Top Reasons to Go to The Cayo

National Parks and Reserves: About 60% of the Cayo District is national parks and reserves. That's good news if you like hiking, birding, wildlife-spotting, canoeing, or engaging in other outdoor activities.

Caves: Although there are caves in Toledo and elsewhere in Belize, Cayo has the biggest and most exciting ones. Actun Tunichil Muknal is the top caving experience in Belize.

Mayan Sites: The Cayo is home to the largest and most important Mayan site in Belize; Caracol has more than 35,000 buildings, though so far only a handful have been excavated. Cayo also has the most easily accessible Mayan sites in the country, Cahal Pech and Xunantunich, along with dozens of smaller ones.

Jungle Lodges: With more than 30 jungle lodges, the Cayo has far more than all the other districts of Belize combined. There's a lodge for every budget, from bare-bones cabins along the Mopan River to ultradeluxe villas on the Macal River and in the Mountain Pine Ridge.

Mountains: The Mountain Pine Ridge's 2,000–3,600 foot mountains, with their waterfalls, caves, and rivers, provide a welcome respite from the heat and humidity of lowland Belize, though most of it is not broad-leaf jungle but piney woods not too different from the Southern Appalachians in Alabama or Georgia.