Elijio Panti National Park

Elijio Panti National Park Review

Named after the famed Guatemala-born herbal healer who died in 1996 at the age of 106, Elijio Panti National Park, also known as Noj Kaax Panti National Park, is the latest addition to Belize's already extensive national parks system. It spans about 16,000 acres around the villages of San Antonio, Cristo Rey, and El Progreso and into the Mountain Pine Ridge. The boundaries of the park roughly follow the Macal River on the west, Barton Creek on the north, Rio Frio Caves on the south, and the Mountain Pine Ridge reserve on the east. The hope is that with no hunting in this park, more wildlife will return to western Belize. Inside the park are Sapodilla Falls and a Mayan ceremonial cave, Offering Cave. At this writing, a visitor center near the village of San Antonio is under construction, with a natural healing medicine trail, which is also a work in progress. Entry to the park including a visit to Sapodilla Falls and Offering Cave currently requires that you be accompanied by a licensed tour guide. For information on the park and how to visit it, check with tour guides in San Ignacio or ask at the Garcia Sister's gift shop at the Tanah Art Museum in San Antonio village.