This once barren farmland along the Cayo District's Macal River has been rejuvenated, translated back to its tropical splendor. It sits in a rich rainforest area, near noted Mayan ruins and mysterious underground rivers. The adjacent Botanical Gardens offer forty-five acres of indigenous palm, orchids, and other Belizean flora. A wooden walkway set 200 feet above the river takes guests directly into the rainforest canopy. Among all this is a collection of naturally designed guesthouses set into the lush jungle.

One draw of DuPlooy's is its unique accommodations, offering different styles for different tastes. Whether you bring a crowd of family or friends, or sipmly desire a private romantic getaway, duPlooy's comfortably accommodates everyone's journey plans.

The newest addition to the accomodations here, La Casita, is a two-story cottage with wrap-around porches upstairs and down, king-sized beds, a whirlpool bath upstairs, a big bathtub downstairs, coffee makers, and a refridgerator. As a plus to all of this, the views from the house are spectacular. This is romantic enough for your honeymoon and roomy enough for your whole family. And private entrances up and down make it desirable for friends or teenage children.

The bungalows are private cottages with king-sized beds, queen-sized sofa beds, a small refrigerator, coffee maker, and private porch with a hammock. These cottages have private bathrooms and some even offer the unique luxury of bathtubs right in the rainforest.

The Jungle Lodge consists of large rooms with two double beds, a private porch, and a large bathroom with a shower. (If you want a king-sized bed, ask for Room 2!)

The Pink House is a seven-bedroom, two-bath guesthouse, complete with a living room and screened-in porch. It is available for rent as a unit (for families or friends traveling together) or as individual rooms for budget travelers.

Overall, duPlooys offers a number of accomdations--and this variety allows for every type of traveller to be happy here.

Guided activities and tours are not included in duPlooy?s price, but can be easily be purchased for an additional cost. With so many options on the menu, you could spend weeks here and still not do it all! We reccomend some of the following during your stay at dePlooys.
- hiking trails
- horseback riding
- mountain biking
- canoeing/kayaking
- cave exploration
- ancient ruins exploration
- birdwatching
- wildlife viewing
- Belize Botanical Gardens
- tours to special interest points and cultural centers around the area

The sit-down meals are served in duPlooy?s quaint dining room. A few selections are offered for each meal, including salad, soup, and dessert, and a vegetarian option. Creative menu items feature local, homemade cuisine almost as inspiring as the scenery around you. Don't pass up the warm home-baked biscuits!

Ken and Judy duPlooy, with their five daughters in tow, came to Belize in 1988. When they found a small farm on the Macal River, they knew this would be their new home. They went to work reforesting the flora that had been cleared for the farm and building their lodge. Together, they managed to open just nine months later with six rooms and a dining room/bar overlooking the river. Final plans for the property have since been completed, with the building of a 200-foot canopy walkway extending from the deck and bar/restaurant all the way to the rooms, plus to several newer buildings. Their two oldest daughters are enmeshed in Belize as well: Patricia recently opened San Ignacio's first coffee shop; her husband, Mike, manages the Lodge and Heather helps her dad run the Botanical Gardens. The duPlooy family has truly compromised a comfrotable estblishment with a courtesy to the rainforest and land in mind.

- DuPlooy's does not have thatched roofs because the palm used to thatch was being depleted from local forests.
- DuPlooy?s Jungle Lodge does not serve beef because they believe that too much rainforest is destroyed providing pasture for cattle.
- Ken duPlooy instructed men with no more building skills than chopping bush with machetes in all phases of the lodge's construction. Several of them are still employed here 13 years later--they are responsible for all of the building and maintenance.
- The 45-acre Belize Botanical Gardens was founded by Ken and Judy in 1993; it became a registered NGO in 1997. So far, there are a several miles of trails, a small hardwood forest area, a Mayan area with a typical hut, plants known both historically and today as useful to the Mayan people, a pond featuring aquatic plants of Belize, a sustainable palm forest and tropical fruit projects for demonstration and economic purposes, and an orchid house featuring nearly 200 species of native Belizean Orchids.

--Proximity to nearest major city: DuPlooy?s is located about 10 miles from San Ignacio and 78 miles from Belize City.

-- How do I get there? You will fly into Belize City. From the airport you can rent a car, take a bus to San Ignacio and arrange transfer with the lodge, or arrange transfer with the lodge from the airport. Transfer from Belize City is included in package prices.

--Fixed departure dates? There are no fixed departure dates.