"San Ignacio - Temples, Caves & Tubing" Top 5 Page for this destination San Ignacio by Bwana_Brown

San Ignacio Travel Guide: 173 reviews and 419 photos

View from the Xunantunich Mayan temple - San Ignacio

After almost 2 weeks in Belize, our final area to explore was on the country's western border with Guatemala. There is such an abundance of things to do here, that I booked a full week of accommodations at a fantastic backpacker hotel called the Trek Stop, located between San Iganacio and the border. Just staying there was an experience in itself!!

However, we also busied ourselves with a flurry of activities before we had to head back to Canada. First up was the small but beautiful Mayan site of Xunantunich, located only a half-hour walk from our doorstep. This was followed by something that neither of us had done before - just the two of us tubing over a series of rapids along a jungle river for hours. It just kept getting better, all the next day was spent exploring a Mayan sacrificial cave that required us to swim into its entrance and then walk and wriggle our way deep underground to view the 1100 year old skeletal remains of sacrificial offerings to the gods.

After a day of exploring San Ignacio itself, we then struck off to Tikal National Park in Guatemala on a completely ad lib trip with no pre-arranged transportation or accommodations. Viewing the sunset from atop a temple at this most famous of all Mayan sites was fantastic! All in all, a very memorable way to finish off our explorations of Belize and nearby attractions! The map in my 'General' tip points out where the major activities were located.

Pros and Cons

Pros:Friendly, safe and lots to do
In a nutshell:A great place from which to explore in every direction!

Last visit to San Ignacio: Feb 2006
Intro Updated May 22, 2006
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Reviews (28)

Our 'Red' activities around San Ignacio - San Ignacio

Map of our San Ignacio Area Adventures Favorites (1)

This map shows Crooked Tree, the inland island birdwatching sanctuary, in the top right corner. It was from there that... more travel advice

Mopan River view as it leaves San Jose Succotz - San Ignacio

Floating off into the Jungle Things to Do (13)

It was then into the water as we began our 'jungle cruise' adventure! We wore T-shirts with our bathing suits to protect... more travel advice

Side view of Temple III and Ceiba tree tops - San Ignacio

Mayan Sunset Things to Do (13)

We succeeded in our objective of having a 'sunset' experience while at Tikal National Park. After first scouting out... more travel advice

View of Temple I (the Great Jaguar) from Temple II - San Ignacio

Temples of Tikal Things to Do (13)

In addition to exploring a Mayan cave, the other main objective of our stay on the western border of Belize was to work... more travel advice

Local Customs (2)
See All Along for the Ride
Shopping (2)
See All A Bustling Market
Transportation (4)
See All A Hand-cranked Ferry

Restaurants (3)
See All A Downtown Gem
Hotels (3)
See All The 'Common Area'
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Comments (22)

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Jim_Eliason Jul 24, 2012 at 8:53 PM

Nice tips!
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toonsarah Oct 11, 2010 at 11:27 AM

Carrying on with my pre-holiday reading! The Trek Stop sounds excellent (but we already have accom booked). Will definitely check out the ruins and hope to go tubing too, but the caving sadly would be too much for my still not fully-recovered foot :-(
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HORSCHECK Apr 19, 2010 at 11:17 AM

Glenn, fantastic page with gorgeous photos of Belize. Especially the Trek Stop looks like a very good find. I also like accomodations which offer the chance to get in contact with other travellers.
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roamer61 Mar 23, 2010 at 5:52 AM

Nice pages. Looking forward to my trip in about a month.
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icunme Nov 9, 2009 at 1:52 AM

Well, now I will have to see all of your Belize pages. Fascinating here - from the crystal lady to the ferries. Ciao <(•¿•)>
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richiecdisc May 27, 2009 at 3:49 AM

Just checking, but I did see this before. I remember it had Frisbee Golf! Now, that's a find.
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mircaskirca Mar 22, 2008 at 9:19 AM

Your visit of Cayo seems quite an adventure!! Visiting ATM cave must be a great experience and the Trek Stop a fantastic place to stay! It brought back some funny memories.. Haha, imagine having a guide who drives you on his bike while showing the city :)
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scottishvisitor Aug 3, 2007 at 7:22 AM

You really did have big adventures here - I would love the river tubing & caves but could never climb all those steps - phew - but great to read about
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JLBG Apr 24, 2007 at 1:39 PM

The Eastern frieze look colossal! You look almost like an ant (oops, sorry!). This 'jungle cruise' adventure! Looks very exciting! Your cave trip looks also very exciting! Great page!
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AnitaJRT Jan 27, 2007 at 7:11 PM

Great page -- I believe our favorite adventure (equal to Tikal) was the caving adventure that you describe here. We loved San Ignacio. Whenever, where ever we travel, we always check your pages!