Take a free day to choose from a long list of optional activities from San Ignacio. Opt to visit the sacred Mayan caves of Actun Tunichil Muknal, check out Barton Creek Cave, Mountain Pine Ridge Reserve, or the visit the ancient ruins of Caracol or Xunantunich.
Accommodation:
Midas Resort
Included Experiences
- Free Time: Don't waste a minute—get exploring.
Optional Experiences
- Actun Tunichil Muknal Cave Visit: The Actun Tunichil Muknal cave has only been open to the public since 1998. Take advantage of this rare opportunity to see up to 1400 artifacts, including pottery, tools and vessels used by the Maya for a thousand years. Hike 45 minutes to the cave entrance, wade/swim through deep pools, past calcite formations, to explore this damp, dark place of ritual and sacrifice. With a helmet and headlamp, see the skeleton of the “Crystal Maiden,” a young girl whose bones have calcified over the past 1,100 years, making them appear to sparkle.
- Xunantunich Visit: Hike to the top of this impressive 9th-century Maya centre, set high on a natural limestone ridge, and admire the view of the Mopan River, Cayo District and neighbouring Guatemalan countryside. The tallest temple, El Castillo, is partially excavated and explored and there’s a unique stucco frieze on the east side of the structure. Discover why Xunantunich is Belize’s most visited site with intricately carved stellae, 25 temples, and well-preserved palaces.
- Barton Creek Cave Canoeing: Strap on a headlamp, step in the canoe and paddle along an ancient Mayan waterway inside the Barton Creek Cave. Bring your camera to take memorable photos of cathedral rock chambers, stalactites and stalagmites. Upon return, opt to swim at Big Rock Falls.
- Horseback Riding: Choose from one of the 45 horses at Hannah's Stables and ride over farm trails and forested paths, all the way along the river to the Mayan site of Xunantunich. Enjoy a short guided tour of the site before taking a different trail back to the stables. Watch for native birds, including toucans and parrots, listen for howler monkeys, admire orchids and fruit trees and breathe in the fresh air of the Belize countryside.
- Caracol Ruins Tour: Set within the Chiquibul Forest Reserve, prepare to be wowed by Caracol. It’s the largest known Maya site in Belize and was once home to an estimated 180,000 people. The site was discovered in the 1920's by a logger looking for mahogany. One of its pyramids, Canaa or “Sky Place”, built in 800 AD and standing 43m (143 ft), continues to be the tallest man-made structure in the country. Bring your walking shoes, water and a sunhat because there’s lots to see here. Tombs, temples, altars, carved stelae and other stone monuments – it’s well worth the effort and easy to be impressed.
- Cave Tubing: Hike through the lush subtropical forest to the entrances of remarkable limestone caves within the mountains. Jump into crystal blue waters, tube down stream, enjoy a cool swim in refreshing therapeutic cave waters in a natural pool formed between two cave entrances, float through some rapids, view sparkling cave formations and learn of cave geology and Maya history during the tour.