Are there rivers, lakes and waterfalls in or around Cayo, Belize, including San Ignacio and Belmopan?

There are no lakes in the Cayo District, and there are no lakes in the entire country of Belize. We have some lagoons but no lakes.

 

There are large rivers in Cayo, and three main rivers: Macal, Mopan, and the Belize River. There are also other rivers, and waterfalls, too, at Pine Ridge.

 

The rivers are a big part of life here in the Cayo District.  The kids of San Ignacio swim in the river every day. They call San Ignacio...

There are no lakes in the Cayo District, and there are no lakes in the entire country of Belize. We have some lagoons but no lakes.

 

There are large rivers in Cayo, and three main rivers: Macal, Mopan, and the Belize River. There are also other rivers, and waterfalls, too, at Pine Ridge.

 

The rivers are a big part of life here in the Cayo District.  The kids of San Ignacio swim in the river every day. They call San Ignacio “Cayo” (which means “little island” in Spanish) because two rivers go around it.  Also, the district is called “Cayo” but the people here call San Ignacio “Cayo” as well.  Also, the Cayo District is not on the sea; it is inland.

 

I swim in the Macal River with my dogs regularly. The kids are always there during weekends and on holidays swimming in the river. There are tourists canoeing up and down all the time. They have a big race called the La Ruta Maya race from Cayo to Belize City to the sea.

 

There aren’t really any kayaks, but you see people using inner floating down the river as well.
 

There aren’t any rapids. There are some small falls on the Mopan River. You can’t take a big boat from here to the sea, although years ago that was the other means of getting to San Ignacio, but now it’s too shallow.

 

The Pine Ridge Reserve is a major, natural reserve. There are a few houses there, but it’s not very developed, and it’s a long way out.  There’s the Blancaneaux Lodge up there, owned by Francis Coppola, a famous American film director.

 

There are several waterfalls there, the biggest of which is 1,000 feet.  There are several smaller ones as well, but nothing significant.

 

(Blancaneaux Lodge on a 130,000 private reserve in  Pine Ridge, Belize, pictured.)

We have rivers, lakes and waterfalls in Cayo, but we don’t have any lakes.

 

There’s the main river and then the main river has little veins and streams that might divert and reconnect with the river; there are several of those.

 

The river divides Santa Elena and San Ignacio, which are basically residential areas on top of hills that gives you an amazing view and also protects you from the river. The rivers have basins...

We have rivers, lakes and waterfalls in Cayo, but we don’t have any lakes.

 

There’s the main river and then the main river has little veins and streams that might divert and reconnect with the river; there are several of those.

 

The river divides Santa Elena and San Ignacio, which are basically residential areas on top of hills that gives you an amazing view and also protects you from the river. The rivers have basins but it’s not feasible for it to reach a level where it’s going to impact the town.

 

The rivers are extremely clean, and people do all sorts of recreational activities there all the time – everything from tubing, canoeing, kayaking, standup paddle boarding, etc.  It’s part of the culture and the area.  The rivers are clean and safe because they’re not so much volume that will carry you away and they’re relatively shallow. Some of the waterfalls are easily accessible and there are others that would require a tour guide to take you there. 

 

Normally, we have very small waterfalls. All of them are accessible to people, and they have a little pool of water at the bottom.  In general, t’s accessible for you to take a walk and swim underneath the waterfall.  Some of them may be as large as 30 to 40 feet. They are very narrow and not that wide.

 

(Hiker -- bottom right, in the red-- examining the cascades of Five Sister Falls, Cayo District, Belize, pictured.)

Yes there are rivers, lakes, and waterfalls here in Cayo.  Not too far from us is a Category 5 river where you can do white water rafting. Our tour guide does that trip for interested guests.  

 

We have one thousand foot waterfalls here in Cayo. We have the Pine Ridge where there are all kinds of smaller waterfalls with little swirling pools that you can sit in, all within an hour and a half away. There are rivers running right down through...

Yes there are rivers, lakes, and waterfalls here in Cayo.  Not too far from us is a Category 5 river where you can do white water rafting. Our tour guide does that trip for interested guests.  

 

We have one thousand foot waterfalls here in Cayo. We have the Pine Ridge where there are all kinds of smaller waterfalls with little swirling pools that you can sit in, all within an hour and a half away. There are rivers running right down through Cayo so you can canoe or raft right down beside the market in the middle of San Ignacio.  Not five miles from me is a small beautiful water falls that the locals call "the showers" where they bathe and wash clothes.  It has multiple pools and smaller falls and rapids to accommodate multiple families.  

 

Every year we have the La Ruta Maya canoe race on the Macal River. It is hilarious. It starts underneath the high water bridge and then everybody gathers at the low water bridge because when all the canoes take off they have to cross under the low water bridge without hitting any of the supports, which causes a lot of people turn over their canoes. There is a lot of action going on because a lot of people are falling, swimming, and getting back in their canoes and taking off again. La Ruta Maya is an exciting event. I would definitely recommend seeing it or even participating in it. 

 

Aside from the Category 5 rapids, all of the rivers in Cayo are safe and relaxing for canoeing and tubing. You can even tube or canoe through caves here. You would have a little light on your forehead and you would tube right into the opening of the cave. It is total darkness. You would see some skeletons sometimes and some vases and potteries left over from the Mayan civilization. These rivers are lazy rivers so it’s very safe. They call these cave tubing tours “Butt’s Up” because if you sit down all the way in your tube you could hit bottom.  The rivers are so shallow that sometimes you have to get up, take your tube, walk a little distance, and get back on the river. It also depends on the time of year and where you are. In December, there is a lot of water but then later on in the year, you’re going to get into lower water levels.

 

 We have dams on two of our rivers and it does muddy them up so they don’t look as green and clear. I don’t generally recommend swimming in the rivers but I do recommend the tubing because then you don’t have your ears and your nose in the water for the most part.

 

There are lakes above the dams in Cayo but people do not go to them that I know of because they are remote and difficult to get to.  We have some beautiful areas where you could just sit in a swirling pool near a small waterfall. Rio On Pools is probably one of the more famous one. We also have sinkholes, which is the same thing as the cenotes in Mexico that have clear blue water in them that are beautiful for swimming.  

 

(Volcanic rocks of Rio On Pools, Cayo, Belize, pictured.)

There is no lack of water in Cayo. We live right next to the Mopan River. Our house is on 1,500 feet of river frontage with old trees and little rapids and we swim in the river. The picturesque river that flows through San Ignacio is called Macal. In the Mountain Pine Ridge area you find more beautiful rivers and waterfalls where you can swim. 

 

(The Mopan River at Vanilla Hills Lodge, San Ignacio, Belize, pictured.)

There is no lack of water in Cayo. We live right next to the Mopan River. Our house is on 1,500 feet of river frontage with old trees and little rapids and we swim in the river. The picturesque river that flows through San Ignacio is called Macal. In the Mountain Pine Ridge area you find more beautiful rivers and waterfalls where you can swim. 

 

(The Mopan River at Vanilla Hills Lodge, San Ignacio, Belize, pictured.)