Belize’s Cayo District Article taken from - https://www.belize.com/cayo Tourist cafe on San Ignacio’s Burns Avenue Belizeans from western Belize are fond of boasting that “the west is best!” And they sure have a lot to be proud about. Besides being home to the nation’s Capital, the City of Belmopan, the Cayo District, covering some two thousand square miles of verdant landscape, has some of the most scenic attractions in the country. You will find clear, meandering rivers, lush jungles, green hillsides, thundering waterfalls, huge cave systems, two of the 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 eco tourists. 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 is 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, where the downtown market area is a pulsating, thriving hub with bus terminal and taxi stands offering connections to every part of Belize. Located in this area are the Belize Bank, The Bank of Nova Scotia and Heritage Bank, formerly RBC First Caribbean Bank, restaurants, fast food and snack shops, the central produce, market, internet cafes and shops. On your way from Belmopan to San Ignacio, you will pass the entrance to the modern-day Mennonite settlement of Spanish Lookout. If you want to get a look at what may appear to be a neat town in mid America, the run into Spanish Lookout is but 15 minutes from the highway. Spanish Lookout is a thriving agriculture community with two big supermarkets and several hardware stores. Both English and Spanish are widely spoken in Cayo, which is home to large populations of Latinos, Creoles, Chinese, Lebanese, Guatemalans, Mennonites and Mayas. As with almost every town here, 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 sixty thousand people. West of Belmopan, the highway begins to climb out of the valley and the air gets noticeably cooler. It is a beautiful drive along rolling green countryside dotted with small, picturesque villages, with intriguing names such as Ontario, Tea Kettle, Central Farm and Esperanza (Hope), and, as you get further west, large tracts of cultivated farmland, many of which belong to the Mennonite community. You will also see fields of cattle 1 grazing and several orange orchards. The Cayo District provides most of the livestock, poultry and grain consumed here. The Hawksworth bridge dates from 1949 and spans the Macal River that separates San Ignacio and Santa Elena towns in the Cayo District. Seventy-two miles from Belize city are the twin towns of Santa Elena and San Ignacio, separated by the Macal River and crossed via the country’s ‘s only suspension bridge, the Hawksworth Bridge. A new two lane concrete bridge is now finished a mile downriver. Several bus companies make return trips to San Ignacio and Santa Elena. The area is the gateway to the western border and surrounded by several villages. Saturdays will find the twin towns area bustling with shoppers and visitors. The area is very popular with tourists and you can find many hotels, guest houses and backpacker hostels. The towns have an excellent nightlife, stores, restaurants and cafes and is a staging ground for those planning to visit Tikal and other areas in Guatemala. An airstrip is located at Central Farm not far from San Ignacio and Santa Elena and this in itself has become a small tourist stop for those wishing to view the area by regular small aircraft or ultra lights. Xunantunich Maya ruin is one of the main tourist attractions in the Cayo District About twelve miles further West you will find the Maya Village of Succotz with easy access to the impressive Xunantunich Maya ruin. On your way west, the ferry to cross the river going to Xunantunich is on the right. Succotz is a quiet village with not much to do, but it has a couple restaurants that serve typical Yucatec-Maya cuisine. Another three miles or so you are in Benque Viejo del Carmen town practically within walking distance of Belize’s western border with Guatemala at Melchor de Mencos. Benque is very easy going as most folks going in that direction are headed to or returning from Guatemala. Both Succotz and Benque make up for their staid atmosphere by hosting annual summer fairs that attract thousands of visitors from all over the country. 2 .