New eco-park popular with locals, cruise tourists

School’s nearly out for the Easter holidays, the weather is perfect and thousands of Belizean families will be looking for places to have some good clean fun. This morning I discovered one such destination … virtually in my own backyard.

Jacqueline Woods, Reporting
It is one of the largest swimming pools in Belize and is only one of the exciting features at this newly opened recreation area. BACAB Eco-Park is situated less than a half hour?s drive from Belize City at mile thirteen on the Northern highway. The park sits on thirty-six acres of land along the Belize River and is part of a resurgence of investment in the Belize District spurred by the cruise trade.

Bonnie Rodriguez, Chief Manager, Bar/Dining Room
?Yes, it was targeted for cruise ships, but we all talked about it and everything and we came all came to the agreement that is should cater to both, our locals and the cruise ship for anyone. Anyone who would like to come in and enjoy the eco-park, enjoy horseback riding, swimming, just a day out to relax.?

The environmentally friendly destination took two years to build and has been opened for only seven weeks. Although it has not been advertised, word of mouth has brought hundreds of locals as well as visitors from abroad.

Sydney Peyrefitte Jr., Manager, Tour Operations
?We kinda like wanted something that Belizeans needed something to do on the weekends. As you know like myself, well I?m in the tour industry a very long time and there is nothing close to Belize City with the exception of course of Old Belize just opened, and other than that we have nowhere that you can really have this environment.?

Today we found forty-nine students and staff of Belize Elementary School who were getting an early jump on the Easter holiday.

Jacqueline Woods
?Who can tell me what they liked about the water??

Student
?It?s very fun and you get to swim, and dive and you get to do a lot of cool stuff.?

Jacqueline Woods
?What about the slide, who likes the slide??

Students
?It?s very fast, I was scared at first, and I closed my eye while I was going through the tunnel, then the next thing I knew I was floating in the water.?

?It?s very slippery and you just go very very fast.?
?When I was on the slide I was like very, really like scared right. And then I went down and I was going too fast and then my breath, like I couldn?t breathe.?

Jacqueline Woods
?But it?s shallow water though right??

Students
?Yeah, it isn?t deep, it?s shallow.?

?The slide is very fun, but when I first came to BACAB I found it interesting, but I thought the slide was gonna be a little bit rocky, but when I went down I had so much fun.?

Kendra Rosado, Parent
?We all need somewhere to take the kids on the weekend and like I said it?s near, it?s quick. … They have the small pool which is good for smaller kids who can?t swim and like that and the bigger pool is graduated, so it doesn?t plunge deep immediately. And the slide behind us, when the kids come down the slide it?s not very deep, so when the come out most of them can stand.?

?It?s nice, it?s near Belize City, it?s nice, it has the pool, it has horses, it has canoes, it has so many things that the kids can do.?

Jacqueline Woods
?How?s the water? Is the water cold??

Students
?No, it?s not cold.?

?It?s a perfect temperature especially on hot days.?

Jacqueline Woods
?So who is planning on coming back??

Students
?ME!?

BACAB Eco Park offers other fun activities for both adults and children, like kayaking, horseback riding, nature walks, biking, and a butterfly house. The facility is open seven days a week.

Bonnie Rodriguez
?We have everything available here. We have self drinks, we have your local rums and beers, we have exotic drinks, we have a restaurant that has local rice and beans, we have nachos, burgers, we have basically everything that?s needed.?

According to one of the park?s tour managers, Sydney Peyrefitte Jr., it?s an affordable adventure that will keep on improving.

Sydney Peyrefitte Jr., Manger, Tour Operations
?We are trying to just better the park, doing the fine tuning and getting everything working, so that mainly Belizeans as well as foreigners can enjoy the park. Right now, mainly on the weekends we cater for Belizeans, we have the Belizean rates that?s ten dollars Belize to enter the park and that includes these facilities here we have the pool, the chairs, hammocks, we got a bar and restaurant.?

Over the four day Easter holiday Belizeans can enter the Bacab Eco Park for ten dollars per person.