Sensational geography and outdoor adventures make San Ignacio a great place to answer the call of the wild. Jagged mountain peaks frame the brilliant blue sky, as roaring waterfalls thunder over cliffs into glistening pools. Thick jungle continues to shroud ancient temples in mystery, even as it shields modern explorers from the sun.

Cradled in a valley carved by the Macal and Mopan rivers, the sister towns of San Ignacio and Santa Elena combine to form the country's second largest population center, with 16,100 residents. Mestizo (Spanish and Maya), Creole, Maya, Men­nonite, and other communities speak their own languages, in addition to English.

Drivers arrive at San Ignacio, 70 miles from Be­lize City on the West­ern Highway, in about 90 minutes. Rising high above the Macal River, the impressive Hawkesworth Bridge, a one-lane suspension structure built in 1949, carries traffic east from San Ignacio to Santa Elena. Vehicles heading west cross the river downstream on a "temporary" wooden bridge, as low and unassuming as the Hawkesworth Bridge is high and picturesque.

Hospitable locals and curious visitors mingle at restaurants, bars, and shops of the British colonial era. They conjure up images of missionaries on steam-powered riverboats like the African Queen, once called "Cayo boats" because they plied the working rivers here.

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