San Ignacio, Belize

Hello and welcome to my first blog post! 🌞

I have been wanting to create this website for a while now, and saw my most recent trip in February of 2019 as the perfect opportunity to do so. In this post I will go over the first part of my trip to Belize.

My expectations for this country were drastically exceeded in every aspect from the food and landscapes, to the value and cleanliness. I was thoroughly impressed by the culture and the people here, who have done a fantastic job at preserving their Mayan heritage and sharing it with visitors. The tours taught me so much, and I was more than satisfied with the whole experience.

For people who love adventure and enjoy being outdoors, San Ignacio is the perfect place to be. Located in the western Cayo District about 2 hours from BZE, this region offers an abundance of activities and places to explore. I spent three full days of touring around here and know that I could someday come back with a new list of things to do. This small town is not a place to visit for its nightlife, but by the end of the day we were so tired that we wouldn’t have been able to go out anyways. Here is what we did:

1. Actun Tunichil Muknal (ATM) cave ($105.00 USD)
2. Maya Culinary Tour & Xunantunich on horseback ($143.00 USD)
3. zip lining & cave tubing ($132.00 USD)

These are all Go Maya tours that were booked through our hotel Rumors Resort (they are both affiliated). As students on a budget, we were lucky to get a good package deal that cost about $578.00 USD each (includes transportation, tours, lunch, and accommodation). The process was very smooth and I highly recommend them – Darwin the front desk attendant was a huge help. Everybody here is friendly and accommodating – they will make you feel like family. Not only did the tour guides have outstanding knowledge and passion for their country, but the hotel operators went above and beyond to ensure that we would have the best time. Their kindness is an important factor that contributes to my overall impression of this trip.

With that being said, here is a summary of our days in San Ignacio:

Day 1: Actun Tunichil Muknal Cave
Aside from all the facts I learned about ancient Maya civilization, one thing that I realized from these tours is the huge importance and influence of Mayan culture on the people of Belize. The tour guides did an amazing job at sharing this history with us. I was repeatedly impressed by their knowledge of information beyond the main attraction. For example, during our 45 minute hike to the cave entrance, the guide kept pointing out different plants that had edible, fragrant, or medicinal properties. He let us try termites – a high source of protein, and told entertaining stories of his expeditions through the jungle.

Note that this hike passes through a river three times. Pictures are not allowed in the cave, so I can only attempt to describe the experience. This was my first time spelunking through a wet cave, and it definitely required a high level of physical exertion. We waded through waist deep waters, squeezed between large rock formations, and were led to climb up slippery boulders. The water is full of natural minerals. At one point, we all turned off our lights and were amazed to experience the total darkness that exists within the cave.

Our tour guide was so actively involved in this field of study that I gained a new appreciation for archeology. It was not hard to stay engaged while he explained ancient Mayan rituals and pointed out ceramic artifacts. Upon mentioning that he had already done three complete tours of all the sacred Mayan ruins alongside scientists, I knew the information was credible.

Day 2: Mayan Culinary Tour & Xunantunich on Horseback

This was one of my favourite days of the whole trip. I felt so immersed in the culture of Belize, loved horseback riding, and got to learn more about the history of Mayan civilization. Our first stop was at the San Antonio Women’s Cooperative, where we were taught how to make traditional corn tortillas in an outdoor thatched kitchen. A stone apparatus is used to grind hydrated corn until it develops a texture similar to flour. Water is added to keep a good consistency. The dough is flattened, rounded, and then placed to grill for a couple of seconds until it becomes puffy. It is a very simple process and only requires two ingredients, but the end product is delicious! Coconut oil and sea salt are added for extra taste.

Within the same organization, we were brought to a pottery studio where we were informed of the process of clay collection and the ancient ceramic techniques used by Mayan people. We also got to try using a pottery wheel (which is not a traditional method). It’s harder than it looks!

After lunch, the next part of our day was horseback riding at Hanna Stables. The horses were very well behaved and easy to handle. It was about an hour ride up to Xunantunich, including crossing over the Mopan river on a hand cranked ferry. Our guide Jimmy provided us with plenty of information while making sure we felt safe the whole time.

If you are not that into history, I think it can be pretty easy to underestimate the significance of archeological sites like Xunantunich. However, if you travel with an open mind and get lucky to meet people like Jimmy, you can learn a lot. I could have found all this information online, but it is a completely different experience than just reading from a textbook. More than once, I found myself making connections between things I have already learned in a classroom, but this time I could actually apply the information to a setting where it seemed relevant and made a lot more sense. With a genuine interest in subject matter, it is natural to inquire and retain information. Too bad we only had time to visit one ruin!

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Day 3: zip lining & cave tubing

On our last day in the Cayo District, I was expecting these tours to be more recreational and less cultural, but our guide Pedro was still able to teach us new facts. Even the zip line guides were extremely friendly and offered us suggestions for things to do at our next destination – Ambergris Caye.

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Another thing I noticed during this trip is how much the locals respect the environment. Unfortunately, many people do not understand the importance of conserving nature, and in such a beautiful place it made me happy to see how active they are in preserving the Earth’s natural landscape. They all do their part in keeping it clean by picking up any litter and refraining from the use of chemical products (sunscreen & bug spray) as much as possible when going in the river. They are also regularly involved in nature expeditions such as our driver Marcone, who told us he would be going on a week-long trip through the jungle to study and examine how efforts can be made to protect species of endangered birds.

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Thank you for reading my first blog post! Within the next week, I will be sharing my food experience in San Ignacio. In the meantime, please feel free to leave any questions or comments you may have down below, and make sure to subscribe if you enjoyed it. 😊