Courtesy Madigan Pratt & Associates, Inc.

There are getaways, nice little trips to tropical destinations, and then there are ESCAPES, full-on retreats to completely secluded and exotic “fall off the face of the earth” hideaways. If you’re interested in the latter, then the Kanantik Reef & Jungle Resort in Belize should be on your short list of places to check out.

Located along 1,300 feet of private beach on Belize’s Caribbean coast, Kanantik is a vacation dream come true for nature lovers, adventure seekers, or just about anyone who wants to really get away from it all.

courtesy Madigan Pratt & Associates, Inc.

I mean, you talk about remote, just check out the aerial photo at left. THERE IS NOTHING ELSE AROUND! Just jungle, sea and Kanantik – this place is seclusion personified.

Accommodations at Kanantik consist of 25 custom-built thatched-roof cabanas, like the ones pictured above. Each cabana, and every other structure at Kanantik, was built by hand in line with the owner’s commitment to leave as little impact on the jungle as possible. Amazingly, no heavy equipment was used in the property’s construction. The result is a true jungle resort where it’s not unusual to encounter jaguars (Kanantik is just four miles from the world’s first jaguar preserve, a 150,000 acre national park), crocodiles, large iguanas and rare birds in and around the property.

Make no mistake, though, you won’t exactly be roughing it at Kanantik. The cabanas are all air-conditioned and equipped with phones, though I can’t imagine they are ever used. Wi-fi is also available and the Belizean cuisine draws raves from past guests.

Still, to me, the real appeal of this place is its seclusion. Kanantik is so out in the boonies, in fact, that it even has its own airstrip to facilitate guest transfers via a 20-minute private charter from the Belize City airport. Oh, you could opt to drive, but the trip from civilization to Kanantik takes more than two hours over less than ideal roads by car; not the way to start a relaxing escape.

So, what’s this about free flights to this jungle haven? Well, between now and Labor Day (Sept. 6), if you stay five nights or more at Kanantik, your 20-minute private charter from Belize City is free. That’s a value of $380 per couple.

You can make this good deal even better by choosing Kanantik’s five-night Adventure Vacation Package, which includes meals and a range of land, sea and undersea (scuba diving) activities for just $3,445 per couple. All-inclusive packages are also available including a la carte dining, unlimited local beer and rum cocktails and all guided tours – river canoeing, tours of Mayan ruins, snorkeling and scuba diving – for $407 daily per-person.

For more information on Kanantik, visit the resort’s website by clicking here. For reservations, call toll-free 1-877-759-8834.

* The information in this story was accurate at the time of publishing. All rates and specials are subject to change at the travel provider’s discretion.