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11 Best Things to Do in San Ignacio Belize
Looking for fun things to do in San Ignacio Belize? You’ve come to the right place!
San Ignacio was one of our favorite stops in Belize, and I could easily return there for repeated amazing visits. In fact, we’re planning a visit back very soon!
Many people miss out on all that San Ignacio has to offer. Sadly, they immediately head for the beautiful islands off the coast of Belize, like Ambergris Caye and Caye Caulker.
Some parts of the country, like those, are getting very touristy and overdeveloped. However, San Ignacio maintains its local charm.
This means it is a perfect place to explore some of the best eco-tourism opportunities Belize has to offer. And I can’t keep my research nd expertise to myself, so I had to write this article to help you plan your own Belize trip.
Based on my personal experience and ongoing research, here are our favorite things to do in San Ignacio Belize, that you really shouldn’t miss when you visit!
Things to Do in San Ignacio Belize
San Ignacio is cool. There are cute little ice cream shops and bakeries to check out while you’re wandering around. Technically, the town itself isn’t a must-see.
Most of the natural views and activities are outside the village proper. However, there are a few things to see in Centro as well as some amazing day trips.
You can easily spend a week exploring all the things to do in San Ignacio Belize during your trip.
1. St. Herman’s Blue Hole National Park
St Herman’s Blue Hole National Park is located on the Hummingbird Highway approximately 1/3 of the way between San Ignacio and Belize.
Visitors can only go 200 meters into the cave without a guide. All the good stuff to see is further inside.
👉 If you prefer to explore more of the park, including the famous St. Herman’s Cave, a guided tour is recommended.
This is a different blue hole than the famous one in the ocean that draws scuba divers from around the world. The park is 575 square miles and offers several hiking trails to explore.
We only spent time at the swimming area, to have lunch and relax during the afternoon heat. There’s a picnic area, restrooms, and changing rooms available for visitors.
It’s $4 USD to enter the park, which is one of seven nature areas throughout the country protected by the Belize Audubon Society. The entry fees go toward maintaining the facilities for future generations.
2. Tour the Actun Tunichil Muknal (ATM) Cave
The Actun Tunichil Muknal (ATM) cave has been ranked the #1 religious cave in the world by National Geographic.
👉 Due to the difficulty level, a guided tour is required for anyone wishing to explore the cave.
It is kind of a creepy experience because while you’re walking through the cave, you see burial sites of Mayan royalty and other important people.
Ever since this cave was discovered in the 1980s, it has been a top tourist destination in Belize. I wanted to do the ATM tour on our trip.
However, our son wasn’t tall enough at the time. Although not difficult, the excursion does have good reason to be limited to older children and adults. We’ll be taking this tour on our next visit.
After a 45-minute jungle hike, you get to swim, crawl, and spelunk your way through an underground cave.
If your kids are old and tall enough, I highly recommend adding it to your itinerary when planning a trip to Belize.
3. Take a Waterfall Tour
👉 Consider adding this waterfall river tour to your itinerary when you’re planning a trip to Belize!
We spent our first day in San Ignacio hanging out on the Macal River, swimming in the chilly water near our vacation rental.
We later found out that crocodiles live there, so I do not recommend others swim there! The Macal River is beautiful, though.
While there we met a local guy who runs a river trip where he takes you to see and swim in various waterfalls along the river. He was just starting a group tour and invited us to come along.
We didn’t have other plans so we took him up on the offer. It was a great choice because the waterfall tour was really fun!
4. Caracol Mayan Ruins
Tucked inside the Chiquibul Forest is one of the most important Mayan ruins in Belize: Caracol.
I do recommend a guide for this trip. There are no guides available on site.
👉 A tour must be booked in advance if you wish to have a guide at this ruin site.
The impressive city was once home to more than 140,000 people and stretched more than 70 square miles.
That encompasses an area larger than modern-day Belize City. It is the largest archeological site in Belize.
Discovered in 1938, Caracol covers about 65 square miles (168 square kilometers). It includes more than 35,000 structures and five plazas, surrounded by lush jungle.
Entrance to the site is free. However, there aren’t any signs explaining what the various structures are. Driving 65 kilometers from San Ignacio to wander through piles of rock won’t be very educational.
5. Cave Tubing
👉 Our last day in San Ignacio, we booked an excursion to go cave tubing. It’s a fabulous experience!
These caves span seven miles, with small pockets of mangrove trees in between some of them.
We didn’t tube the entire expanse, but our guide took us further upriver than the cruise ships go. An hour into our journey, he pointed out where the cruisers started their excursion.
Later, we also saw where they get out to rush back to their ships. This made me feel like we got our money’s worth on that excursion!
On the way back, we even stopped at a really fun restaurant called Hode’s Place. It’s on the outskirts of San Ignacio and has a big playground for kids.
It was nice to relax and listen to music while Little Man ran around and blew off some steam. I highly recommend this restaurant for any family planning a trip to Belize!
6. Cahal Pech
👉 Cahal Pech Resort is a well-reviewed hotel with a pool and other family-friendly amenities.
These Mayan ruins are unique, in that they aren’t a city or strategic outpost. Instead, they are the ruins of a palatial home that was once owned by a powerful Mayan citizen.
Built before 1200 CE, Cahal Pech is one of the oldest Mayan sites in Western Belize. It’s also where the oldest pottery remnants in all of Belize have been found.
Excavation at Cahal Pech is still ongoing. Many key finds are housed in the on-site museum.
If seeing these unique ruins is important to your list of things to do in San Ignacio Belize, then consider staying within walking distance of them.
As it’s on top of the same hill as the ruins, there is an excellent view of the surrounding area from several places on the resort.
7. Day Trip to the Tikal Ruins in Guatemala
👉 If you’re only going for a day, I strongly recommend you hire a tour company.
This day trip was the highlight of our visit to San Ignacio. I can’t recommend it enough for all ages.
There’s so much to know about a day trip to Tikal that I wrote a complete post about how to visit this amazing UNESCO World Heritage Site.
It’s not worth the effort to go for just a day on public transit, and you can’t take rental cars across the border. A guided Tikal tour from San Ignacio is your best option.
Parent Tip: Don’t take a stroller. The paths are uneven and full of tree roots. If your kiddos are too young to walk all day, plan to babywear.
8. Xunantunich
These Mayan ruins are one of the most popular in Belize, in part because it is so close to San Ignacio. It’s fun to visit this site because it’s no simple parking lot off a dirt road.
Instead, visitors approach the site by crossing the Mopan River on a hand-operated ferry and then climbing up to the limestone ridge that serves as the foundation for the city.
Kids usually find the hand operation fascinating.
The ferry runs from 8 am to 5 pm. However, the ferry operator usually stops allowing new entries to the ruins sometime around 3:30 pm.
Pro Tip: If you’re considering a visit as you plan a trip to Belize, don’t make it your last stop of the day.
The largest and most famous of the temples at the site is called El Castillo (the Castle). It rises 130 feet (roughly the same height as Coba in Mexico) and offers a breathtaking panoramic view of the Macal, Mopan, and Belize River Valley.
Yes, you can climb Xunantunich! Just consider how you and your kiddos will feel after climbing both up and down on handmade, uneven stone steps.
It may be something that one adult in the group does while the other stays down with the littlest ones.
9. Visit the Iguana Project
The Green Iguana Conservation Project is 25+ year old non-profit dedicated to the conservation of the green iguana in Belize.
At first, it was hard to find because they don’t have a separate location. The organization is based inside the San Ignacio Resort Hotel.
We parked and then had to ask the front desk where to go. This happens a lot because they knew exactly where to direct us.
The project provides a tour of their facility, complete with a hands-on (or claws-on) encounter option to touch, hold, and feed the iguanas.
Visitors are taught about the incubation, hatching, rearing, and releasing process of the green iguana in Belize. Little Man loved it!
The price tag is reasonable at $9USD per person. This fee goes to funding the project’s sustainability efforts.
10. San Ignacio Market
There’s a small daily market near the bridge into town that offers mainly produce and assorted living goods. It also has some handicrafts and souvenirs.
However, the big market is held on Saturdays. There is more of everything as well as some snack carts. If you happen to be in town on a Saturday, definitely stop by to check it out.
11. Visit the Belize Botanic Gardens
Located just a 20-minute drive from San Ignacio Centro, the Botanic gardens are excellent for hikers and non-hikers alike.
They are a great way to see a large variety of plantlife from Belize without traveling all over the country to do so.
This makes it ideal for parents who want to see the sites with kids who aren’t up for adventuresome treks through the Belizean jungles.
Some trails go deeper into the reserve as well as paths to stroll and enjoy the trees, flowers, and animals.
There’s even a nice little beach and a beautiful river to admire in this 45-acre preserve.
Getting to San Ignacio Belize
Belize is a fairly small country and all the notable towns are less than a few hours apart by car. The highways are generally well-maintained so it’s easy to drive yourself around.
We chose to rent a car at the airport during our one week in Belize. We recommend this to other families visiting the country.
👉 I recommend using Discover Cars for renting a car on your trip!
The drive from Placencia or the Belize International Airport to San Ignacio takes about 2.5 hours. Due to our flight landing in the afternoon, we realized when planning a trip to Belize that we wouldn’t make it to San Ignacio before dark.
Instead, we spent the night at a rental next to the Belize Zoo and visited there before driving on to San Ignacio.
I don’t normally recommend captive animal tourism because a large portion of it is highly unethical.
However, this zoo is comprised entirely of rescued animals who cannot be returned to their natural environment. It’s a unique experience for families to enjoy!
👉 However, if you don’t want to deal with driving it’s also easy to hire a transport service to San Ignacio.
Travel Tip: Spend a few hours at the zoo, eat lunch, then drive to San Ignacio to check into your hotel before dinner time.
Places to Stay in San Ignacio Belize
We were fortunate enough to find a vacation rental at Better in Belize Eco Village (BIB), which is situated down a bumpy dirt road in the jungle along the Guatemalan border.
Most people live in their homes there full- or part-time. This makes it difficult to find a rental house with open dates. During our stay, we did see howler monkeys, a toucan, and various cool lizards during our stay at BIB.
One night I saw bushes rustling, and I am positive that a jaguar was doing it. There’s one living in the area. One morning, we even saw a scorpion!
Pro Tip: Always shake out your shoes before putting them on. Never put your clothes on the floor. You might find a scorpion hiding inside since they like to hide in dark places.
Due to the pandemic, many vacation rentals at BIB have stopped taking guests. Even now, many have not resumed short-term rentals.
This means it’s now better to get a hotel in San Ignacio town since there are more hotels there. In addition, it’s easier to find tour transportation there if you don’t have a private vehicle to get around.
Conclusion: Things to Do in San Ignacio Belize
We loved San Ignacio and want to return someday to keep exploring. If you’re planning a trip to Belize, whether it’s a week-long or a month-long adventure, make sure San Ignacio makes the cut.
Spending at least a few days here should be an essential part of any Belize itinerary. There are a variety of activities to keep families with kids in any age group entertained.
We only had a few days here between visiting the Belize Zoo and heading to Placencia. It certainly wasn’t enough! I’m really looking forward to our return trip to keep exploring there.
👉 While we have global health insurance for our day-to-day lives, we also elect travel insurance with SafetyWing for our spurts of fast travel adventure!
