Experiencing the Wonders of the Jungle in San Ignacio, Belize

getting there

If you’re looking at a map of Belize, trying to plan your trip, you might feel that San Ignacio looks “out of the way,” and while it’s true that San Ignacio is a bit off the beaten path, that just means that all of it’s treasures are that much more pristine! This is a destination you definitely don’t want to miss!

To get to San Ignacio, your best bet is to fly into BZE Philip Goldson, and then you’ll need to arrange for car transportation west towards Guatemala and into the jungle. 🐒 The car ride is approximately 2 hours, but the road is good and with the right guide, you’re likely to be treated to TONS of knowledge about Belize - it’s history, it’s food and culture, it’s Mayan traditions, and it’s must-see destinations and adventure experiences.

We arranged transfer through our hotel, Ka’ana Belize, and our driver guide was fantastic! The cost for the car from the airport to San Ignacio was approximately $217 USD + tip, but was well worth it, as the ride was ultra comfortable - as well as informational!

where to stay

We chose stay at Ka’ana Belize, a place that bills themselves as ‘marrying bespoke adventures and excursions with boutique luxury accommodations’, and they’re not lying! The resort had all the charm and character of a rustic jungle destination, but with first class amenities and attention. And their restaurant was phenomenal! They boast (and rightfully so) of their commitment to delicious food and the environment, and so the chefs are supplied and inspired by food grown in their gorgeous two-acre organic garden, ensuring the freshest of ingredients! They even keep goats and chickens! Every meal we ordered was fantastic, and their Sunday brunch was incredible, featuring all of your breakfast favs, as well as fresh fruit, juices, and smoothies, and with lots of unique vegan options on the menu, too! The vegan “sausage” was my fav! At dinner, we looked forward to the fresh-baked warm bread, still hot out of the oven, served with herbed butter, Marie Sharp’s famous hot sauce (a must try!), and salt and pepper - a combo I never knew I was missing in my life! They also made fantastic craft cocktails, and their wine list was excellent!

While I wish we had taken the time to explore the spa (we had a very packed schedule), we fully enjoyed the pool, and took advantage of their complimentary yoga class - which they offer open to guests and the community every Sunday. The instructor was excellent and the practice was a wonderful way to honor our bodies after all the stress of travel, and to tune into our surroundings and to really soak up all the magic of the jungle. ✨

We stayed in a Casita Suite, which offered just the right balance of privacy and luxury. It featured a private outdoor balcony with lush tropical garden views (ours had unobstructed views of the organic garden, with the goats grazing in the distance!) and a private outdoor shower and bathtub (and steamy hot water, I might add - which experienced travelers will know is not always guaranteed in remote locations!) in the enclosed, private garden. 🌿 It was INCREDIBLY romantic! Dave and I ordered room service on more than one occasion so that we could relax and enjoy a nice soak together in the tub with all of incredible natural ambiance of jungle sounds - birds and critters singing the most magical songs! Definitely something I’ll remember for a lifetime!

what to do

One of the many benefits to staying at Ka'ana was access to their “Adventure Desk” - where a concierge is available to coordinate for you ‘the best private, guided explorations of Belize’s majestic ruins, ancient caves, and wild jungle.’ They were kind enough to set us up with all the adventures we could possibly squeeze into our short stay in San Ignacio.

Xunantunich Maya Ruins

For our first adventure, Ka’ana organized a self-guided tour of Xunantunich for us, which is located just a few miles down the road from the resort. They arranged for transport to and from the park (we took a water taxi across the river!), and they dropped us at the park entrance so we could explore on our own schedule. The park entrance fee was approximately BZ$10 per person, and that bought us access to the most beautiful, lush, and wild Mayan ruins I have ever seen! We’ve explored other Mayan ruins, but none as beautiful or “untouched” as these! We climbed atop El Castillo, the second tallest ruins structure in Belize (after Caracol), standing at 130 feet tall and soaked up the 360° panoramic views (you can even see Guatemala, as the park is located just 5ish miles from the border). With the afternoon being a bit rainy (just scattered sprinkles, we were soooooo blessed to have practically the entire place to ourselves, which was just the most magical experience - and we wouldn’t have had it any other way! If you’re ever thinking of exploring San Ignacio or western Belize, I highly recommend you add this to your to-do list!

While exploring the grounds on our own was truly a magical experience, I do feel like we would have enjoyed a guided tour as well (which is also offered by Ka’ana and reasonably priced). We walked a bit behind a few other guided tours at times, and listening to the guides was really interesting and informative!!

Ziplining at CAves Branch Outpost

Ka’ana set us up with a day trip excursion for ziplining and cave tubing through Nohoch Che’en at Caves Branch Outpost, but after heavy rains increased the risk of flash flooding in the caves there, we had to alter our plans a bit. 

We still did the ziplining at Caves Branch (the coolest- check out our YouTube video below!!), but we then decided to venture over to Barton Creek Cave Reserve (less of a flood risk) for canoeing through the caves instead!! 🛶

Kayaking through Barton Creek Cave

This experience was unbelievable - the coolest, wildest, most impressive thing!! Dave and I have done lots of spelunking and cave adventures, but never anything like this - I felt like Indiana Jones! The rock formations inside the cave were massive and totally unspoiled by modern man - so beautiful! And, you can still see evidence of the Mayans who used to explore there (they considered the caves a bridge to the underworld) - we saw pottery and a HUMAN SKULL 😳 high up on the ledges in the cave walls. 

After our canoe through the cave system, we decided to take a dip in the lagoon just outside the cave - the water was so spectacular and the views and the experience were unlike any other. Just beautiful - I know I’ll remember this day my whole life! I highly recommend a canoe trip through the caves and a refreshing jungle swim when you come to visit Belize! 🇧🇿 

After our dip, we ate an amazing picnic lunch specially prepared by Ka’ana, and then headed back to lounge the rest of the day at the hotel. 🌞

Also, we were so lucky to have an amazing guide, Andee, leading us on our tours this day, and I couldn’t go without giving him a special shout out! He shared with us such a wealth of knowledge about this part of Belize, Mayan history, the jungle, and the geological features of the caves we were exploring. He truly made the day extra remarkable! 💗

The road to Placencia

After just three short (but action packed!) days in San Ignacio, we were off to Itz’ana in Placencia, on the other side of Belize. Coming from San Ignacio, it made the most sense to us to drive directly there, versus driving back to BZE and then catching a flight to the Placencia Airport (PLJ), and since Itz’ana is a sister resort to Ka’ana, when they arranged our transport, Ka’ana was kind enough to set up a few sightseeing and experiential stops along the way! This is such a fantastic way to really get the MOST out of a quick trip. Check out my Placencia post to see where we stopped and what we did along the drive!

And if you plan to visit Belize, definitely consider a stop in San Ignacio! All of Belize is stunningly beautiful, but the jungle really does offer the most adventure and most fun and unique experiences! 🎒