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 Prepare for an E-ticket ride on a roller-coaster adventure like none before. Cayo District lays out a bright green welcome mat to its natural world of pine forests, rolling rivers, rocky plateaus, ceremonial caves, towering mountains, tumbling waterfalls, and grand old Maya cities. Cayo is the largest district, covering 2,000 square miles of western terrain revered and protected by national parks and forest reserves, including the Mountain Pine Ridge Forest Reserve. Cayo includes the capital city of Belmopan and several tiny villages from Maya to Mennonite to Creole. Forests teem with wildlife and spread across the Maya Mountains.
THINGS TO SEE AND DO IN MOUNTAIN PINE RIDGE
The fresh scent of Caribbean pine inspires everyone to inhale deeply as they view the jagged Maya Mountains looming in the distance.
In the Mountain Pine Ridge Forest Reserve, trees host bromeliads, orchids, and ferns. Rare birds and animals dart throughout its 300 square miles. Lofty waterfalls and cool creeks wind around its ancient granite. The towering peaks and plunging gorges of the Mountain Pine Ridge, oldest and largest Belizean park, are so appealing for adrenalin-pumping activity that even Indiana Jones would want to spend a day here.
Visitors to the pine ridge, 90 minutes southwest of Belize City, can turn off Western Highway at Georgeville (mile 61) and take Chiquibul Road, also called Pine Ridge Road, 45 minutes to the entrance. But vehicles with low clearance should go farther west along the highway and turn onto the better surface of San Antonio Road.
Drivers to Mountain Pine Ridge and the ancient Maya city of Caracol now have year-round four-wheel-drive access, although certain roads may close during the rainy season of June to November.
En route to the reserve, find the conservative Mennonite community of Barton Creek, complete with horse-drawn buggies. Follow the road to Barton Creek Cave, where canoe trips with licensed guides take several hours. Inside, witness Maya skulls, bones, and pottery. Beyond Barton Creek awaits Green Hills Butterfly Ranch, where the beautiful wisps fly freely, open 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., US$4.
Inside the reserve, see water plummet 1,400 feet at spectacular Thousand Foot Falls. A scenic lookout affords panoramic photo ops. Birders can spot rare king vultures and orange-breasted falcons. Enter for US$2. Nearby at beautiful Big Rock Falls, Privassion Creek cascades 100 feet into a natural swimming pool.
 About 8.5 miles from the reserve entrance, the fizzing waters wash over the granite boulders into cool shimmering Rio On Pools, before plunging down a deep gorge. Swimming is a popular pursuit at the top of the pools, where giant pines frame the scene, so keep the camera handy. Follow the road to Rio Frio Cave, where stepping stones lead inside this most accessible river cave, and stalactites drip from above.
Farther south, the pristine Guacamallo River flows into the Macal River, which separates the Mountain Pine Ridge and Chiquibul reserves. Across Guacamallo Bridge, enter the rugged Chiquibul reserve, with tapirs, wild pigs, keel-billed toucans, and motmots. National Geographic once featured the 25-mile Chiquibul cave system, longest in Central America.
Settled around 300 BC, the glorious Maya city now called Caracol grew to 200,000 residents by AD 650-700. After its decline, the city slept silently in the jungle for a thousand years, until rediscovered in 1937. Archaeologists now count 36,000 palaces, pyramids, courtyards, ball courts, and other buildings - the largest ancient Maya site in Belize.
In remote southwestern Cayo, an archaeological reserve surrounds the city. Toucans and butterflies decorate the dense trees. Guides have spotted rare harpy eagles, largest birds of prey in Central America, once extinct in Belize.
DINING IN MOUNTAIN PINE RIDGE
Before turning off Western Highway to the pine reserve, visitors can refuel with fresh juice and a hearty lunch at Caesar's Gift Shop (mile 60), which has a great collection of arts and crafts by Cayo artisans. Within the reserve, the stunning resorts Blancaneaux Lodge and Five Sisters offer light menus of salads, pizza, and nachos. Pizza from Blancaneaux's brick oven is a treat, especially in the middle of the forest. Unless staying at the properties, make reservations.
THINGS TO SEE AND DO IN BELMOPAN / EASTERN CAYO
Belmopan may be the world's smallest national capital, but it makes a perfect gateway to the attractions of Cayo. At the geographic center of the country, Belmopan replaced Belize City in 1970, after Hurricane Hattie damaged the former capital in 1961. Government dominates this diverse town of 13,500. By day the population may double as workers commute from around the country.
One hour and 45 miles from Belize City, near the junction of the Western and Hummingbird highways, all vehicles traveling east, west, or south pass Belmopan. Buses and taxis stop near the central market. Green spaces and sidewalks make walking here easy.
 The east end has grocery stores. The west end has banks and shopping centers. Hibiscus Gift Shop sits between Belize Bank and First Caribbean Bank. Upstairs is Galleria, with works by well-known artist Carolyn Carr. On Hummingbird Highway, Art Box sells wood carvings, paintings, prints, textiles, Maya crafts, and jewelry.
A farmers' market operates at the junction of Hummingbird and Western highways, where vendors hawk their fruits, vegetables, plants, and clothing on market days (Tuesday and Friday morning), in the lot between the police station and social security office.
The museum is a short walk from the market and hosts art shows. The archives, another short walk, displays print images. The National Assembly and other government buildings in the central plaza - reminiscent of an old Maya city - house government offices.
Saunter through a cool tropical forest, as mammoth trees loom above, at the 52-acre Guanacaste National Park, two miles out of town at the intersection of the Western and Hummingbird highways. The park takes its name from the huge tree at the park's entrance, festooned with bromeliads, epiphytes, and ferns. On the Belize River, visitors enjoy swimming and relaxing on the observation deck. The park opens 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., US$2.50.
Golfers can find Roaring River Golf Course, a nine-hole, 1,965-yard, par-32 layout, at Western Highway mile 50. A few minutes south of Belmopan is Roaring River Adventure Tours, on a 5,000-acre ranch offering river tubing, jungle treks, and horseback riding. On the zip line tour at Jaguar Paw Jungle Resort, Western Highway mile 37, adventurers fly through the jungle - up to 70 feet in the air - on a series of cables, US$55-85. The resort also offers cave tubing, US$75-95.
Cedar Cabins Botanical Trail & Butterfly Farm, Western Highway mile 37, offers tours of its butterfly house to see native Belizean swallowtails and blue morphos.
Monkey Bay Wildlife Sanctuary, Western Highway mile 31.5, occupies 1,070 protected acres down to the Sibun River. Canoe the river and spot 240 species of birds, plus iguanas, bats, coatimundis, and occasional otters. Dive into the cool water for a swim. In the limestone hills nearby, trek through the jungle to Tiger Sandy Bay Cave, an opening to the Maya underworld of Xibalba, where ceramic artifacts and a fire hearth remain in place.
For backcountry hiking, the raw 16-mile Indian Creek Trail is dense with rare plants and animals. Managed by villagers from La Democracia and St. Margaret, at either end, the hike takes a band of guided ecotourists three days to complete. Campsites placed along the way enable cooking, bathing, and sleeping.
The Belize Zoo, Western Highway mile 29, provides a home for 50 species of native wildlife, including sleek jaguars, jabiru storks, howler monkeys, imposing tapirs, and one rare harpy eagle. The 29-acre zoo started in 1983. Now 125 resident animals delight both children and adults. The zoo opens 8:30 a.m. to 5:00 p.m., except on major holidays, US$8 adults, $4 children.
Scenic Hummingbird Highway skirts the Maya Mountains, treating drivers to beautiful views. In the Caves Branch River area, about 11 miles south of Belmopan, naturalists from the nearby Caves Branch Adventure Company lead visitors on inner tubes through a well-decorated seven-mile cave, the longest such system in Belize. The same guides also conduct the Black Hole Drop - a 300-foot adrenaline-charged descent into Actun Loch Tunich cave while hanging from rappelling ropes. Not for the faint of heart, this experience requires a reasonable degree of fitness.
The 665-acre Blue Hole National Park, managed by the Belize Audubon Society, waits another mile down the Hummingbird Highway. The featured 15-foot-deep hole is an artesian well, radiating a beautiful sapphire color, and luring hot sightseers to swim its cool waters. Kids can play in a shallow area.
Nearby, St. Herman's Cave burrows deep into the earth, framed by dense ferns and unusual stalactites. Spelunkers with good flashlights can penetrate up to 300 yards unguided. Hire a guide and go deeper to see Maya artifacts. Topside, trails wind through mahogany and cotton trees, home to 200 species of birds. Wild jaguars, ocelots, and jaguarundis have been documented in the area. An observation tower reveals panoramic views.
Half an hour from Belmopan, Tapir Mountain Nature Reserve abuts Roaring Creek. Although there is no public access, licensed guides can take explorers into the fascinating Actun Tunichil Muknal cave. Worth the 45 minutes required to hike there, it contains such ancient Maya artifacts as a ceremonial pot with a monkey figure.
DINING IN BELMOPAN / EASTERN CAYO
Near the center of Belmopan, Caladium Restaurant serves good Belizean fare. Just a stone's throw is Bag It, a new take-out place for lunch. Aloha serves Taiwanese food and ice cream. The Galleria has daily Belizean specials and soups.
On Constitution Drive, Puccini's serves Italian, Mexican, and American dishes. Farther out, the air-conditioned Diamond Chinese Restaurant features a 10-page menu. On Forest Drive, look for Friendship Chinese. Near the market in town, several small eateries serve the lunch crowd. Good local Belizean specialties can be sampled at the market.
On the east side, Surprise Café features snacks. The Bull Frog Inn, popular with politicians, serves Belizean and American specialties. Pepper's Pizza delivers in town. At the entrance to Belmopan, the new air-conditioned Yim Samm may be the fanciest restaurant in town.
ACCOMMODATIONS
In the Mountain Pine Ridge, jungle lodges make ideal perches for bird watchers. In fact, the birds often plop themselves down on the verandas to visit.
Nestled along the Macal River in the village of Cristo Rey, wake up to jungle sounds at Crystal Paradise, where 300 species of birds make their home.
Tucked in the tranquil setting of Hidden Valley Inn, hand-laid marl daub cottages feature zinc roofs and Mexican tile.
The lavish thatched cottages at movie director Francis Ford Coppola's Blancaneaux Lodge offer Japanese bath and colonial furnishings.
Mountain Pine Ridge accommodations range from US$45 to $200 per room, with villas up to $525. Around Belmopan and eastern Cayo, modest hotels include Bull Frog, Belmopan Hotel, and El Rey. Rates go from US$10 to $100 per room.
Jaguar Paw Jungle Resort, on Western Highway east of Belmopan, offers energetic adventures. Caves Branch Jungle Lodge, overlooking the Caves Branch River, offers jungle suites, cabanas, bungalows, and tent camping.
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