Birds Eye View Lodge

My husband and I started out our trip to Belize at the Bird’s Eye View Lodge and we are so glad we did! The location is incredible for bird watching and the staff were friendly and took wonderful care of us. We were able to book a shuttle through them to pick us up at the airport and they took us to the water taxi in Belize City at the end of our time with them. This allowed us to not have to rent a car, which was great. The Lodge has breakfast, lunch, and dinner available for purchase, which we recommend as Crooked Tree village doesn’t have many other dining options. Dinner was our favorite as we got to enjoy fish from the nearby lake and a beef stew with rice and beans. The highlight of our time in Crooked Tree (and one of top experiences in Belize overall) was taking the early morning boat ride with Leonard. We got to see more than 75 different species of birds, including the rare Agami Heron and a pair of Sungrebes. Leonard is a friendly and knowledgeable guide and went above and beyond to make sure we got to see all the area had to offer. If we ever have the chance to return to Belize, we will definitely stay at Bird’s Eye View Lodge again!

This place was a lifetime wait, but I finally made it. What an awesome venue! I stayed in a cabana, which was wonderful in every way. The food was served buffet style, and was really good! I rode the boat trip to look at morning birds, and although it was windy and the water was high, we still saw an incredible number of species, including the rarely seen yellow breasted crake. I was told that most years, the water is much lower, and there are thousands of birds feeding on the mud flats. My guide took me around the area, and we added more bird species to the trip. This venue is made for birders. It is not the sort of place an ordinary traveler or vacationer would enjoy.

We stayed here for 2 nights as part of a week's birding tour in Belize. The lodge occupies a great location, right by the lake with plenty of birding opportunities around. Birds seen close to the lodge included: Pauraque, Rufous-tailed Hummingbird, Wilson's Snipe, Black-headed Trogon, Prothonotary Warbler, and from the boat - Yellow-breasted & Ruddy Crakes. There's a nice little bar operating an honesty system, with a good selection of beers, some wines and also cocktails. Water, coffee & tea are provided free of charge. The food was wholesome and tasty - the beans, Fry Jack and pineapple juice were particularly good - although the choice for vegetarians could be a bit limited. Our room provided all we needed, with comfortable beds, air con, fan & a small safe. The shower temperature and flow was good but it squirted water into the bathroom from a small leak (covering it with a cloth resolved it). A strong smell of moth balls was rather unpleasant. The staff were friendly and welcoming and the WiFi was fine. We enjoyed our stay here.

Famous eco-lodge on a lagoon. This is a somewhat aged property, with cozy but often peculiar rooms (beds are constructed out of immovable concrete and tile). Air conditioning works pretty well. Naturalists working out of Birds Eye provide outings all over northern Belize. We took advantage of this with a dawn boat tour (wonderful!), and bird-watching outings to Lamanai and La Milpa (the latter is a restricted area not open to the general public) as well as drives to the "Community Baboon Preserve" (actually Howler Monkey). Our naturalist, Michael Gillett, was terrific. He spent the entire week with us, and did transfers at the beginning and end of our stay. Birds Eye View has buffet meal service for Breakfast, Lunch, and Dinner, with enough variety to suit most tastes. Each room is assigned a table, and you can arrange to sit with other people in your group. Various items are available very early in the morning for take-along on outings (we had baloney, cheese, and white bread sandwiches for breakfast one day). The kitchen staff is incredible. Kayaks and canoes are available for guest use. The pool was being maintained (and unavailable) during our stay. Crooked Tree Village has a smattering of very informal restaurants, a "Chinese" grocery store, a new supermarket, and a small handful of other lodgings (see my review for Beck's B&B). Roads are dirt, farm animals greet you from peoples' yards, but everyone is incredibly warm and friendly.

My wife and I loved this place. It is right on the lagoon and we saw many birds from the balcony. The boat tour was awesome and we got a number of lifebirds. The food was excellent and the staff was very helpful. Our room was clean and comfortable. Would definitely go again.

An excellent spot for Lagoon boating, with morning and evening boat trips available. The Lodge is well set for tired travelers; offers comfortable rooms and excellent food, served cafeteria-style. The staff are helpful and friendly. Can't beat the setting for easy lagoon access.

Staff very accommodating. Our room facing lagoon second floor was spacious with unparalleled views, good AC, clean and quiet. Leonard knows all about the history of Belize, the geography, and yes the birds. He pointed out several life birds for us by sound right on the property. We found 100 species within the village in 3 days. That’s without a boat ride (our target birds left the lagoon due to flooding). This place is easy to do self drive, hour from the airport. Merlin, eBird, and Birds Eye staff can find you muy birds! We’ll come back for the Jabiru during drier times.

Bird's Eye View Lodge lives up to absolutely any hype you've read about the place. Every morning you wake up to stunning views across the river--you could truly spend all day just watching birds and other creatures flying and swimming up and down river and be entertained. The facilities are very clean, the staff are exceptionally friendly, the meals are hearty and tasty, and the internet is fast and reliable (I was able to regularly take Zoom work calls without issue). As a birder, there's so many places to explore--touring on the river is a must, but just walking around the lodge and nearby farm can net you dozens of species. The nearby pine savanna ecosystem is also absolutely necessary to visit. At $60 for a single room (during low season), this genuinely has to be one of the highest-value places I've ever stayed.

Really helpful staff deeply connected to their historic town with the premium property of the area. Premium spot for bird watching and the lodge has a number of great guides. Lenny is fantastic on the boat tours and also took us to the Pine/Oak Savanna nearby. Our boat trip produced Jabiru, Boat-billed and Agami Herons, Ruddy Crake, Crane Hawk, White-necked Puffbird, Morelet's Crocodile and much, much more. The food was fantastic, fresh, and local. The A/C in the rooms were a welcome plus. We used the lodge's canoes and bikes to explore the area. The consistent strong afternoon breezes across the lagoon made the hammocks delightful at the water's edge. We loved our 4 days here.