Fodor's Belize: with a Side Trip to Guatemala (Full-color Travel Guide) by Fodor's Travel Guides

Author:Fodor's Travel Guides [Fodor's Travel Guides]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Travel Distribution
Published: 2017-04-04T04:00:00+00:00

CANOPY TOURS

You may feel a little like Tarzan as you dangle 80 feet above the jungle floor, suspended by a harness, moving from one suspended platform to another.

CAVING

The area around Belmopan, with its karst limestone topography, is a paradise for cavers.

Fodor’s Choice Actun Tunichil Muknal. The Actun Tunichil Muknal (ATM) cave system runs some 3 miles (5 km) through the limestone of Cayo, just a few miles from Belmopan. ATM is the resting place of the Crystal Maiden, a Maya girl who was sacrificed here, along with at least 13 others, including seven children, hundreds of years ago. If you visit Actun Tunichil Muknal (“Cave of the Stone Sepulcher” in the Mayan language), you will experience what many say are the most awesome sights in all of Central America. You’ll see amazing limestone formations, thousand-year-old human calcified skulls and skeletons, and many Mayan artifacts including well-preserved pottery. As long as you are in adequate physical condition—you have to hike almost an hour, swim in neck-deep water, and clamber through dark, claustrophobic underground chambers—this is sure to be the most memorable tour you’ll take in Belize. Cameras are banned from the cave, and the tour is not suitable for young children. ■ TIP → Although you can drive on your own to the staging area for ATM, you must have a licensed guide to visit it, as you’ll be up close and personal with priceless Mayan artifacts. It’s easiest to do an all-day tour from San Ignacio or Belmopan. These tours run around BZ$200–BZ$280, including transportation, lunch, and the government admission fee. Off Mile 52.5, George Price Hwy., road entrance at junction of Price Hwy. and Teakettle Village, Belmopan 822/3302 National Institute of Culture & History (NICH) BZ$50, plus required guide fee .

Caves Branch Adventure Co. & Jungle Camp. First on the scene was Ian Anderson of Caves Branch Adventure Co. & Jungle Camp. He and his friendly staff of highly trained guides run exhilarating adventure-themed caving, tubing, and hiking trips from an upscale jungle camp just south of Belmopan. They also run day and overnight kayaking trips in the Cayo District. 12 miles (19.5 km) south of Belmopan, Mile 42.5, Hummingbird Hwy., Belmopan 866/357–2698 toll-free in U.S. and Canada , 610/3451 in Belize www.cavesbranch.com .

St. Herman’s Blue Hole National Park. At St. Herman’s Blue Hole National Park, at Mile 42 of the Hummingbird Highway, there are two large caves, St. Herman’s and the Crystal Cave. Both require a guide to explore (guides are available at the national park visitor center), though you can go without a guide into the first 300 yards of St. Herman’s. Mile 42, Hummingbird Hwy., Belmopan www.belizeaudubon.org BZ$10 .

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