countries, Belize is in danger of losing its biodiversity as pollution, poaching, and development steadily encroach on its rain forest. The Casa Avian Support Alliance, in Cayo Belize, works to maintain the country's biodiversity in regards to its diminishing tropical bird population. Its sponsor, Casa del Caballo Blanco, is a family-owned eco lodge within the 23-acre bird sanctuary on Western Belize. Eco tourism here provides for a terrific vacation in Belize, and travel dollars help support conservation. Green travel dollars are well spent at the Casa del Caballo Blanco.

Casa del Caballo Blanco eco lodge shares space with the avian rehabilitation and release center, offering a tropical volunteer eco tourism experience. Endorsed by the Belize Audubon Society, Birds Without Borders, and the Rainforest Alliance Sustainable Tourism Program, the Casa Avian Support Alliance is no fly-by-night organization (forgive the pun).

Casa del Caballo Blanco volunteer eco travel lodge:

• Six cabana style lodges in the Mopan River Valley

• The eco lodges are both large and comfortable. This is no "tent on the ground" sustainable travel vacation; for eco tourism, it's relatively luxurious.

• Each guest lodge has a queen bed, double bed, private bathroom, small refrigerator, and ceiling fan, and the decor is distinctly Mayan.

Casa del Caballo Blanco dining:

• The dining room is adjacent to the bird rehabilitation and release center.

• With certain travel specials, breakfast and dinner are included with the room.

• Entrees are made with locally grown ingredients, obtained from local growers.

• Lunch is prepared for guests going on day trips into the rainforest, where meals are not available. Local fare is, again, the focus.

• Dinner comes with fresh salad or coleslaw, and fresh homemade bread and tortillas.

• Dinner at the eco lodge is complimented by Belize brews, such as Belikin stout, regular beer, or light beer.

• Desserts are prepared daily.

Casa del Caballo Blanco Travel Package Tours and Activities:

• Archeological tours - Belize has many interesting archeological tours from which to choose. Sites include Tikal National Park in Guatemala, Cahel Pech (within walking distance of the eco lodge), Yaxha and Topxte ceremonial centers, and Caracol, which is the largest archeological site in Belize.

• Birding tours - With over 500 native birds, the Belize bird population is increasingly elusive. Birding guides are experts at finding rare species is Caracol, El Pilar, and the savannah woodland. In addition, water birds are found on a wetland tour, and a special day trip into the Raspaculo forest shows scarlet macaws in their natural habitat.

• Cave trips - Cretaceous limestone along the western region of the Maya Mountains in Belize has created hundreds of gigantic underground caves, filled with stalagmites and stalactites. The "mythical Mayan underworld" is on display in Che Chem Hah, Rio Frio Cave (the largest and most visited cave in Belize), Actun Tunichal Muknal, Caves Branch and the Barton Creek cave trips.

• River adventures - Casa del Caballo Blanco can arrange river adventure day trips for interested guests. The river tours are along the Mopan, Rio On, and Macal rivers, and a waterfalls tour in the Mountain Pine Ridge Forest Reserve.

• Towns and Villages - The Saturday market in San Ignacio de Cayo has been basically unchanged for centuries; this town, less that two miles from the eco lodge, provides a glimpse into traditional Mayan culture. Other Mayan villages visited by guests of Casa del Caballo Blanco are San Jose de Succotz, Benque Viejo del Carmen, and Melchor de Mencos.

The Bird Rehabilitation and Release Center:

• The eco lodge provides financial support for the bird rehab and release center. Birds that cannot be released into the wild are given homes in the facility as well. 15 of the 23-acre site is being restored into the natural habitat birds need to nest and forage. Volunteers care for the birds and tend to the center's preservation.

• The Casa Avian Support Alliance receives a portion of proceeds from the Casa del Caballo Blanco.

• The eco lodge provides discounted lodging for volunteers and avian veterinarians.

• Volunteers can help build nest, feed injured birds, build nature trails, and assist in habitat restoration.

As with so many other fragile habitats in Central and South America, Belize is in danger of losing its natural resources forever. At this eco lodge, volunteer and eco tourism helps support and promote conservation.

Related, on Suite 101:

St. John Eco Tourism and Eco Travel

A Resort Lodge for Eco Travel in Belize