Off the Beaten Track: Belize

Many visitors to Belize stick to the usual tourist destinations because they are easier to get to, but there is a lot more to explore besides popular spots such as Lamanai, ATM Cave and the Blue Hole.

The Hummingbird Highway
Passing through jungle and citrus orchards as it skirts the northern edges of the Maya Mountain range, the Hummingbird offers a near constant procession of postcard-perfect vistas. There are also plenty of reasons to stop.

Chief among these may well be a visit to some of Belize's most amazing caves, many of which are located in this area of the jungle. The 575-acre St Herman's Blue Hole National Park contains one of the few caves in Belize that you can visit independently. The visitors center is 11 miles along the Hummingbird Hwy from Belmopan. From here a 500 yard trail leads to St Herman's Cave. A path leads 300 yards into the cave alongside an underground river. To explore deeper in the extensive cave system, with its huge caverns and classic Maya ceremonial chambers containing calcified skeletons and artifacts, you must have a guide.

The Blue Hole for which the park is named is just off the highway, 1 mile east of the visitors center. This is a 25 foot-deep sapphire-blue swimming hole inside a 328 foot-wide cenote that was formed when the roof caved in on one of the Sibun River's underground tributaries.

Further west down the road sits the small Barquedier Waterfall, a magnificent waterfall sitting along a trail 15 minutes by foot from the Hummingbird Hwy. The falls cascade into a pool perfect for an afternoon swim or morning shower.

Xunantunich
Xunantunich meaning “maiden of the rock” or “stone woman” in Maya, is situated on the Western Highway across the river from the village of San Jose Succotz. It can be reached by ferry daily between 8 am and 5 pm. This site is less than one mile from some lovely rapids of the Mopan River and provides an impressive view of the entire river valley. There is a nice museum, temples to climb with panoramic views of the surrounding area.  You also get to ride over to it on a hand-cranked ferry, the birding is superb and there are stands set up where you can buy slate carvings and other local crafts.

Guanacaste National Park
Worth a quick visit on the way in or out of Belmopan is Belize's smallest nature reserve, Guanacaste National Park, named for the huge guanacaste trees that grow here. Also called monkey's ear trees because of their oddly shaped seedpods, the trees tower more than 100 feet.  The 50-acre park, managed by the Belize Audubon Society, has a rich population of tropical birds, including smoky brown woodpeckers, black-headed trogons, red-lored parrots, and white-breasted wood wrens. You can take one of the eight daily hourly tours, or you can wander around on your own. After, cool off with a refreshing plunge in the Belize River; there's also a small picnic area.

Let Rawhide Travel and Tours help you with all your reservation needs. Call us at (602) 843-5100 or visit our website: rawhidetravel.com.

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