Spend a week learning the history, politics, and processes of Fair Trade chocolate making while exploring the beautiful country of Belize.
Daily hands-on workshops are designed to guide you through every step of the process, from picking cacao to molding and packaging bars. Workshops are complimented by excursions to local villages, farms, and cultural sites, volunteering, and, of course, plenty of opportunities to eat chocolate!
Note: Pay only half price for children under 12 sharing with their parents.
Arrival
Please plan on flying to Punta Gorda. You will have to connect to a domestic flight when you land at Belize International Airport. We can arrange domestic flights and airport assistance upon request. You will be met by a representative at Punta Gorda airport.
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Cotton Tree Lodge
Arrival Punta Gorda
Upon arrival at Punta Gorda, you will be met by a representative to transfer to Cotton Tree Lodge, your home for the next week. Check into your cabana and attend a welcome dinner and chocolate tasting.
Punta Gorda
Punta Gorda is the southernmost town in Belize and the capital of the Toledo District. The population is close to 6,000 people, with a mixture of Mopan and Kekchi Maya, Garifuna, Creoles, Lebanese, East Indian and Chinese peoples. The road into town follows the shoreline; five main streets run parallel inland. Various fruit trees, especially mango trees, line the streets. Most small homes are made of wood on stilts. The waterfront is great for long strolls, with light constant breezes blowing in from the Bay of Honduras. Nightlife is quiet, but there are a couple bars with pool tables and on certain nights Garifuna drummers perform for tourists (though on any given night, you can hear drumming as Punta Gorda is considered a major center for the Garinagu people). Punta Gorda is perfect for fishing, kayaking, river touring, and snorkeling.
Cotton Tree Lodge
This lodge is a true eco-lodge with a strong focus on sustainable travel and involving the local community. It offers comfortable, mid range accommodation in a beautiful natural setting and many unique and fascinating tours, which allow guests to get involved in the local nature, wildlife, conservation and both the Maya and Garifuna communities.
Facilities: 11 Rooms + 2 Guide Rooms, Restaurant, Bar
Location: Remote rainforest location on the Moho River in Toledo district, 1hr from Punta Gorda Airport
“Green” / Sustainability Tourism at Cotton Tree Lodge
The property is powered by solar panels, batteries and a generator.
The staff and lodge is careful to respect and not disturb the surrounding ecosystems.
The property ensures that no water waste is released into the land and river, rather into a bio and phyto remediation.
Use of biodegradable soap, shampoo, laundry detergent and cleaning formulas when possible.
The lodge has implemented a reforestation program.
The lodge supports Sustainable Harvest International (SHI) – a non-profit organization that teaches sustainable agriculture techniques to Central American farmers.
Reusable plastic bottles are available for guests to refill with purified water.
A Carbon Offset Program is available for guests to participate in.
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Local Touring
Spend the morning on a guided jungle trek, cave exploration, or Mayan ruin tour. Afternoon tour of Cacao Lodge, the cacao plantation where you will plant and tag your own cacao tree.
Belize Chocolate Tour Day 7 Cotton Tree Lodge
Chocolate Workshop
Hands on chocolate-making workshop: introduction to tempering, molding and packaging. You will make your own chocolate bars to bring home!
Sunset boat cruise on the Moho River with chocolate rum drinks.
Belize Chocolate Tour Day 8
Farewell breakfast and early morning departure home.
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Cotton Tree Lodge
Visit a local organic cacao farm. Learn about the cacao fruit and pick the pods that you will process into chocolate. Lunch and a traditional Mayan chocolate-making workshop at the Farmer’s home are included.
Enjoy a special Valentine's Day dinner upon your return to the Lodge.
Belize Chocolate Tour Day 3
Cotton Tree Lodge
Cacao Farming Tour
Visit the Punta Gorda Farmers Market where cacao is sold. Meet with members of the Toledo Cacao Growers Association and learn about Fair Trade and the politics and economics of chocolate. Enjoy a workshop on roasting, milling, winnowing, grinding and conching!
Optional afternoon excursion to Rio Blanco Waterfalls, or enjoy a medicinal plant walk at the Lodge.
Belize Chocolate Tour Day 4
Cotton Tree Lodge
Free Day for Activities
Free day to spend any way you wish. Choose among the Lodge’s regularly scheduled tours or enjoy free time on the grounds to go swimming, hiking, horseback riding, biking, or kayaking. Scuba and snorkeling tours are also available.
Belize Chocolate Tour Day 5
Cotton Tree Lodge
Volunteer Day with SHI.
Sustainable Harvest International is a non-profit organization dedicated to providing farming families in Central America with the training and tools to overcome poverty while restoring our planet’s tropical forests. They oversee programs in Panama, Honduras, Nicaragua, and right here in the Toledo District of Belize.
You are invited to join SHI for a day long service project, which may include building a fuel-efficient wood burning stove, reforesting land, or planting an organic school garden. Working side-by-side with SHI families and staff, you will have the opportunity to learn first-hand about the cultures and communities you are assisting. You will also gain a deeper understanding of SHI’s environmental and social efforts within Belize and across Central America. Your day of volunteering includes a traditional Belizean lunch prepared and served by an SHI family in their home.
