Top Things to do in Cayo
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5 Ancient Ruins in Cayo That You Shouldn't Miss
Discover the best top things to do in Cayo, Belize including The Maya Ruins of Caracol, Xunantunich, Maya Ruins of Blancaneaux Cave, Cahal Pech, El Pilar.
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1. The Maya Ruins of Caracol
Overall Ratings
5.0 based on 614 reviews
This 30-acre complex is the largest Mayan ruin in Belize.
Reviewed By Sandi-and-Tim - New Castle, United States
Despite having a rental car, my husband, son, and I opted to hire a tour guide (and HIS vehicle) for this trip, in part because of the 52 miles of rough dirt road. Don't be scared off by the "you must join the police escort" warnings. The ruins are close to the Belize-Guatemala border, and the escort was started due to a single incident a few years ago...but there haven't been any reported incidents since then. Caracol has the highest Mayan temple in Belize. In fact, we couldn't see the top from the ground. According to our guide, LIDAR Radar readings taken in the last few years show that there are around 36,000 Mayan buildings in the surrounding jungle that have not been excavated, and they estimate that there were approximately 1.5 million inhabitants at one point. One of the thing that's so amazing about that is that there is no water source nearby. What they did find, though, was over 200 retention ponds. This is a destination that is not as well traveled as some of the other Mayan ruins in Belize due to the poor access, but it is well worth the effort to get there. If you do go without a guide, make sure you sign in at the police checkpoint. Past that point the road is narrow and mostly one way in in the morning and out in the afternoons. Oh, if you do use a guide, make sure he lets you eat some minty-tasting termites. :-)
2. Xunantunich
Overall Ratings
5.0 based on 1,467 reviews
Reviewed By galencampbell - Calgary, Canada
The ruins are excellent and will be workout climbing up and down, with fantastic views from the highest points. We picked up a guide before crossing the ferry. Elfego had A LOT of knowledge, which makes sense since he must have been at least 70 and had been giving tours and working with archaeologists at Xunantunich for decades. The visitor center is good, with enough information to educate you, but not so much as to be excessive. I still recommend a guide though for better explanations of what you are seeing when you are actually looking at it. We also got lucky and saw two troops of howler monkeys howling at each other in trees just up the hill from the ferry (so keep your windows down and your ears listening as you drive in).
3. Maya Ruins of Blancaneaux Cave
4. Cahal Pech
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 1,527 reviews
This ancient Mayan site features a museum and several dozen surviving structures.
Reviewed By cliffordicus - Salt Lake City, United States
Cahal Pech is one of the oldest grouping of Mayan Ruins we know of dating back to some of the earliest traces of Mayan history. Compared to many other ruin nearby like Xunantunich, its basically deserted. This is an amazing opportunity to explore some ruins practically on your own (at least that was our experience) the complex goes on and on and is so fun to step into history, literally, and see the amazing structures of a time long past. It's within walking distance of the downtown area (though you'll climb a fairly steep hill) and in really close proximity to a few hotels, including our own, the San Ignacio Resort Hotel. It's close, and it's worth it.
5. El Pilar
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 78 reviews
Reviewed By X2550CNjohn - Durham, United Kingdom
El Pilar was once a large Mayan city, but unlike more famous archaeological sites nearby there has been minimal excavation here, and therefore offers an almost unique opportunity to experience a city lost to the jungle as the first explorers might have seen it. It's not easy to get here; I took a taxi from San Ignacio which took over 2 hours on very rough roads, and my driver was probably only willing to risk his suspension as it was the off season and the weather was good. I only went because I had a free day, but it turned out to be an unexpected highlight of my trip to Belize; very little write up in the guide books, and few organised tours, but an amazing insight into how the Mayan civilisation was lost for so many centuries. One stumbles across a hillock, realises it's in fact a ruined pyramid, and then it vanishes into the forest after walking just a few yards. There are some explanatory boards which are enough to give a sense of the layout of the city without being intrusive, and a few areas have been excavated to show how the many buried structures would have looked, but for the most part one can imagine how the first explorers felt as they realised they were stumbling through the remains of an ancient metropolis. And because so few people make the effort, you can have the ruins almost to yourself. Amazing!
