Day Trips from Belmopan

Wade through three river crossings, then squeeze into a cathedral-sized chamber where calcite-coated skeletons and ceramic pots lie exactly where Maya priests left them a millennium ago. The final climb to the crystallized skull known as the 'Crystal Maiden' is half Indiana Jones, half art history lecture.

A pine-scented drive that drops you at Rio Frio Cave's 65-foot arch, then onto the turquoise pools of Rio On Pools and the 1 000-foot cascade of Big Rock Falls. The granite road is bumpy but manageable in a high-clearance car, and the swimming holes stay cool even at midday.

The world's first jaguar reserve offers gentle river tubing past river otters and easy trails under giant guanacaste trees. If you're quiet you'll hear the low roar of howler monkeys and maybe spot fresh jaguar prints in the mud, sightings of the cats are rare. But the sign they're around is thrilling enough.

Cross a hand-cranked ferry and climb El Castillo for 360-degree views into Guatemala, then head into San Ignacio's Saturday market for papaya-stuffed tamales and chilli-laced cacao. The combo gives you stone hieroglyphs in the morning and chatter of mountain villagers in the afternoon.

A tiny sand-ringed island 30 minutes from the mainland where you snorkel right off the beach and find eagle rays gliding over brain coral. The ride out passes mangrove channels that shelter juvenile lemon sharks, keep your camera ready when the captain cuts the engine.

A sapphire cenote fringed with philodendron, then an adjacent cave you can walk 600 ft into before a guide turns out the lights and you feel total darkness press against your eyelids. The jungle loop trail above often reveals trogon birds flashing red breasts against emerald canopy.