Wonderful Things to Do in San Ignacio, Belize

If you’re wondering whether to spend a few days in San Ignacio, Belize, and want a quick answer to that question, let us assure you: you really want to spend some time in San Ignacio! The area around this town in western Belize is filled with Maya ruins, rivers, caves, waterfalls, and wildlife. Which means that you can do plenty of adrenaline-fuelled activities, such as the popular ATM cave tour, as well as more cultural ones like learning about Maya history.

We spent a full week in San Ignacio and were blown away by the various activities on offer. In the end, one week was just about enough time to do all the things we eventually added to our map. So, we hope that once you’ve finished reading this guide you’ll be just as excited to spend a few days in San Ignacio as we were.

If you’d like to see what we got up to in San Ignacio, Belize, make sure to watch our dedicated YouTube video. (We’ve been getting plenty of love on it from Belizeans)!

About San Ignacio in Belize

San Ignacio is a small town in western Belize within the Cayo district. It’s located about 35km to the west of Belmopan, the area’s capital, and about 100km to the west of Belize City.

It has a twin town, Santa Elena (not the Santa Elena near Monteverde in Costa Rica), that sits just across from San Ignacio, on the other side of the Macal River.

Since together they form the largest settlement in Cayo, San Ignacio is also considered the cultural and economic hub of the district. The town offers a variety of experiences to its visitors, from Maya ruins to road trips, and natural attractions to adventurous activities.

How to Get to San Ignacio, Belize

From Other Parts of Belize

San Ignacio is only about a 2 hour drive from Belize City. If you arrive to the country by plane, then you’ll most likely land at Philip S.W. Goldson International Airport. From there you can rent a car and drive straight to San Ignacio by following the George Prince Highway. Don’t forget to read our guide on driving a rental car in Belize.

If you don’t want to drive, then you could also book a shared tourist shuttle to take you to San Ignacio. For budget travellers, the most affordable option is to take a local bus from Belize City. However, don’t forget that you’d still need to get a taxi to Belize City centre from the airport in this case.

From places like San Pedro and Caye Caulker, you’d need to take a boat to Belize City first, then either get on a shared tourist shuttle, public bus, or rent a car and drive to San Ignacio. We wrote a short guide on how to take the water taxi between Belize City and the Cayes.

From Mexico to San Ignacio, Belize

If you’re arriving to Belize from Mexico, then you’ll likely be traveling from Chetumal to Belize City first. Read our guide on bus travel around Mexico for more information on how to get to Chetumal. From there you can book a bus to Belize City with ADO.

Then rent a car or take the tourist shuttle to San Ignacio.

From Guatemala to San Ignacio, Belize

If you’ve just backpacked through Guatemala, you may be heading to San Ignacio from there. You can cross the land border between these two countries at Melchor de Mencos in Guatemala, which is what we did. The most common journey across this border is the one from Flores in Guatemala.

It takes about 3 hours to get to San Ignacio from Flores, including the border crossing time. Read our detailed guide on crossing the Guatemala – Belize border for more information.

Alternatively, you can also cross the Guatemala – Belize border by boat. For that you’d need to take a boat from Puerto Barrios in Guatemala to Punta Gorda in southern Belize. Most travellers do this journey if they want to cross the border from Livingston or Rio Dulce in Guatemala.

Wonderful Things to Do in San Ignacio, Belize

Go for a Stroll Around San Ignacio

Whilst we personally wouldn’t consider San Ignacio the prettiest town we’ve ever visited, we still encourage you to go for a little wander.

We love getting lost in markets, so naturally we headed there first. San Ignacio market is located between the central bus station and Joseph Andrew Drive (here on the map). You can find plenty of fresh produce and street food here. On Saturdays there’s also an artesian market held there.

Further south you can also check out Hawkesworth Bridge, the suspension bridge that connects San Ignacio with Santa Elena. Unfortunately, at the time of our visit the bridge was closed due to construction work, so we only got a glimpse of it.

As we wandered the streets of San Ignacio, we also noticed some street art and murals adorning the walls. We saw some on the corner of West Street and Far West Street (here on the map) and a few more along West Street, close to where it crosses Eve Street (around here on the map).

Visit Cahal Pech Maya Ruins

One of the easiest things to do in San Ignacio is to visit the beautiful Maya ruins of Cahal Pech. The ruins are located just on the outskirts of town, which meant that we could easily get there on foot from our accommodation.

Entry fee to the ruins is 10BZD (5 USD) per person. The site has a small museum with plenty of information boards where we could learn a bit more about the Maya and the site. According to the evidence, Cahal Pech was continuously occupied from around 1000 BC until the 9th century AD.

After spending some time in the museum we started to explore the ruins. Compared to other Maya sites, such as Tikal in Guatemala or Chichen Itza in Mexico, Cahal Pech is a lot smaller. However, don’t be put off by its size. The ruins are still an impressive place to wander around, as they’ve been extensively excavated and preserved. The site is comprised of about 40 structures including temple pyramids and residential buildings. As a bonus, we could also climb to the top of all the temples.

We recommend allocating about an hour or so for your visit to Cahal Pech, depending on how much reading you want to do in the museum section.

Visit the Green Iguana Conservation Project

Another thing to do in San Ignacio is to visit the Green Iguana Conservation Project. It’s located inside the beautiful San Ignacio Resort Hotel.

Admission fee is 22.50 BZD (11.25 USD) per person. Note that the ticket will say your entry fee includes a 4 BZD service charge as well as a 4 BZD donation charge. It includes a guided tour which lasts about 45 minutes.

The guide first told us about the main differences between the green and black iguanas, and about the aim of the conservation project. Then we went inside some of the cages where the older green iguanas, who wouldn’t survive if released into the wild, are housed. The guide told us about their distinctive features, such as their colours and how they can regrow their tails.

After that we also saw some younger green iguanas that will be released back into the wild when they’re ready. We learnt that they’re being fed with food found in the surrounding area, rather than with vegetables like the older ones.

At the end we were also shown some of the baby green iguanas. Here we got the chance to hold one of them and take pictures, which we personally didn’t enjoy. There was only one iguana that people were allowed to touch (one which will be used for breeding purposes as an adult and won’t be released back into the wild), but just imagine how many tourists will touch this poor animal. So perhaps just enjoy learning about the green iguanas without taking a selfie with one of them on your head.

Join a Cacao Tour at AJAW Chocolate & Crafts

A more cultural (and also delicious) thing to do in San Ignacio is to join a Maya cacao tour.

At AJAW Chocolate & Crafts, operated by a Maya family, you can learn about the importance of cacao in the Maya culture as well as the process of cacao making from start to finish. Tours are run every hour and last approximately one hour.

Since we’d just recently gone on a very similar Maya cacao tour during our visit to Semuc Champey in Guatemala, as well as attending chocolate tours before in Mindo, Ecuador and in Santa Elena, Costa Rica, we decided to skip this one. However, if you’ve never been on a Maya Cacao tour before then we recommend signing up for one in San Ignacio.

Take a Trip to Xunantunich Maya Ruins

An easy half-day trip you can do from San Ignacio is to the Xunantunich Ruins. These Maya ruins are located to the southwest of San Ignacio, right across from the border with Guatemala. Sitting on a ridge overlooking the Mopan River, Xunantunich is one of the largest Maya sites in the Belize River Valley.

We wrote a short guide on how to visit Xunantunich Ruins where we listed all the different ways you can get there from San Ignacio, as well as including some general details about the site such as opening times, the entry fee, available facilities and some of the best structures to see.

If you’d like to book an organised tour, then we recommend booking this Xunantunich and cave or river tubing combo.

Visit Belize Botanic Gardens

Another short trip we enjoyed from San Ignacio was to the Belize Botanic Gardens. The botanic garden is located about 13km to the south of San Ignacio.

You can either get there with a rental car or book a shuttle with the botanic gardens themselves. We did the latter and got picked up / dropped off at the main bus station in San Ignacio. The shuttle costs 15 BZD (7.50 USD) per person and it takes about 20-30 minutes to reach the garden.

The entry fee is another 15 BZD (7.50 USD) per person for a self guided tour. You also have the chance to book a guided tour if you wish.

What we liked the most was that, even though we only paid for a self guided tour, they still gave us a map of the garden as well as a thick booklet with information about all the interesting plants, that we could read as we walked around. This was very useful and made our self-guided tour even better.

We visited in the afternoon to avoid being there in the heat and humidity of the middle of the day, and luckily had the garden all to ourselves. Although we were on a self-guided walk, we were accompanied by two lovely dogs who now live on site since their owner passed away.

Top Tip. Wear comfortable shoes and have plenty of water and some snacks too. They have toilets on site.

Go on the ATM Cave Tour (If You Dare!)

Without doubt, one of the most popular tours for adventure seekers in San Ignacio (and in Belize) is the ATM Cave Tour. ATM stands for Actun Tunichil Muknal and, according to a National Geographic article, it’s one of the most sacred caves in the world along with the Bronze-Age Minoan Caves in Crete and St. Paul’s Grotto in Malta, amongst other spiritual destinations.

This natural museum provides visitors with an insight into the ancient Maya underworld whilst taking you on an incredible caving adventure. During your tour through the cave you’ll be swimming, wading and scrambling to reach the resting place of the ‘crystal maiden,’ a complete female skeleton encased in crystals. You’ll also see other skeletal remains, as well as Maya artefacts and pottery.

It’s a very intense tour that requires you to be physically fit, able to swim and not suffer from claustrophobia. So, it was a tour that Jon decided to do on his own! If you’ve been to Guatemala, then the ATM cave tour is probably a similar experience to the Cuevas de K’anba cave tour near Semuc Champey.

We recommend booking the tour in advance because there is a daily limit of 125 tickets and people usually arrive from different parts of Belize, not just from San Ignacio. So, book in advance to avoid missing your chance.

The tour costs a minimum of 125 USD per person from San Ignacio. Jon went with Maya Walk Tours but you can also check out this tour with Belize Caving Expeditions. The guides take no more than 8 people in their group.

Note. You’re not allowed to take any cameras (phones and GoPro’s included) into the cave. Bring a complete change of clothes, and wear closed-toed footwear and socks.

Visit Caracol Maya Ruins

Another Maya Ruin that it would be a shame to miss during your visit to San Ignacio is Caracol. This archeological site is located about a 2-hour drive to the south of San Ignacio within the Chiquibul Forest Reserve.

Caracol is actually one of the best preserved and largest Maya Ruins in Belize. Just like Cahal Pech, it has been extensively excavated over the years. Records show that Caracol was once a powerful centre of the Maya civilization which won several wars against other cities like Naranjo and Tikal in Guatemala. The site is comprised of many different structures including temple pyramids, ball courts and residential buildings. The tallest temple pyramid at the site is the 42m high Canaa (Sky Palace).

The entry fee is 15 BZD (7.50 USD) per person. Note that the last entry to the site is at 2PM.

You can reach the site with a rental car, although you should hire a 4×4 that’s more suited to the road conditions. Alternatively, you can also visit Caracol with this organised tour from San Ignacio that also includes a visit to the Mountain Pine Ridge Forest Reserve. Read our guide if you’d like to learn more about visiting Caracol.

Spend a Day in the Mountain Pine Ridge Forest Reserve

If you love outdoor adventures, then you’ll want to visit the Mountain Pine Ridge Forest Reserve from San Ignacio.

It’s a large protected area located to the south of the town. In order to protect the population of native Belizean pine forest, it was designated a forest reserve in 1944. The area is filled with natural pools, waterfalls and caves. Caracol Maya Ruins are actually located pretty close to the southern edge of the reserve, so we allocated an entire day to visiting both.

The main attractions you’ll want to visit within the reserve are:

• Big Rock Waterfalls,
• Rio on Pools, and
• Rio Frio Cave.

For more freedom, we recommend hiring a car and driving to Mountain Pine Ridge Forest Reserve. Alternatively, this organised tour will take you to a few stops, such as Rio On Pools and Rio Frio Cave, within the reserve as well as taking you to Caracol Maya Ruins.

Drive Along the Scenic Hummingbird Highway

One of the most scenic drives you can possibly do in Belize is down the Hummingbird Highway. It’s an 86 km long, well maintained paved road that connects Belmopan and Dangriga. Due to the lack of regular public transport services, it’s best to experience it by hiring a car.

This was our first time driving a rental car in Latin America and we found so much joy in the freedom it gave us. Along the drive we enjoyed panoramic views of the Maya Mountain Range, stopped at a few national parks, crossed many rivers, and enjoyed the Caribbean Sea breeze in Hopkins at the end.

Driving the Hummingbird Highway one way from San Ignacio only takes about 2 hours. However, there are many fantastic places to stop along the way, so we suggest allocating a full day to this activity. We wrote a detailed article on everything you need to know about driving the Hummingbird Highway including where to stop along the way. Don’t forget to also read our guide on driving a rental car in Belize.

Visit St Herman’s Blue Hole National Park

Located along the Hummingbird Highway to the south of Belmopan is St. Herman’s Blue Hole National Park. It’s a stunning tropical rainforest that’s home to many birds, wildlife and natural attractions. The park is managed by the Belize Audubon Society. It was one of our first stops along the Hummingbird Highway.

There are three main attractions within the national park:

• St Herman’s Cave. It’s one of the most accessible caves in Belize as you can visit without a guide up to a certain point. Beyond that you’ll need to hire a guide though.
• Inland Blue Hole (not the Great Blue Hole, which is off the Caribbean Coast). It’s a small sinkhole surrounded by lush jungle where you can go for a refreshing swim to cool off.
• Crystal Cave. It’s similar to the ATM cave, which means that it’s a challenging activity and you can only do it with a guide.

Entry fee is 8BZD (4USD) per person which grants you access to St Herman’s Cave and the Inland Blue Hole. There are also different tours you can book from San Ignacio that either include the Crystal Cave or other activities such as birdwatching.

Final Thoughts on Things to Do in San Ignacio, Belize

As mentioned above we had a ton of fun in San Ignacio and easily filled a whole week with activities. It’s safe to say that one of our favourite activities was hiring a car and driving the Hummingbird Highway. It was our first time driving a rental car in Latin America, so we truly enjoyed the freedom it gave us to stop and explore places in our own time. Jon also enjoyed the ATM cave tour, although after hearing him recount his adventure I knew I’d made the right decision by skipping it.

Have you ever been to San Ignacio in Belize before? If so, what was your favourite activity? If not, which places from our list would you add to your itinerary? But most importantly, would you sign up for the ATM Cave tour?! Let us know in the comments below.