Cayo District Things to Do

Xunantunich was one of my favourite Mayan ruins in Belize. Unlike most of the other ruins I was able to investigate this large ruin on my own, so I could climb up and down the large pyramids and tombs at my leisure. The site was historically was not as important as those as Tikal and Caracol. In fact it was probably a junior partner to the later...

One of our two prime objectives of staying in the San Ignacio area was to explore a Mayan cave. The particular one that we wanted to see was Actun Tunichil Muknal (known as ATM or 'Cave of the Crystal Maiden') because of the skeletal remains of Mayan human sacrifices still there as they have been for the last 1100 years. Accordingly, the evening of...

At Clarissa Falls, Mark will arrange the entire trip to Tikal--just tell him when you want to go---its about $100 per person. He drove us to the border, walked us over, and introduced us to the driver. The driver was really nice---a/c shuttle van, a HUGE PLUS! The ride is about 2 hours over, we stopped at a great souvenier stand to shop/use...

This is believed to be the highest waterfall in Central America and is actually over 1,500 ft to the bottom. A viewing platform overlooks the falls. There is a short scenic trail around the escarpment for taking in the valley view. We drove up and had lunch up there. The road is unpaved.

All of our tours in the San Ignacio area originated from Belize CIty. Prior to going to Belize I contacted pacztours and scheduled a trip to ATM for me and my family. Pacztours picked us up in Belize City and drove us back and forth to ATM. It was an incredibly wonderful tour, full of history and fun. We had such a great time with Danny our tour...

We have been to bigger and more inclusive types of butterfly places - in Costa Rica and in Key West. But this one does like the Belize zoo, and concentrates on Belize butterflies and plants. It made a nice place to go after we had our tire puncture fixed and visited Cahal Peche. Admission was BZ$10 each. It is open 9-5. First we had lunch at the...

I enjoyed Cahal Pech much more than I thought I would. It doesn't have the large, impressive looking structures like Xunantunich or Caracol, but it had several smaller structures and lots of hallways and nooks and crannies to explore. If you like to wander around and explore, make sure to visit Cahal Pech. They said it Plus, it's on a main road in...

St. Herman's cave is part of the Blue Hole National Park. It is located 400 meters from the Hummingbird Highway. We elected not to walk from the Blue Hole. It is a large sinkhole, 60 meters wide, funneling to a 20 meter entrance to the cave. Concrete steps, constructed over the steps made by the Maya who used the cave during the Classic Period (0-...

This cave is one of the highlights of the Blue Hole National Park. You can venture a good 1/4 mile into the cave on a clearly marked path. A small admission fee is charged at the entrance, and don't forget to rent a flashlight as well. The park is maintained by the Belize Audubon Society. It contains over 250 species of birds and other animals....

At the second entrance to the park (the first one leading to St. Herman's Cave) you find a stairway that will take you to the actual "blue hole". It's a pool, about 30 feet in diameter (9 meters). Most of the pool is very shallow, except for the collapsed sinkhole which causes the blue color. The hole is estimated to be 100 feet deep but the locals...

St. Herman's Cave is just a 10 minute walk from the visitor center at Blue Hole National park. But be SURE to wear mosquito repellent, as the walk is in the jungle, and there were lots of mosquitos! Also, be sure and take a strong flashlight if you want to go very far in to the cave. We went a ways in to the cave, but turned back when our...

The Blue Hole was a refreshing little spot in the National Park. It was nice to take a dip after we had ventured in to St. Herman's Cave. Be sure to wear your mosquito spray! =)

Rio on Pools was SOOO wonderful and refreshing! It is a place you MUST stop on your way back from Caracol to the main road. The road is every so dusty and bumpy and takes about 3 hours, but if you stop at Rio On Pools, it will give you a nice break about halfway along that 3-hour trip! There is a little walk from the road to the pools, but it is...

Check out the enormous green iguanas along the Belize River. There is a small village next to the bridge to Xunantunich where a pair like to hang out and get free hand outs from the locals and tourist. They are vegetarian and are completely harmless. They let you get fairly close to photograhp but will run for the river and jump in if you get to...

The Blue Hole National Park, protected under the National Parks System Act of 1981, was established in December 1986.Adjacent to a parking area, steps lead to the pool that gives the park its name (not to be confused with the other Blue Hole on Lighthouse Reef. There were no changing facilities when I was there - I had to change in the bathroom....

Caracol was a bit difficult to get to, due to the bumpy, non-paved road, but it was definitely worth the trip! It is the largest Mayan ruin... and was first occupied in 1200 B.C.The entrance fee is $10 and it is opened 7 days a week. There is a small museum at the entrance.I especially enjoyed the fact there there were lots of little rooms here and...

When we came to the inland blue hole I could see little fish swiming around in it so I stuck my waterproof camera in the water and snapped a picture, I got these great images of the fish swiming around in the cenote.

Cahal Peche is a small Mayan site right in San Ignacio at the top of a hill. It has 34 buildings on a bit over 2 acres. It is unusual in that it has the finish on the masonry which would have been there when the site was in use, and the brickwork is not all exposed.The name derives from words meaning "Place of Ticks" because the area had been used...

There is a small butterfly farm called Tropical Wings Nature Center and Butterfly House on the road out of San Ignacio. The butterfly enclosure was very much like the one in Costa Rica that we visited, although smaller. After we visited the butterflies we walked around on the nature center paths looking for hummingbirds (which were probably hiding...

On the Hummingbird highway, about halfway from Belmopan to Dangriga, is the Blue Hole National Park, containing the Blue Hole and St. Hermans Cave. The Blue Hole is a sink hole where an underground river briefly surfaces to show blue, fish filled waters surounded by the jungle. The water is cool and fresh though it looked more green than blue when...

Rio Frio Cave is the largest cave in Belize. The mouth is so large that you can go in quite far and still see with natural light. When the water is high enough, you can travel on the river through this cave.

The Rio On Pools are a popular spot for swimming. There are dozens of natural rock pools and formed by the cascading water flowing over the granite boulders.

Also known as "Hidden Valley Falls", this site is one of the more popular attractions of Mountain Pine Ridge. The falls are actually around 1,600 feet down.

The stream that flowed from the waterfall emptied into a deep cave. When Mick finishes building his resort, you will be able to repel down into it but for now we just checked it out from above.

We hiked the stream from the waterfall. Sometimes we could walk along it, sometimes we had to get in the water, which was very refreshing.

This is believed to be the highest waterfall in Central America and is actually over 1,500 ft to the bottom. A viewing platform overlooks the falls. There is a short scenic trail around the escarpment for taking in the valley view. We drove up and had lunch up there. The road is unpaved.