Day Trips from Belmopan
The best excursions and trips you can do in a day
Full-Day Trips
Worth dedicating a whole day to explore.
Actun Tunichil Muknal (ATM) Cave
$95-110 (guide fee + park permit + gear)Wade, swim, and climb into the Maya underworld on this bucket-list caving adventure. Inside the cathedral-sized chambers you’ll encounter calcite-encrusted skeletons and eerie ceramic vessels left after blood-letting rituals. Guides explain both geology and ancient beliefs while you squeeze through glittering passageways.
Blue Hole National Park + St Herman’s Cave Tubing
$15 (park entry) + $10 tube rentalA sapphire cenote fringed by jungle has a refreshing plunge, followed by a lazy river float through St Herman’s Cave. Add a short hike to see stalactites and a colony of cave swallows. It’s ATM-lite: same lush rainforest without the tight squeezes.
Mountain Pine Ridge Loop (Rio On, Big Rock, Caracol)
$25 (park fees) + $85 tour incl. vehicle & guideAscend into cool pine forests to visit Belize’s highest waterfall, natural jacuzzi pools, and the colossal Maya city of Caracol. Cool weather, granite outcrops, and sweeping vistas feel nothing like coastal Belize.
Barton Creek Cave Canoe + Green Hills Butterfly Farm
$70 (cave canoe) + $10 (butterfly farm)Glide by flashlight into a cathedral-like cave river once used for Maya rituals. Afterward, walk among iridescent blue morphos in a screened jungle conservatory and sample homemade cacao drinks at a nearby farm.
Cockscomb Basin Jaguar Preserve Hike & River Tube
$10 park fee + $40 return taxi from highwayWorld’s first jaguar sanctuary offers well-marked trails through lush rainforest, waterfalls, and a river perfect for tubing. While cats are elusive, you’re almost guaranteed to hear howler monkeys and see jaguar paw prints in the mud.
Xunantunich & Cahal Pech Maya Ruins + San Ignacio Market
$10 (both sites) + $15 bus/taxiCross a hand-cranked ferry to climb 130-ft El Castillo pyramid with panoramic views of the Mopan River, then head to Cahal Pech’s hilltop palaces in San Ignacio. Finish with street tacos and craft stalls at the Saturday market.
Guanacaste National Park + Community Baboon Sanctuary
$5 (park) + $15 (sanctuary) + $10 lunchStart with a gentle 2-mile loop beneath giant guanacaste trees teeming with trogons and agoutis, then drive north to Bermudian Landing to watch endangered black howler monkeys swing overhead in a grassroots conservation project.
Half-Day Options
Shorter excursions when time is limited.
Belize Zoo Night Tour
$22 entry + $15 guide upgrade for night tourA 30-minute drive brings you to the acclaimed ‘best little zoo in the world.’ After dusk, tapirs, jaguars, and harpy eagles are active; red-lensed flashlights let you watch without disturbing them.
Spanish Lookout Mennonite Farm & Cheese Tasting
$10-15 (cheese & fuel)Drive into rolling farmland to see horse-drawn buggies, buy artisanal cheddar, and tour a hydroponic vegetable farm. A cultural contrast to nearby rainforests.
River Kayak on Roaring & Belize River Confluence
$25 kayak rentalPaddle gentle Class I water from Roaring Creek junction back to Belmopan, watching iguanas sunbathe on overhanging branches and passing riverside mango camps.
St. Herman’s Blue Hole Birdwatching at Dawn
$10 park feeBeat the heat and crowds with a 6 a.m. start; 90+ species recorded including tody motmot and white-whiskered puffbird.
Day Trip Tips
Make the most of your excursions.
- Weather swings: pack rain jacket even in dry season; showers hit by 2 p.m. and can swell river crossings.
- Fuel up in Belmopan before heading west or south; petrol stations are scarce beyond Georgeville and Hopkins junction.
- Book ATM and Caracol tours at least one day ahead—daily visitor caps mean walk-ins often turned away.
- Carry small US dollar notes; rural parks prefer cash and give change in Belize dollars at 2:1 rate.
- Is Belmopan safe? Yes—downtown is quiet, but lock rental cars at remote trailheads and avoid night driving on unlit George Price Highway.
- Most Belmopan hotels will store luggage for same-day return—handy if you’re checking out then heading to the cayes.
- Mosquito repellent is essential at dusk, in pine ridge and cockscomb where dengue is present year-round.
- Sunday bus service is halved—plan your return before 4 p.m. or pre-arrange a taxi to avoid being stranded.