On the Road to Beque Viejo & the Guatemalan Border
While San Ignacio is the regional hub and does make a good base for side trips, the real attractions in western Belize are up the rivers and in the forests. Within a few miles of San Ignacio are a host of lodges set somewhat off the beaten path, where you can canoe down clear rivers past 4-foot (1.2m) iguanas sunning themselves on the rocks, ride horses to Mayan ruins, hike jungle trails, and spot scores of beautiful birds and, occasionally, other wild animals. Out on the road to Caracol and Mountain Pine Ridge, there are more of these lodges. Except for the true budget traveler, I highly recommend that you stay at one of the lodges listed below while you're in the area. A few of the lodges can be reached by public bus from San Ignacio, though you may have up to a 20-minute walk after getting off the bus, so consider taking a taxi or arranging pickup in town. All the lodges offer a wide range of active adventures and tours to all the principle sites in the area.
Where to Stay -- Very Expensive -- Ek' Tun (tel. 820-3002; www.ektunbelize.com) is a unique, isolated, and gorgeous retreat with just two individual cottages set on the banks of the Macal River; it can only be reached by boat.
On the Road to Bullet Tree Falls
El Pilar (tel. 824-3612; www.marc.ucsb.edu/elpilar) was discovered in the 1970s, but real excavation and exploration didn't begin for another 20 years, and in fact it's still in its nascent stages. The site sits on a high hill some 900 feet (270m) above the Mopan River and is one of the largest Mayan settlements in Belize. Some say it even rivals Caracol. This ancient ceremonial city featured over 25 known plazas and covered some 100 acres (40 hectares), straddling the Belize and Guatemala border. The site is quite large, but most visitors concentrate on Xaman Pilar (North Pilar) and Nohol Pilar (South Pilar). Pilar Poniente (West Pilar) is in Guatemala, a little less than a mile away. There are several well-marked and well-maintained trails through the site. While you can explore El Pilar by yourself -- you can even download a very informative trail map from the above website -- I still recommend hiring a local guide. Plan on spending at least 3 hours here, though you could easily spend a full day or two exploring this site. The sunsets from Plaza Ixim looking west to Pilar Poniente and the forested hills of Guatemala are spectacular.
El Pilar is located about 12 miles (19km) north of San Ignacio, past the village of Bullet Tree Falls. In addition to driving your own vehicle, several tour agencies in San Ignacio offer horseback or mountain bike tours out to El Pilar.
A Place to Stay in Bullet Tree Falls -- I've gotten good reports about Cohune Palms River Cabanas (tel. 609-2738; www.cohunepalms.com), which has some simple cabins on the banks of the Mopan River.
