The Belize Jungle

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Belize Jungle Destinations

Cayo District Jungle Tours and Activities

Hidden Valley Orchid WaterfallGuatemala borders Belize's inland Cayo District. to the west, and San Ignacio is the main town.

Cayo is the area most travelers visit for their first taste of the Belize jungle, often because they want to try a specific jungle activity or have heard of a specific jungle lodge there, such as Chaa Creek, Blancaneaux, Black Rock, Cave's Branch and many others.

And, Cayo makes perfect sense for a first trip to Belize because most of Belize's most well-known jungle vacation lodges, sites and activities are located in Cayo - such as the Xunantunich archaeological Maya site, Caracol (the largest Mayan ruins in Belize - and an ancient Mayan city-state that rivaled Tikal), cave tubing in the Cave's Branch area, Actun Tunichil Muknal cave, the Cahal Pech Maya archaeological site, jungle horseback riding, zip lining, rappelling, jungle river canoeing and kayaking and beautiful waterfalls in the Mountain Pine Ridge area of the Cayo District.

Cayo also offers a wide variety of lodging options from which to explore and enjoy all that Cayo offers - from luxury lodge to small, boutique, moderate and budget accommodations.

For example, do you want jungle luxury (and you can find a lot of luxury in the Belize jungle), or a place where the kids can burn off excess energy while learning about the ancient Maya, jungle flora and fauna, or the geology of the Mountain Pine Ridge, with geology like no other place in Belize.

Or, are you looking for a sanity-restoring get-away that includes some energy expending activities to work off some of your first-world stress?

Cayo can provide all of the above - and can be easily combined with the beach if you have at least 6 or 7 nights for your Belize vacation.  (See our Jungle and Beach Combos page for more details.)

Belize Jungle Destinations

Belize Jungle Vacations in the Toledo District

Deer Dance Toledo Cacao Festival 20070018The Toledo District is Belize's southernmost district, and its least explored one - especially for Belize vacation travelers. 

Toledo is bordered on the south and the west by Guatemala, the Caribbean Sea to the east and the Stann Creek District to the north.  It offers Belize vacation adventures in deep jungle rainforests and Mayan villages that look much as they did a hundred years ago, plus fantastic birding, beautiful jungle rivers and waterfalls, unexcavated Mayan ruins and little known and little explored caves.

In short, Toledo is different - in many ways like the Belize of 100 years ago - when every trip was a journey, full of unexpected pleasures and delights for those willing to take the time to see and discover them.

Belize Jungle Destinations

Orange Walk Belize Jungle Vacations

Lamanai ruinsWhile the northwestern Orange Walk District is most well known for sugar cane, visitors can find an amazing array of tropical birds and several excellent Belize jungle lodges, plus the Lamanai Mayan ruins, the longest continuously occupied Mayan ruin in Belize - since 1500 BC.

Belize vacation travelers to the Orange Walk District can not only visit Mayan ruins (Colha and La Milpa in addition to Lamanai), but also take a night-time crocodile safari, spot birds to their heart's content, horseback ride, hike and generally commune with nature in the area's lagoons and expansive jungle tracts, such as the Gallon Jug Estate, managed by Programme for Belize.

And, two exceptional jungle lodges are found in Belize's Orange Walk Distrct - Chan Chich, set in a Mayan ruin deep in the Gallon Jug Estate near the Guatemala border, and Lamanai Outpost Lodge, located on the hills of the New River Lagoon, with excellent birding, crocodiles, sunset cruises -- and, of course, the mysterious Lamanai ruins, located within walking distance from the Lodge.

(For more information on Orange Walk hotels, lodges and resorts, see our Orange Walk Accommodations Page.)

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Belize Jungle Destinations

Vacation Information about Other Belize Jungle Areas

Crooked Tree Wildlife Sanctuary and Community Baboon Sanctuary are located northwest of Belize City in the Belize District. 

The Crooked Tree Wildlife Sanctuary is well known by birders for the wide variety of birds that flock to the Lagoon (including the Jabiru stork), especially from February to early June (traditionally Belize's dry season).  Crooked Tree Village also hosts a cashew festival in May each year.  Travelers can tour the Lagoon by boat, and the surrounding area on foot, by bike or by vehicle.  The Altun Ha, Lamanai and La Milpa Mayan ruins are accessible from Crooked Tree, as is the Belize Zoo and the Community Baboon Sanctuary.  The area does have a few good places for lodging.