"Belize City, Belize" Belize City by PrincessK

Belize City is located in the heart of the country. From there you will be able to make your connection to everywhere else you want to go; from taking a bus to go north and visiting the Community Baboon Sanctuary, Crooked Tree Wildlife Sanctuary and other attractions to catching a boat to the Cayes to taking a bus to visit relaxing Placencia, the adventurous Cockscomb Basin, the only Jaguar Reserve in the world to the mysterious archaeological sites such as Caracol and Xunantunich and the interesting Mountain Pine Ridge area.

Little Village

The Belize Tourism Village is located on the Belize River mouth, about 15 minutes away from cruise ship anchorage. Specifically designed to cater to cruise lines, the Village has courtyards and terminals offering bathroom facilities, restaurants, snack bars, entertainment (on cruise ship days), access to land and marine tours as well as a variety of local souvenirs, jewelry and clothing.

Xunantunich

Overlooking the Mopan River, the ruins of Xunantunich are located approximately eight miles west of San Ignacio Town at San Jose Succotz Village in the Cayo District. The ruins are accessible by public transportation, but after being ferried across the Mopan River, you must walk about one mile to the entrance of the site. By using a travel and tour operator, you will be ferried across with their vehicle, thus eliminating the walk.

Xunantunich was a major ceremonial center during the Classic Period. The site is composed of six major plazas, surrounded by more than twenty-five temples and palaces. The most prominent structure located at the south end of the site is the pyramid "El Castillo"(The Castle) which rises 130 feet high above the plaza. " El Castillo" was the tallest man-made structure in all of Belize, until the discovery of "Canaa" at Caracol. The most notable feature on "El Castillo" is the reconstructed frieze on the east side of the lower temple.

Currently, additional explorations and excavations are being performed by Dr. Richard Leventhal and the Department of Archaeology, in an effort to better understand the history of Xunantunich.

• Pros:Very interesting little city
• Cons:took a long time to get to Xunantunich, cant drink the water, and there are massive amounts of bugs trying to bite you everywhere
• In a nutshell:I'm glad I got to visit Belize