Cayo Scoop! The Ecology of Cayo Culture

The Belize Gold Book was released digitally today.  Cayo's section starts at page 58.  While they list all the major Maya sites and caves, they focus on Mountain Cow Cave(page 62 and 63).

"Home to the capital, the City of Belmopan, Cayo District’s picturesque small towns, lush tropical forest, and winding rivers are sure to charm you. As the smallest capital in the Americas, Belmopan’s central location makes it a perfect day-stop base for your adventures – whether hiking or exploring limestone cave systems at nearby National Parks. Further west takes you to Belize’s “breadbasket”, the colorful twin towns of San Ignacio and Santa Elena, connected by the iconic 1949 Hawksworth Bridge over the pristine Macal River. As the district that borders Guatemala, Cayo inspires irresistible Latin and Maya flavors go on full-display every Saturday morning at the local farmer’s market in San Ignacio with stalls from diverse ethnic backgrounds."

Video of the day.  The team at Belizing.com visited the amazing Mountain Cow Cave, aka 'Crystal Cave.'  One of the coolest caves in Belize.  Worth a watch, and definitely worth exploring.

"This caving experience in wonderland was an experience of a lifetime! Although the trip was extremely strenuous, it was definitely worth it! Not many are fit for the challenge to explore the wonders of the Crystal Cave; but, if you get the chance to go, do it! Belize Caving Expeditions has excellent guides that are experienced in their field of cave expeditions and other trips. They will make your spelunking trip worthwhile!"

Trip Savvy compiled a list of the best hikes in Belize, and of course, Cayo hikes dominate the list.  From Mountain Cow Cave to Guanacaste park to the Black Hole Drop to the Don Elijio Panti Medicinal Trail, they have it, along with some trails in Cockscomb Basin.  Definitely worth a read.  

"Belize is filled with beautiful secret beaches and breathtaking mountains that are just waiting to be explored. Here are the best hikes for adventurous travelers in Belize...

The Blue Hole National Park managed by the Audubon Society is rife with beautiful forests (and of course, blue waters) for visitors to explore. We recommend signing up for the Crystal Cave Tour to hike nearly an hour through the tropical forest before exploring the gorgeous Crystalline Cave within the jungle. You will notice caves are a big deal in Belize and well worth the effort to explore (especially when the interior looks like a crystal.) We recommend always signing up with a guide for these types of explorations, as repelling is involved, as well as more technical aspects of climbing. Plus, having a local guide is the best way to better understand a local culture."

Cayo's Mountain Cow Cave, located in the Blue Hole National Park, was on Overlander TV.  They went with Hun Chi'ik Tours.  This is a great video of one of Cayo's best caves.

"We start the tour by hiking through the steamy jungle, I film my first Blue Morpho Butterfly.  We then descend into the Mayan Underworld, going 150 metres down into the cave system, that has been used for ceremony since ancient times.  Maya shamans and priests would enter into trance in crystal cave to conduct their ceremonies and rituals.  We see huge caverns adorned with spelothems and crystalline formation, artifacts of pottery, beads, obsidian blades and human skeletal remains that have been calcified in the limestone floor.  Crystal Cave is located in the Blue Hole National Park.  After exploring the realms of the Under world (xibalba), we hike back to the vehicle and drive for five minutes to the Blue Hole for a refreshing swim."