Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
SHOPPING
San Ignacio's most interesting shopping is to be had in the riverfront
market
area, between the two bridges, which ticks
along quietly during the week and springs into full life on Saturdays, when it hosts one of the very best food markets in
Belize, with farmers bringing in fresh produce from all over the district. Otherwise, several of the small-scale stores along
Burns Avenue are well worth browsing.
Back To My Roots
30 Burns Ave
T
824 2740.
Rasta
drums, home-made jewellery and assorted local art
and handicrafts.
Mon-Wed 9am-5pm, Thurs-Sat
9am-9pm.
Belize Gifts
JNC Mall, 21 Burns Ave
T
824 4159.
A good
selection of gifts, souvenirs and craft items, including fine
carved wood, as well as a small array of topics on the
region.
Mon-Sat 8am-9pm.
Books & Stuff
JNC Mall, 21 Burns Ave.
One of the
very few bookshops in Belize, with a large stock of
secondhand paperbacks.
Mon-Fri 9am-12.30pm &
1.30-6pm.
West of San Ignacio
There's plenty to see and do in the ten-mile swathe of undulating jungle that lies
between San Ignacio and the Guatemalan border at
Benque Viejo
. Maya sites range from
the attractively restored hilltop city of
Xunantunich
, reached by ferry from the highway
village of
San José Succotz
, to the remote and only minimally excavated remains of
El
Pilar
, straddling the frontier to the north, and the little-known cave of
Chechem Ha
to
the south. Otherwise the big appeal for adventurous travellers is the chance to
experience two contrasting rivers, whether on relaxing
canoe trips
along the mostly
gentle
Macal River
, or tubing or
kayaking
along the faster
Mopan River
. Attractive
accommodation options are scattered along the highway as well as beside the rivers.
4
Bullet Tree Falls
Located three miles northwest of San Ignacio along Bullet Tree Road,
BULLET TREE
FALLS
is a predominately Spanish-speaking mestizo farming village that spreads along
the forested banks of the Mopan River. A bridge crosses the river at the falls - really
just a set of rapids - and there are several very pleasant and good-value
places to stay
on the riverbank nearby.
Immediately north of the bridge, Bullet Tree Road heads right, east, and continues
northeast to the Mennonite community of Spanish Lookout (see p.126). Alternatively,
a clearly signposted left turn a couple of hundred yards along leads seven miles north to
the remote Maya site of
El Pilar
. If you're heading that way, call in at the
Be Pukte
Cultural Centre
, south of the bridge in the heart of the village (Mon & Fri-Sun
9am-3pm;
T
093 7003,
W
interconnection.org/elpilar), which holds a model of El Pilar,
and can provide information on local guides.
El Pilar
11 miles northwest of San Ignacio, via Bullet Tree Falls • Daily 8am-4pm • Bz$10 • Full details on
W
marc.ucsb.edu
The remote and largely undeveloped Maya site of
El Pilar
is a rough uphill eight-mile
drive northwest of Bullet Tree Falls on the Guatemalan border. Setting aside
generations of mutual suspicion, Belize and Guatemala have created the
El Pilar
Archaeological Reserve for Maya Flora and Fauna
, covering an area of over five square
miles on both sides of the border, and offering some of the finest
birding
in Cayo;
enthusiasts of avifauna and monkeys should definitely bring binoculars. Visitors willing
to brave the harsh road conditions are free to make their own way here - allow an hour
for the drive from San Ignacio - but you'll get much more out of the experience if you
come with an expert guide, arranged with local hotels and tour operators, or via the Be
Pukte Cultural Centre in Bullet Tree Falls (see above).
