The Mountain Pine Ridge

    
   Only sixty miles west of Belize City lies one of the country's greatest assets- the Mountain Pine Ridge. Covering nearly 300 square miles of natural phenomena, this is the ultimate adventure into mountainous terrain. Then you see, and feel, the rugged beauty of this enchanted forest. As you turn south off the Western Highway at Georgeville, the paved quickly road disappears. It is replaced with a hard packed, red dirt surface. As far as the eye can see, the mountainsides are carpeted with tall, slender pine trees reaching skyward. They are colored with every green imaginable and laced with rivers as clear as air. The road alternates between bumpety-bump and extended washboard vibrations. It's slow, but exhilarating. And this is only the beginning.

   Red dust flies behind as you make your way to the entrance of the forest reserve. Every twist and turn unveils a vista better than one before. Logging roads and hiking trails crisscross the reserve. The terrain is perfectly suited for hiking, mountain bikes and horseback riding. Birds and butterflies dart everywhere. Wildflowers, orchids and brightly colored bromeliads hang on the branches and boulders. As you approach the ranger station, the forestry officer will take your name and license number, assuring your safety.

   Inside is a world of adventure: Barton Creek Cave, Green Hills Butterfly Ranch & Botanical Collections, Hidden Valley Falls (Thousands Foot Falls), Butterfly Falls, Five Sisters Fall, Big Rock Falls, Rio Frio Cave and Rio On Pools. The main road also leads to the Caracol ruins, several hours away.

   Waters plummets 1,000 feet down the mountainside at spectacular Hidden Valley Falls. The viewing platform is a great place for a panoramic view and photographs. Butterfly Falls, another breathtaking sight, is in the area. So are rare birds such as the orange-breasted falcon, toucan, and king vulture. Five Sisters Falls is actually five smaller waterfalls cascading into one large pool, ideal for an invigorating swim. At Big Rock Falls, water cascades nearly 100 feet into a natural swimming pool.

   Belize is laced with a network of river caves. The most easily accessible is Rio Frio Cave. Anticipation builds on the short downhill walk to the entrance of the cave's 65 foot high mouth.

   Stepping stones leads you inside and along the upper edge of the dimly lit tunnel. A river trickles through is center far below you. Huge Stalactites hang overhead in this other-worldly place.

   In the vicinity you'll find Rio On Pools, where waters flow gently over a series of gigantic Boulders. Source is from the Rio On River, largest in the Pine Ridge. Pools are formed as water gathers, then overflows, dropping to the next level. The topmost pool is a popular swimming hole.

   Farther south lies the rugged Chiquibul Forest Reserve teeming with scarlet macaws, toucans, keel-billed mot-mots, tapirs and wild pigs.