When it comes to the best places to visit in western Belize, San Ignacio Town has everyone else beat. For a good idea of why, consider this example of what a three-day vacation in the area can offer the curious and adventurous traveler.
The easiest way to focus on one area is to look at what that area has worth visiting. To that end, here is a sample schedule with one notable locale to visit each day.
Day 1 - Tour of the ATM Cave
The featured location of this day would be a tour of ATM Cave, more formally known as Actun Tunichil Muknal Cave or "The Cave of the Crystal Sepulchre." This subterranean locale gets its name from the crystallized fossils of a 17-year-old boy, often marketed as "The Crystal Maiden," who may have been intended as a ritual sacrifice for the Maya. The area also features several pieces of marked pottery that were also likely used for ritual and ceremony. and most of them have become bound to the cave floor through calcification.
Day 2 - Tour of Tikal in Guatemala
The featured location for this day would be visiting the neighboring country of Guatemala. While Belize is certainly known for its strong connection to the Maya people, Guatemala also has some importance to them as it is where Tikal, once known as Yax Mutal and one of the most sprawling Maya cities, is located. Tikal is the most well-researched and also the oldest Maya settlement on the planet.
Day 3 - Tour of Xunantunich and Cahal Pech Maya Ruins + A Belize Chocolate Tour
This laid-back day fits two Maya sites into your activities, first a trip to the ruins of the Mayan civic center Xunantunich and then a trip to Cahal Pech, one of the oldest Maya settlements in western Belize. Xunantunich features a spot known as El Castillo, regarded as the second-tallest structure in the country, with the ruins at Caracol being the only taller place. Cahal Pech Maya Ruins are notable among the various Maya ruins of Belize in that the oldest pottery within the country was discovered there and dates as far back as 1,200 BCE.
While this tour packs plenty of Maya culture into your Belize experience, it culminates at the Ajaw Maya Chocolate Tour where a tour of the facility shows how the ancient Maya would collect seeds from the local cacao tree and turn them into delicious chocolate by grinding them into a paste with Maya stones. Cacao was extremely important to the Maya; it was used as a drink, a bartering tool, and its beans were even used as a means of paying laborers for work.
While this probably sounds amazing, you will still need a local venue to use as a base camp. To that end, consider booking your stay with Cahal Pech Village Resort. Not only is it an amazing place to stay within western Belize with plenty of wonderful accommodations, but its onsite tour company, Cahal Pech Tours, also offers tours to each of the locations mentioned in this activity guide: Actun Tunichil Muknal Cave, Tikal, Xunantunich, Cahal Pech and the Ajaw Maya Chocolate Tour.
Questions about visiting Belize? Contact us at info@cahalpech.com. We’d love to help you plan your Belize vacation.
