Visiting the UnBELIZEable Jungle
Offering everything you could want to do in the jungle from caving ancient ruins to horseback riding, San Ignacio is the adventure capital of Belize. From our view, the city and surrounding jungle and forest offer unique experiences not typically discovered on a Caribbean holiday.
Adventure Activities
Caving: Taking a journey into the Mayan underworld at Actun Tunichil Muknal, or the "Cave of the Stone Sepulchre", will be one of the most enlightening, epic, and unique experiences of your life. Leave the world of the living behind as you venture into the heart of the ATM Cave. Recently deemed as the #1 Sacred Cave destination in the world, the ATM cave is not only geologically beautiful with its crystalline stalactites and stalagmites, but also historically as it is a natural museum of ancient Mayan artifacts and a sacred burial place. This is known as the final resting place of the "Crystal Maiden", who is believed to be an ancient Mayan Ceremonial victim along with 13 other skeletal remains which includes men, women and children.
Mayan Ruins: Scattered through Belize, there are several important Mayan Ruins. We considered the following:
Caracol (near San Ignacio): One of Belize’s best ancient Maya temples, Caracol is deep in the heart of the Chiquibul Forest Reserve of the Maya Mountains in the Cayo District. Covering an area of nearly 25,000 acres, this site is impressive not only for its size, but also for its immense agricultural field system and elaborate city planning. Caracol is one of the most pristine and well-kept Maya sites in Belize. If you want to see an amazing piece of history, head to Caracol. Read about our experience here!
Tikal (near San Ignacio): Tikal is an ancient Mayan ceremonial center located just across the border in Peten, Guatemala, 19 miles north of Lake Peten Itza and the quaint town of Flores. After crossing the border, you will drive another 1.5 hours before arriving at Tikal National Park, a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Along the way we will pass small villages, beautiful lakeside scenery and rolling hills with rainforests and agriculture farms. Sadly, COVID prevented us from seeing these amazing ruins.
Jungle Adventure Activities: In San Ignacio, there are a host of other tours you can do from bird watching to canoeing to ziplining!
Lodging
In and around San Ignacio, there are two options: stay in town or stay in the pure jungle. We debated for hours between the two great options and ultimately decided on the jungle because the views and reviews sounded amazing.
UnChartered Tip: I primarily started on booking.com so I could see all the options, then I booked directly to save money (and help the local hotel by avoiding Booking's fees).
Gaia Riverlodge
Because we opted for the jungle, we were torn between Blancaneaux Lodge and Gaia. Separated by a dirt road mile, both hotels are legendary and opulent by Belizean standards. Ultimately, we liked the room choices for Gaia a little bit more as they offered similar rooms with a king bed which meant it was easier to split our group.
As we drove through the national forest (i.e. jungle) to Gaia, I honestly wondered if we made the right decision or if we were even close to our hotel... Upon our arrival, we were welcomed with open arms and a refreshing beverage! Escorted to the river lounge, we gazed upon the magnificent views of the powerful waterfall and surrounding forest and jungle. In our rooms, we did not have air conditioning and only had a fan... Our little hut had a grass roof and walls, but that was the only thing separating us from the great outdoors! Our bed was very comfortable despite no AC and sleeping in a mosquito net.
One of the best things about our Gaia experience was the staff and the amazing food. Sourced locally with a massive garden, we enjoyed every bite! If you want a relaxing, enjoyable, and luxurious experience, I cannot recommend Gaia enough!
Honorable Mentions
These hotels were sadly sold out or did not have enough beds for our group.
Food & Drink
For the most part, we ate at Gaia Riverlodge simply because we could not leave the property and the food was amazing! Since we were staying there, we had free breakfast which had a delicious, tasty breakfast sandwich on both days!
For our dinners, those were the real stars of the show. Since Mary Frances and Beth Anne weren't usually that hungry, we all opted to share either 2 or 3 courses. All were fantastic!
Penne Arrabiata with chicken
Asian style stir fry with chicken
BBQ Pork chop
Grilled Steak
Bruschetta
Bertha: If one travels from Placencia to San Ignacio or visa versa, they hear about the famous tamale stand on the Hummingbird Highway! Literally located in the middle of nowhere and on the side of the road, this famous lunch spot is perfect for a driving break. They only accept cash, but you should easily be able to afford all the tasty tamales you want!
Country Barn: One of our pitstops as we drove to San Ignacio, the Country Barn offers excellent homemade ice cream perfect for a hot, humid Belize day!
Honorable Mentions but did not try...
All of San Ignacio: Sadly, we did not get to explore the fun city of San Ignacio. I thought we would be closer for a visit, but after driving on the backcountry roads to Gaia, I knew we would not be able to visit!
UnChartered Tip: Click here for my Google Maps pins of our favorites!
Ground Transportation
As noted in our Ultimate Planning post, we decided to take a shuttle rather than a rental car because we were worried about poor road conditions, particularly around the San Ignacio area. However, other than our last 2-3 miles to Gaia, we did not encounter any dirt roads so we could have rented a car! Had we stayed at Blancaneaux, we could have rented a car.
UnChartered Tip: Unlike the many blogs, I wouldn't have had any issue driving around Belize. Roads were fairly well kept between the major cities. Don't be afraid especially if you're not traveling in the dark.
However, we did enjoy NOT driving and being shuttled around in a comfortable van. Originally seating 6+ people, the van offer ample space and a cozy ride that lasted 5-6 hours from Placencia. And again on the three hour drive to the Belize City port to Caye Caulker.
Free Tour
On our shuttle from Placencia, we decided to go with the free tour option rather than a direct drive. While this was a great idea both before and well after the trip, it did get a little tiresome, but we saw so many awesome places along the famous Hummingbird Highway.
To begin with, we stopped at two great foodie heaven spots in Bertha and Country Barn. We also stopped at Marie Sharp's hot sauce factory to buy cheap hot sauce for souvenirs and personal use! Our final stop of the foodie tour was a homemade chocolate factory. While the cocoa was not as sweet by American standards, it still tasted great! All four foodie spots are great additions and help break a long drive into something more enjoyable.
Blue but Brown Hole
However, by far the best stop was the famous (inland) Blue Hole. Known as one of the best kept secrets on mainland Belize, the Blue Hole is fed from a spring and is supposedly crystal clear and normally great afternoon swimming spot. However, after heavy rains, the Blue Hole was a Brown Hole. The water rose to high heights, especially cold, and very dirty. We will have to try again next time!
Instead of the Blue Hole, we thought the walk through the jungle was far better. Not only did we stretch our legs, but we experienced hot, muggy jungle conditions that prepared us for our trip to Caracol. Our trail ended at a spectacular waterfall to help cool us down.
Budget Breakdown
The UnChartered Summary
Our time in San Ignacio was really a luxurious jungle stay thanks to Gaia. While we certainly would have enjoyed a jungle city, we were blown away by the service and hotel - as well as the insane drive to get there! Here are some tips for any future trip...
Make the decision to stay close to San Ignacio or in the middle of nowhere... It all comes down to what you're willing to spend because Gaia meant paying more for luxury and slightly higher food and tour costs but we had the hotel to ourselves and enjoyed the jungle.
Beware of Gaia or Blancaneaux because they are another 40+ minutes out of town (but closer to Caracol). This could mean surcharges on taxis or shuttles to get there.
Because we visited during "rainy season," we were hit by the weather in our activity choices because the rains wiped out the ATM Caves. While it meant we had a great time at Caracol, I was sad to not swim in ancient caves!
Compared to flights or perhaps rental cars, the shuttle service cost (and service) is unparalleled. While renting a car may have been cheaper, having the shuttle meant I did not have to care or worry about driving in Belize. I would highly recommend William's Shuttles!
