Cayo district: San Ignacio
San Ignacio is the main city in the Cayo district and is located on the River Macal. There is a botanical garden called Belize Botanic Gardens and nearby is also the Actun Tunichil Muknal cave that served as a Mayan sacrificial site. Near San Ignacio are the Chaa Creek and Mountain Pine Ridge Forest Reserve nature reserves and the Mayan ruins of Cahal Pech, Caracol and Xunantunich. All this makes San Ignacio an important starting point for visiting one of these places.
Mountain Pine Ridge Forest Reserve
Mountain Pine Ridge Forest Reserve is made up of nearly 60% pine forest, further deciduous forest, grassland, marsh and rivers. The reserve is home to cougars, jaguars, ocelots and the Central American tapir (Belize's national animal). Native bird species in the reserve include the red-toothed sialia (a thrush species), the sulphur breast toucan and the yellow-cheeked amazon parrot. There are several frog species and fish species including tooth carp.
