Day Trips from Belize to San Ignacio

Enjoy a full day of adventure by exploring a cave and temple from San Ignacio. Begin by heading to San Jose Succotz, a Maya village, where you’ll board a ferry to cross the Mopan River. From here, you’ll be immersed in beautiful jungle surrounding the Xunantunich Maya Temple. After exploring the temple with a guide, head to Actun Tunichil Muknal where you’ll hike and explore this natural cave steep in Mayan history and culture.

Small groups for a more personalized experience. Convenient pick up and drop off at your hotel within 10km of San Ignacio town. Sit down lunch. An early departure kicks off this full-day adventure, beginning with a convenient hotel pickup followed by a brief 20-minute drive to the Belize-Guatemala western border. Once across, enjoy a highly scenic 1.5-hour journey deep into the heart of the Guatemalan rainforest to reach the majestic ruins of Tikal. After an exhilarating day of hiking, exploring, and uncovering the secrets of ancient Maya history and culture, your adventure concludes with a well-deserved, delicious local lunch before returning to Belize

Visit Central America's most legendary ancient Mayan site on a private day trip to Tikal, located across the border from Belize in Guatemala. Get help crossing the border for a stress-free entrance to the archaeological site, and spend the day exploring the mighty and mysterious ruins of temples, plazas, royal apartments, and more with a guide. Look for wildlife like howler monkeys and toucans while trekking through the rainforests that surround the UNESCO-listed site, and recharge with included lunch at a restaurant inside the park.

The ATM Cave tour from San Pedro is distinctive because Actun Tunichil Muknal is both an active wet-cave expedition and a protected Maya ceremonial site. After traveling from Ambergris Caye to the mainland, a licensed ATM guide leads the jungle approach, river crossings, swim-in cave entrance, and route through limestone passages. The physical journey is essential to the experience: travelers move through water, climb within the cave, and follow the same natural route that gave the site meaning to the ancient Maya. In the ceremonial chambers, pottery, ritual evidence, and human remains remain in place rather than being displayed in a museum. Your guide explains the archaeological context while protecting a fragile site where every visitor must follow strict procedures. ATM is not a casual cave walk or a standard ruins tour; it is a demanding, closely guided expedition that connects Belize’s rainforest, geology, archaeology, and Maya spiritual history in one unforgettable journey.

An immersive experience, this tour takes you on a journey from San Pedro to the Xunantunich Maya Ruins. Step into the mysteries of an ancient civilization and explore the landscapes of Belize. Discover architectural wonders like El Castillo and cross the Mopan River on a traditional hand-cranked ferry. Engage with your guides, learn about the secrets of the Maya, and admire panoramic views from El Castillo's summit.

Sate an appetite for adrenaline on an action-packed day trip to San Pedro from Belize City. Under the supervision of your expert guide, you’ll go river tubing in an underground network of Mayan caves, before getting unrivaled views of the dense jungle when you zipline above the canopy. Hotel pickup is included for added convenience.

See a different side of Belize on this day tour, which combines a visit to the Mayan ruins at Xunantunich with a horseback-riding adventure. You'll start at Hanna Stables, where you'll spend around an hour on a trail ride along the Mopan River. You'll then get off your horse and head over to Xunantunich on a hand-cranked ferry, where you'll have plenty of time to explore and take photos.

Satisfy an appetite for adventure during a high-octane day trip that combines three of Belize’s top attractions and activities—the Mayan ruins of Xunantunich, cave tubing and ziplining. As well as saving you the hassle of booking three separate tours, this small-group excursion is limited to 15 travelers, to ensure you receive personalized attention from your guide. Plus, you’ll see Belize from three different perspectives—land, water, and sky.

Discover highlights of Belize’s inland capital city and its best natural swimming hole on a guided tour that combines a good dose of nature and culture. Departing from Belize City, drive through the countryside to Blue Hole National Park, where you can hike through the lush forest and swim in a tropical pool surrounded by vine-covered cliffs and leafy trees. Then, take a guided tour of nearby Belmopan, one of the world’s newest national capitals.

The atmospheric ruins of Xunantunich are some of the most-visited Mayan ruins in the world. During your stay in Belize, ensure you don’t miss the ancient archeological site on this 6-hour tour of Xunantunich, including cave tubing. Ideal for adventurous travelers, this excursion allows you to explore the Mayan ruins, hike through exotic rainforest, and ride an inflated inner tube down rivers running through darkened caverns. Entrance fees and round-trip transport from your Belize City hotel are included on this small-group tour, limited to 15 people.

Take a break from beach combing and water sports to explore the ancient ruins and mysterious caves of the Cayo district on this full-day combo tour from Placencia. Visit the remnants of a once-mighty Mayan city at Xunantunich — where you can see all the way to Guatemala from the top of a pyramid — and then float through an underground network of caverns on a cave tubing adventure.

Strap on a headlamp for Belize’s most exhilarating caving adventure at Actun Tunichil Muknal, better known as the ATM Cave. Hidden deep in a natural reserve, the ancient cave system can only be explored with a guide, so let an expert lead you safely through narrow passageways, glittering chambers, and up steep ladders. Come within inches of ancient pottery and human remains, remnants of mysterious Mayan ceremonies held here more than a thousand years ago.

Discover one of Belize’s most notable caves, Actun Tunichil Muknal, and learn about its mysterious history on this full-day excursion from Placencia. Join a small group and enjoy a guided tour of the cave. Take in the unique rock formations and learn about the cave’s Mayan history from your guide. Hotel pickup and drop-off are included for your convenience.

Prepare for a day filled with adventure on this guided tour from Hopkins. First, head to Xunantunich, located close to Belize’s western border. Here, catch panoramic views of the Cayo District and nearby Guatemala from atop El Castillo, the main temple of the archeological site. From there, travel to Caves Branch Archaeological Reserve for a cave tubing and ziplining adventure. Lunch and parking fees are included.

Instead of setting off to the Actun Tunic Hil Munal Cave on your own, this tour guides you and provides all of the necessary safety equipment for your convenience. With your helmet, headlamp, and life jacket if needed, hike, wade, and swim through this Maya underworld. The journey includes three river crossings, a 30-minute hike to an hourglass entrance, and a journey through a cave system with stalactites, stalagmites, boulders, and freshwater streams.

This guide-led experience brings travelers together for a well-paced look at the places and activities in the itinerary. The tour begins from Hopkins. At Xunantunich, walk through the ceremonial plazas, learn how the ancient city developed, and take in the wide Cayo District views around El Castillo. At the Inland Blue Hole, enjoy the forest setting and time at the natural freshwater pool—a refreshing break during the day. Allow about 6 hours for the full experience. This is a shared experience with a listed maximum of 15 travelers. transportation, entrance fees, guide service, lunch, bottled water, soft drinks, and juice are included. The experience is not wheelchair accessible. It is not recommended for pregnant travelers, travelers with back problems, and travelers with heart problems or other serious medical conditions.

Experience an Indiana Jones-style adventure on a day trip to Actun Tunichil Muknal (Cave of the Stone Sepulchre) from Caye Caulker. Skip the hassle of arranging tickets, transfers, and equipment, and instead focus on the incredible underground scenery as you descend to the mysterious Mayan chamber.

Pair the history of Xunantunich with a genuine ranch horseback experience at Banana Bank Lodge & Jungle Horseback Adventures. After exploring the Maya site, meet the ranch team, receive a safety briefing, and be matched with a suitable horse. Follow the ranch guide along tropical trails and riverside countryside at a comfortable pace. The day combines archaeological interpretation with a guided ranch ride suited to first-time and experienced riders who can follow the safety instructions.

Combine three of Belize’s top natural and historical attractions on a combo tour that saves you the hassle of booking each activity separately. Exploring the ancient Mayan site of Xunantunich with a guide puts the ruins into context, while cave tubing and ziplining satisfy an appetite for adventure. Note that the tour starts and ends in Belize City; water-taxi transfers from Caye Caulker are not included.

Belize offers tons of opportunities for outdoor adventure, but it can be difficult to pack in the highlights into just one trip. This small-group tour packs three of the most enthralling activities the country has to offer into just one day of adventure. Visit the Mayan ruins of Altun Ha, go tubing through a water-filled cave, and experience the thrill of ziplining through the jungle.

This guide-led experience brings travelers together for a well-paced look at the places and activities in the itinerary. At Xunantunich, walk through the ceremonial plazas, learn how the ancient city developed, and take in the wide Cayo District views around El Castillo. A hands-on chocolate-making experience introduces the cacao process and its long connection with Maya culture. Allow about 8 hours for the full experience. This is a shared experience with a listed maximum of 16 travelers. entrance fees, transportation, and bottled water are included. lunch is not included. The experience is not wheelchair accessible. It is not recommended for pregnant travelers, travelers with back problems, and travelers with heart problems or other serious medical conditions.

Go on an adventure to this incredible sacred cave in Belize. Drive from San Ignacio to Actun Tunichil Muknal, otherwise known as the Cave of the Stone Sepulchre. Here, you’ll follow guides as you wade through rivers and hike through the jungle to reach the cave entrance. Explore the stalactites, boulders and chambers of the cave, until you reach the remains of Crystal Maiden, believed to once have been a sacrificial offering to Gods.

Enjoy a full day tour from San Ignacio across the border to Guatemala’s UNESCO World Heritage Site, Tikal. You’ll be driven to the famous temple complex to learn more about the ancient Maya civilization with a guide and admire the incredible relics. You’ll be given plenty of time to wander amongst the more than 3000 preserved sites in the complex, before enjoying a delicious local lunch upon your journey back.

This Xunantunich and horseback riding tour from San Ignacio combines two close-up ways of experiencing the Cayo landscape. Cross the Mopan River by hand-cranked ferry and explore Xunantunich’s plazas, palaces, carved friezes, and El Castillo with a local guide who explains Maya rulership, ceremony, astronomy, and regional connections. At Banana Bank Lodge & Jungle Horseback Adventures, meet the ranch team, receive a safety orientation, and ride through tropical trails and riverside countryside on a horse selected for your ability. The transition from ancient ceremonial architecture to working Belize ranch country gives the day unusual depth and variety. Travelers first see how the Maya built above the river valley, then experience the surrounding countryside at trail level from horseback. Because both experiences are rooted in the Cayo District, they feel naturally connected rather than assembled as unrelated stops.