San Ignacio is one of the most exciting and adventurous destinations to visit in Belize. Located in the lush jungles of the Cayo District, this laid-back town is the perfect base for exploring Mayan ruins, underground caves, and discovering wildlife.  Many travelers that visit Belize head straight to the islands and beaches of Belize, I highly recommend venturing inland first to San Ignacio to see a different side of the country, filled with history and adventure.  If you are looking for things to do in San Ignacio, Belize, there is no shortage of adventurous excursions. My San Ignacio travel guide covers my recommendations on day trips and how to make the most of your time in San Ignacio. ** This post contains affiliate links. If you click on one of the links or widgets throughout the page, whether it be Viator, Booking.com, Agoda, or any other affiliate, I might receive commission at no extra cost to you. For more information, you can visit my affiliate link page here. Thanks for the support! Getting to San Ignacio from Belize City San Ignacio is located in the jungles of the Cayo District. Belize does not have the best infrastructure or highway networks, so getting to San Ignacio does take a little bit of planning and patience.  There is a small airport in San Ignacio that has flights to and from Belize City. We met a couple on their Honey Moon here in Belize, and they flew and used the airport and said everything worked as expected without issues, so there is that option. The cheaper option and the option we opted for was to hop on a bus that went from Belize City to San Ignacio. Think of the “Yellow” school buses we use in the States. These are similar to the shuttles used for transportation. The journey from Belize City to San Ignacio is about 2.5 hours and isn’t the most comfortable journey but it is interesting and one heck of an experience. All the buses will make a stop in the capital city of Belmopan before being directed to San Ignacio or other destinations.  Here is what we did to arrive at the bus station from the Philip Goldson International Airport (Belize City Airport).  Set aside $50, this will pay for the taxi to and from the bus station from the airport, $25 each way. A taxi is basically the only way to get here from the airport. Once you arrive at the bus station, buses leave toward San Ignacio every 30 minutes so no worries if one pulls out once you arrive. Bus fares are 7 Belizean Dollars which equates to about $3.50 USD. You pay there and wait for one of the buses. Generally, it is first come first serve and you can sit anywhere on the bus. The bus will make frequent stops between Belize City and San Ignacio but all buses will stop in Belmopan for about 15 minutes before continuing on to San Ignacio. To get back to Belize City, buses pick up is the same location as the drop off area and it mimics the same route back to Belize City.  Many locals ride the bus but most travelers especially budget travelers use it as well. Where to Stay in San Ignacio San Ignacio offers a wide range of accommodations, from budget hostels in town to luxury jungle resorts. Many travelers choose to stay in San Ignacio because it provides easy access to many of the attractions, tour companies, and restaurants.  I stayed at the Maya Bella Downtown Hotel in San Ignacio. It was the perfect mix of budget friendly, clean, and private.  Things to do in San Ignacio While many travelers visit for the surrounding jungle adventures, there are still plenty of things to do in San Ignacio, right in town.  We spent several days in San Ignacio, with a few day trips but managed to set time aside to explore the town and surrounding area. Here are some of my recommended things to do in San Ignacio.  Cahal Pech My number one recommendation and top thing to do in San Ignacio is visiting the ancient Mayan ruins of Cahal Pech. We walked to the ruins from our hotel, located downtown, so it’s easily accessible.  We reached Cahal Pech early in the morning when the site opened at 7:00 am. We practically had the entire site to ourselves.  I’ve visited Mayan sites around Guatemala, Mexico, and other sites in Belize, and Cahal Pech ranks up there as one of my favorites.  Cahal Pech didn’t feel as commercialized like some of the bigger ruins. We were able to freely walk around the site, climb some of the structures, and just enjoy the Mayan ruins at our own pace.  AJAW Chocolate & Crafts While walking back to town from Cahal Pech, we walked right by a Chocolate artisan shop, AJAW Chocolate & Crafts, advertising chocolate tours. We were able to join a tour and got to partake in a Maya Cacao bean to bowl tasting class.  The staff showed us the whole process from extracting the cacao bean and turning it into a paste using traditional stones to grind the beans. We then got to make chocolate drinks from the paste. At first, the chocolate was really bitter, but by adding natural sweetener to the cacao like honey, it became much more bearable and quite delicious.  Learning about and sampling the chocolate at various stages was a phenomenal experience.   Hawkesworth Bridge Not necessarily the prettiest bridge but it’s a fun attraction to check out briefly while visiting San Ignacio. The Hawkesworth Bridge is both a pedestrian and vehicular bridge.  You can walk on the Hawkesworth Bridge safely as a pedestrian. I found the views of the Macal River to be particular nice from the bridge. So go for the views and not necessarily for the bridge itself.  Recommended Places to Eat in San Ignacio Erva’s Restaurant4 Far W St, San Ignacio, Belize Located downtown this small restaurant serves up fresh cuisine from the area. They had outdoor seating, which I generally prefer. I ordered the fried fish fillet and Jill had coconut fish. Both fish dishes were cooked nicely and we were very pleased with our first meal in Belize.  Guava Limb CafeBurns Avenue, San Ignacio, Belize This restaurant was probably our favorite. It caught my attention right away, the decoration and atmosphere was just so welcoming. This restaurant was two-storied. For dinner, I had the jerk chicken quesadilla and Jill had a traditional panini, both meals were excellent. They also had great looking cake here for dessert, have to save room for cake next time.  Ko Ox Han Nah5 Burns Avenue, San Ignacio, Belize This restaurant was a popular one, we came at the right time because shortly after, there was a long line. Jill had the lamb burger and I had pork cutlets with coconut rice. The flavors here were unique to us, we really enjoyed it. Sweet TingBenque Viejo Road, San Ignacio, Belize Passed by this cute little cake shop on the way to downtown from Cahal Pech. This place was tiny, but there were two tables inside and cakes in the display case. We purchased a couple slices of mocha rum cake and some cookies. The Ice Cream Shoppe5W5H+HMV, San Ignacio, Belize Who doesn’t love a good ice cream? Especially in new places with interesting and tropical flavors. I kept hearing the term soursop and saw it as an ice cream flavor and had to try. Soursop is a dark green prickly fruit and the inside is a whitish color. It’s super refreshing and tasted especially yummy in ice cream.  Day Trips from San Ignacio San Ignacio is the perfect base for exploring some of the most incredible attractions in western Belize. It’s easy to plan several unforgettable day trips from San Ignacio and honestly, some of the most adventurous tours I’ve ever been on.  Out of the many day tours from San Ignacio, I did the Actun Tunichil Muknal Tour and took a day trip to the Mayan ruins of Caracol.  Actun Tunichil Muknal Tour Actun Tunichil Muknal Tour, otherwise known as the ATM Cave, was literally one of the best experiences in my life. If you only have time for one day trip from San Ignacio, I highly recommend doing the ATM Cave. This cave is famous for the Crystal Maiden, who is believed to be a young female sacrificial victim. There are other skeletal remains and artifacts throughout the cave. The main draw of the cave beside the Crystal Maiden, is getting to the cavern where she rests. For the most part, you have to swim your way through narrow cave openings, climb rocks, and slide down natural water slides. Cameras are not allowed here as people previously have damaged the skeletons with their cameras and it’s just a safety hazard. After exploring the cave, I completely understand why. Before getting to the cave and after exiting the group has to walk a bit to get to the actual cave through lush rainforest, we saw a fresh jaguar paw print in the mud!  👉 Interested in the Actun Tunichil Muknal tour? Here is the exact one I took, Actun Tunichil Muknal Cave Tour.  Caracol Mayan Ruins The ancient Mayan ruins of Caracol was the other day trip from San Ignacio that we decided on. I decided on visiting Caracol instead of other Mayan ruins because of the remoteness of the site and interesting history.  Getting to and from Caracol was an adventure in itself. We lucked out as we were the only visitors that day and got a private tour with a guide through MayaWalk. Our tour guide Darryl, was great and used his own 4×4 to get us safely there. Caracol is tricky to reach, the roads are basically mud and everyone has to depart at a certain time and get escorted away by military vehicles as they have issues with bandits in the area come evening time.  Caracol is a very special place to both Jill and I as this is where we became engaged. That’s right! I asked Jill to marry me on top of Caana or the Sky Palace which is not only the tallest Mayan structure in Belize but it is the largest building in all of Belize. Caracol is huge, it is said to rival Tikal, the large Mayan site in Guatemala. During its prime, Caracol probably had around 100,000 people living there. The site is estimated to cover about 75 square miles, which is bigger then any modern day city in Belize. The history of this site dates back to 1200 B.C. and peaked around 650 A.D. before it was abandoned like many other Mayan sites around Central America. Only a small percentage of the site has been excavated. Now there are a few plazas that are fully excavated. After doing extensive research on the site and using LIDAR scans, it is said that there are most like around 35,000 buildings here.  👉 It is highly recommended to take a guide tour to Caracol, here is the tour I recommend, Caracol Maya Ruins Tour with Rio on Pools, Rio Frio Cave, and Lunch.  San Ignacio FAQs Is San Ignacio worth visiting? San Ignacio is a must visit destination when traveling to Belize. If you are looking for adventure, San Ignacio is the perfect starting point. Depending on your Belize itinerary, I recommend visiting San Ignacio first before going to the islands. Is San Ignacio Safe?San Ignacio is safe, tourism is their primary industry so they welcome tourist and we had no issues.  How many days should you spend in San Ignacio? I recommend spending at least 3-4 days in San Ignacio. This leaves your San Ignacio itinerary open for a few days and enough time to explore the town and surrounding sites.  What Mayan Ruins are located near San Ignacio? Cahal Pech is the closest Mayan site near San Ignacio, but you can also