Cradled in a Picturesque Valley Between the
Macal and Mopan Rivers ....
San
Ignacio and sister-town, Santa Elena make
up Belize's second largest urban area. The two towns are separated by the Macal River and Belize's only suspension
bridge, the one-lane Hawksworth Bridge (Built in 1949).
Together the towns have a combined population
of about 20,000 including: Creole, Mestizo (Spanish-Maya),
Lebanese, Chinese, Mennonite, Maya and other cultures.
Known
locally as "Cayo", San Ignacio
is located along the Western Highway about 70 miles west and
90 minutes drive time from Belize City and 9 miles east of the Guatemalan border. Teeming with archaeologists, peace corps
workers, North American retirees and thrill seekers,
"Cayo" is a unique blend of America's Old West and tropical
backwater with frontier-like wooden shops on narrow streets.
Burns Avenue is "Main Street" and
a good place to begin a tour of the town. Most days it's
a
busy thoroughfare
with lots of people walking in the streets. Burns Avenue
and the adjacent streets are packed with shops, hotels and
places
to eat where hospitable townspeople mingle in
restaurants, bars and wooden shops
with colonial era architecture of days gone by.
Both English and Spanish are spoken, plus a myriad
of other languages.
San Ignacio Town Photo
Things to Do ....
Excursions around San Ignacio include a short trip
to nearby Cahal Pech,a
Maya archeological site. It's a quick cab ride or a 20-minute
uphill
walk from town.
Macal River canoeing is very popular. Stopovers include a Blue Morpho butterfly-rearing facility, "medicine trail" and the Belize Botanic Gardens, next to duPlooy's Jungle Lodge.
The Iguana
Conservation Project and baby iguanas
are located at
the San Ignacio Resort Hotel.
Walk or Jog 1.5 miles along scenic Branch Mouth Road to the
"Hammock Bridge" where the Macal and Mopan rivers
join up. From the shaded river bank, you can watch for wild
parrots along with lazing iguanas and enjoy a swim in the
heat of the day.
Venture to the Mountain Pine Ridge on the way
to Caracol, or travel to Succotz Village
and the equally impressive Maya site of Xunantunich.Another mile gets you to Benque Viejo and Hydro-dam Road
where the journey continues on to Chechem
Hah, a cave filled with Mayan artifacts. From Benque
Viejo, it's one mile to the Guatemalan border.
Bullet Tree, 3 miles northwest of San Ignacio, is where
the road to El Pilar, another
archeological site, begins.
Saturday is the Busiest Market Day
Here you will find vendors from the small towns
and villagers selling their wares and locally-grown fruits
and
vegetables. You can get good buys on bananas, papaya, pineapples,
oranges, mangos, coconuts, avocados and other tropical produce.
Cash advances,
internet, real estate, travel,
and auto rentals are some of the business
services available in San Ignacio.
San Ignacio Town video
Sponsored by duPlooy's Jungle Lodge ....
Create Your Own
San Ignacio - CAYO Vacation Package
Mailing Address
P. O Box 180 - Cayo District, Belize - CA
Email
Phone
International Calls to Belize -
Dial - 011 (501) 824-3101
8am-6pm Central Standard Time
From the USA Dial (512) 243-5285
9am-5pm Central Standard Time
Select the accommodations and activities of your choice from the list below and let us how many nights you would like to stay in CAYO and one of our Reservation Specialists will price your personal itinerary for you.
Rainforest,
Ruins & Reef Belize's proximity to Reef & Rain Forest is what makes Belize so unique, and no vacation to Belize is complete without visiting them both ...
Excursions around San Ignacio include a short trip
to nearby 
Venture to the 
