What are the best things to do in and around Cayo, Belize, including San Ignacio and Belmopan?

If we're talking about expats who are living here in the Cayo District in Belize, I think it's very important to be involved in the community. That way they don't get bored. One suggestion is to join the Humane Society.  If it's a women's group helping women, if it's a feed the children program, if it's maybe the Lion's Club, or Rotary Club; anything that brings value to both their lives but also the community in which they live in. I think those are great things to...

If we're talking about expats who are living here in the Cayo District in Belize, I think it's very important to be involved in the community. That way they don't get bored. One suggestion is to join the Humane Society.  If it's a women's group helping women, if it's a feed the children program, if it's maybe the Lion's Club, or Rotary Club; anything that brings value to both their lives but also the community in which they live in. I think those are great things to do. That would be the best thing for me.
 
Cayo is more intimate. It's inland, people are friendly, and expats who have lived here for the most part are the most adventurous type, the more easy going type. The ones who lived here full time, not just a few months every year get involved in the community, one way or the other.
 
The Humane Society is a group that helps homeless animals, and set up an adoption program to find a home for animals.  There's also this clinic that just started--I want to say over a year ago—that focuses on wild animals. Even though they will take care of domestic animals like dogs and cats, their main goal is to protect and help wildlife that's been hurt or injured in some way. Also help to keep species from going extinct and to educate the public about all sorts of things, including how to care for the wildlife. The expats here are involved in that.
 
There's a Rotary Club here and there's one in Belmopan. The one in Belmopan started up with mostly Belizeans, mostly locals, but over the years several expats have joined. They also help the community to build bathrooms or for libraries for schools, building or refurbishing parks. Sometimes they help with traffic safety and fighting crime. They're also connected with the “crime stoppers” for petty crimes. There are neighborhood watch programs that they are involved with. They try to implement that here and then just work with the locals, working hand in hand.
 
The Cornerstone Foundation, in San Ignacio, feeds children. They've been in operation for at least 15 years. They started out giving arts and craft classes to the kids, but then they started feeding kids. As far as I know, they feed about 60 children. They feed breakfast and lunch for kids who go to school on an empty stomach or if they find that they're too far away from home to go to lunch then the Cornerstone Foundation will feed them. They also have a sewing program. They teach women to sew uniforms and then they can sell them. 

 

(Jaguar wild in the jungles of Belize, pictured.)