Cayo District

Located in the western interior of Belize, Cayo is a 1500 square mile district that encompasses a good portion of the Maya Mountains and has more than its fair share of ancient Maya sites to visit and explore. To the east is the capital city of Belmopan and to the far west, visitor friendly San Ignacio, the main city of the district. Between the two lie a world of forests teeming with wildlife and immaculately beautiful tropical watersheds catered to by a variety of jungle and river lodges to suit any style, budget and adventure.

Besides being home to the nation's new capital of Belmopan, the Cayo District, has some of the most scenic attractions in Belize: clear, meandering rivers, lush jungles, green hillsides, thundering waterfalls, huge cave systems, two of Belize's most important Mayan ruins, and a pine ridge forest just waiting for you to explore and experience. It's rich with wildlife and a favored destination for ecotourists. The Cayo district is the Belizean frontier (you'll be able to do more horseback riding than in any other part of the country). It's reached via the Western Highway, which begins on the outskirts of Belize City at the intersection of Central American Boulevard and Cemetery Road.

A one-hour ride from Belize City gets you to Belmopan, whose downtown market area is a pulsating, thriving bus terminal with connections to every part of Belize. Belmopan has a quiet, suburban atmosphere, not what you'd expect to find in the capital city. In fact, with a population of only about 7,000, it is reportedly the world's smallest capital. Visitors quickly learn this is where most government business is conducted and everything is close at hand. The country's capital is located approximately 48 miles southwest of Belize City, nearly a one-hour drive along the Western Highway, near a juncture where a paved road turns toward the nation's capital. Belmopan was founded following the devastation of Belize City by Hurricane Hattie in 1961. By 1970 most government offices had moved to the new location. Stroll through the center of Belmopan for a look at its many different cultures, which are reflected in the town's architecture and populace.

Cradled in a picturesque valley and sandwiched between the Macal and Mopan rivers, San Ignacio, often called Cayo by locals, is the principal town in the district, 72 miles west of Belize City. As you approach the town of Santa Elena, quaint houses come into view on the San Ignacio hillside in the distance. Comprising the country's second-largest metropolitan area, the two sister towns serve as a springboard to the rest of the district. Between Belmopan and San Ignacio, one will pass the modern-day Mennonite settlement of Spanish Lookout.

Both English and Spanish are widely spoken in Cayo, which is home to large populations of Mestizos (Spanish Maya), Chinese, Creoles, Lebanese, Guatemalans, Mennonites and Mayas. As with every in Belize, smaller groups of all other ethnic groups live there, like the Garifuna and East Indians. It is the country's second largest district, with a population of some fifty-four thousand people.