Editor Pick
The Trek Stop
- December 31, 2005
- Rated 2 of 5 by
Aracanus from Colorado Springs, Colorado
The Trek Stop (www.thetrekstop.com) calls itself eco-lodging for savvy travelers--a better description would be small cabins and camping in the middle of the rain forest. It’s located just east of the small town of San Jose Succotz. The Trek Stop isn't a bad place to stay if you're looking for somewhere to spend a couple of nights cheaply and don't care about luxuries. In fact, it's really the only thing around.
Cabins are available ranging from US$12 to US$35 per night, depending on size. I stayed in a large cabin with two other girls and it was quite cramped. There was one single bed, and a bunk bed crammed in. The suitcases fit at the foot of the bed, and there were two outlets near the door. You do receive a key for the cabin, but I'd recommend locking things up inside regardless. The cabin windows were covered with mesh, but that doesn't stop the bugs. Make sure to ask for a mosquito net; they're not automatically in the rooms. And make sure to look in your sheets before bed, as there are lots of spiders and scorpions around. And you'll definitely need the covers, as it gets quite cold at night.
For bathrooms there are composting toilets. They're quite smelly, but there are wood chips to throw in when you're done that help a bit. There are also two solar showers (don't count on them to be warm). They're fairly nice, but I'd recommend wearing sandals in anyway.
There's a small "restaurant" that serves surprisingly good food and a small kitchen for cooking as well. There is also a community area with a very small collection of books and a computer. The website says that they now have free Internet, but at the time I was there, it was US$0.15 per minute to be online.
The owners of the Trek Stop are a couple living on-site. Their son is an archaeologist who works in the area occasionally. They also run the Tropical Wings nature center. The center has a butterfly house, local plant gardens, a small museum with exhibits for kids, and a small gift shop. The cost is BZ$5 for adults and BZ$2 for children. It wasn't terribly interesting to me, but it might be fun with kids around.
There is a frisby golf course on-site (supposedly the only one in Belize) and a few hiking trails. My advice is just to watch out for the fire ants and for any trees with a pink string attached. I was told that the trees are poisonous and cause a rash ten times worse than poison ivy. Make sure to have someone point them out to you while you're there because out in the rain forest, they're not going to be marked for you. They also rent mountain bikes and tubes/kayaks for the Mopan river. Personally, I'd stick with the bikes and stay out of the river. It looks like a large moving body of mud more than a river.
From journal Rainforests and Ruins in Belize