Located in the Cayo District, San Ignacio is Belize's top adventure destination. It's packed with adventure and easy access to rivers, waterfalls, caves and temples.
San Ignacio is a perfect home base for day trips to nearby attractions like the ATM Cave or Xunantunich. You can spend up a week here and still have a lot to do.
Having lived here for over a year, I'll share activities that are truly worth doing and some you didn't even know existed. I love this town and region so much. Let me show you.
In a rush? Here's what I recommend as a local 👌:
- 🤿 Walk & Eat At the San Ignacio Market
- 🚴 Explore all of Mountain Pine Ridge
- 🥘 Bite the bullet & do the ATM Cave Tour
Rent A Car For DIY Tours
If you're serious about exploring San Ignacio fully, I highly recommend getting a car for a few days. Tours can easily add up and with a car, you can explore so many attractions yourself like Rio on Pools, Rio Frio Cave, Big Rock Falls, Caracol, Xunantunich and much more. There are also loads of things to do in San Antonio Village like cooking classes and a coffee tour.
On your relaxing days, you can do the rest of activities within town. It's totally worth it in my opinion. Remember a single tour can start at $75 USD which is the same cost of the car rental for a day.
A Local Guide To San Ignacio
For most travelers, I recommend spending half your time in San Ignacio and half the time at Caye Caulker. San Ignacio is my favorite of the two because it has mountains and rivers.
I already recommended my favorite things to do in San Ignacio, but if you want to know my favorite thing, it's the people. Spend some time at the market or at the park and you'll quickly find out how calm, relaxed and friendly they are. Oh, and don't forget to try all my tasty food recommendations.
Go check out my main guide to find helpful local tips for San Ignacio, prices to expect, and even some sustainability recommendations. You can also find out how to get to San Ignacio.
With all that said, these are the things you can do in San Ignacio: 👇
Top Things To Do
ATM Cave Tour
- $125.00 USD
- 4-Hour Tour
- 1 Hour Away
- 8AM–5PM
For many visitors, the ATM Cave Tour is the #1 reason they come to Belize. The cave experience has gained so much popularity that it's bordering natural wonder of the world status.
At first, I thought this cave tour was overhyped but after finally doing it, I personally think it's unreal that a tour of this nature exits. Exploring sacrificial remains for 3 hours is not something you do every day.
Xunantunich Mayan Ruin
- $12.50 USD
- 30 Mins Away
- 8AM–4PM
Xunantunich is one of the many ancient Mayan Ruins in Belize. This one is special though. It includes a short ferry ride, a one-mile hike and a stunning view to the Guatemala border at the top of the highest temple.
AJAW Chocolate Tour
- $20.00 USD
- 1-Hour Tour
- Within Walking Distance
- 9AM–5PM
I'm not a big fan of tours honestly but being a huge fan of chocolate makes this experience a no-brainer. The short chocolate tour shows you how the Mayas created their traditional chocolate from the cacao super food.
Worth noting is that the tour is closed on Sundays. The first tour is also at 9:00AM and the last tour is at 4:00PM.
Mountain Pine Ridge Reserve
- Free
- 45 Mins Away
- 8AM–5PM
Mountain Pine Ridge is packed with attractions like Big Rock Waterfalls, Rio on Pools, Rio Frio Cave and 1000ft Falls. Caracol Archeological Reserve is also found in the region.
If you only want to visit one attraction in the area, I recommend going to Big Rock Falls. It's the closest attraction from San Ignacio Town and has a swimming area, waterfall and hiking trail. There are no public buses to the reserve as yet.
For faster travel, take the newly paved highway from Georgeville which is 20 mins east of San Ignacio. It is much faster than the dirt roads through Cristo Rey and San Antonio Village.
Stay At A Jungle Eco Lodge
Staying within town limits is convenient, but you might consider staying at a jungle eco lodge. The surrounding areas are sprinkled with rivers, waterfalls and incredible wildlife. I've personally spent three nights at a nearby farm in Red Creek where I saw foxes, birds and even a jaguarundi.
Free Things To Do
Swim At Bullet Tree Falls
- Free
- 10 Mins Away
- Always Open
Bullet Tree Falls is a small village with a river called the Mopan River running through it. There are a few lodges located along the river bank as well, but the village is inhabited by mostly locals.
Getting to the village only costs around $1.00 USD via shared taxi service. If you walk around the center of town, look for small cars sporting green license plates. Some of them have Bullet Tree labeled on them.
Visit San Ignacio Market
- Free
- Walkable Distance
- 6AM–6PM
San Ignacio Town happens to have one of the most vibrant and diverse markets in the entire country of Belize. On weekends, the market is busier than most days. It's filled with locals visiting from surrounding villages to restock on supplies, enjoy street food, and swim in the river.
Saturdays & Tuesdays are bigger market days with vendors selling produce, street food, and handcrafts.
Chill By The Macal River
- Free
- Walkable Distance
- Always Open
Easy access to the Macal River is located behind the San Ignacio Market. On weekends locals chill by the riverside and swim with their families. For a little more adventure, you can rent a canoe and float down the river.
Many jungle lodges found alongside the Macal River offer complimentary canoes and river tubes for their guests.
Belize Raptor Center
- Free
- 1.5-Hour Tour
- 15 Mins Away
- 8AM–4PM
Belize Raptor Center is a non-profit dedicated to educate and inspire conservation of raptors. The leaders of the project, Sarah & Rob are passionate about their work and doing an incredible job. This is not your typical zoo show where animals are captured poorly cared for.
It's a perfect place to take your kids for an educational tour. VIP tours are also available for those interested or you can leave a donation to the project.
People Watch At The Park
- Free
- Walkable Distance
- 8AM–5PM
If you're catching the bus to Xunantunich, you might end up at the Cayo Welcome Center. It's a small little park with food stalls. On weekends, you can see locals grabbing tea or coffee and hanging out at night. And on special occasions, there are small performances as well.
There is a tourist information center at the Welcome Center. During the day, you can get free copies of Belize maps here along with other information about the area.
Cheap Things To Do
Belize Botanic Gardens
- $15.00 USD
- 1.5-Hour Tour
- 30 Mins Away
- 7AM–4PM
If you're a fan of plants, Belize Botanic Gardens offers several miles of trails for visitors to explore. One of the unique attractions is the Maya Medicinal Trail where you can learn about the healing properties of medicinal plants.
There is a 14-minute ride to the location through gravel road at approximately 4 miles (6.6km). Optional guided tours available at $30.00 USD.
Green Hills Butterfly Ranch
- $20.00 USD
- 40-Mins Tour
- 30 Mins Away
- 9AM–4PM
This ranch hosts over 30 native species and is Belize's largest butterfly exhibit. Besides hosting butterflies, you can also find a recently created hummingbird area. Because of its proximity to Mountain Pine Ridge, it is known to host over 300 species of birds in the area too.
If you're planning on canoeing in Barton Creek Cave, this is the perfect pit stop and an excellent educational tour for kids and nature lovers.
Cahal Pech Mayan Ruin
- $5.00 USD
- Walkable Distance
- 8AM–5PM
Cahal Pech is kinda like Xunantunich's little brother – smaller and wilder in nature. After visiting a couple of times, I began to appreciate its intricacies. The site is like an jungle maze found smack in the middle of town. The site's neighbors are literally local homes with people going about their daily business.
Green Iguana Tour
- $11.25 USD
- 1-Hour Tour
- Walkable Distance
- 8AM–4PM
The Green Iguana Conservation Project is rated as the #1 tour in San Ignacio. But is it worth it? If you love iguanas, I think it is. There is the question of ethics in having animals caged up, but the iguanas are released after they are mature enough to be reintroduced into the wild.
Unique Things To Do
Jungle Pontoon Tour
- $120.00 USD
- 5-Hour Tour
- 1 Hour Away
- 8AM–5PM
While this might be a pricey tour, it's possibly the coolest thing you'll do in Belize. The full day tour takes you cruising down the river on custom-built pontoon boat. But this is no regular boat, it's equipped with an onboard barbecue grill, hammock and river tubes attached to it.
Besides the full day jungle pontoon tour, there are horseback riding tours that take exploring into the Forgotten City and a nearby cave called Che Chem Ha Cave. The waterfalls visited on this tour are most impressive during the rainy season so consider visiting then.
Eden Valley Mayan Kitchen
- $65.00 USD
- 2-Hour Tour
- 30 Mins Away
- 6AM–6PM
While cultural cooking classes aren't as popular in Belize yet, Eden Valley Mayan Kitchen is slowly changing that. The owner, Yesenia offers both private and group lessons to make traditional Mayan dishes including soups, tamales and chocolate drinks.
Tours are done by reservation only through their social media page linked below. Classes are normally available at 9AM in the morning and 1PM in the evening.
Upe Nai Living Maya Immersion
- $40.00 USD
- 3-Hour Tour
- 30 Mins Away
Also located in the beautiful village of San Antonio, Upe Nai offers Mayan cooking classes. Dishes you can learn include salbutes, tamales and tortillas. The corn used is manually grinded which makes from scratch is literally from the beginning.
And the best part is that the food is done on the fire heart which is the traditional wood stove method. On Sundays, the family offers lunch similar to a restaurant-style environment. Oh and ask about the birding & nature trail which pair perfectly with the cooking class.
Oxmul Coffee
- $25.00 USD
- 1-Hour Tour
- 30 Mins Away
Would you have ever imagined that coffee was grown, harvested and packaged in Belize? It was a surprise to me as well especially after seeing it grow in high altitude in Colombia and Guatemala. This family-owned business walks you through the entire experience of coffee production from tree-to-cup which is their slogan.
The drive to San Antonio village is also beautiful since it's the same direction as the Mountain Pine Ridge Reserve that hosts popular attractions like Big Rock Falls. This activity is a no-brainer and no doubt a hidden gem
Hop Over To Guatemala
- $20.00 USD
- 2 Hours Away
- 6AM–6PM
Did you know that the archeological site of Tikal is located only two hours away from San Ignacio? It's one of the largest Mayan sites in Mesoamerica. To cross the Guatemala border, take a shuttle with a tour company or go on your own with a combination of shared taxis and shuttles.
Alternatively, you can rent a car with AQ Auto Rental or Crystal Auto Rental – the only two companies that allow cars to drive from Belize to Guatemala or Mexico.
About Author
Everything written on this blog is based on first-hand experience or knowledge as a local living in Belize. No fluff, just honest information.
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