Follow the Western Highway from Belize City for about an hour and you'll be in Cayo country. Road signs announce your first points of interest. Spanish Lookout lies the north; Mountain Pine Ridge to the south. The route to Spanish Lookout (a modern-day Mennonite settlement) travels across a hard packed road through rolling green hills.

   The frontier- like town of San Ignacio and sister town Santa Elena comprises the country's second-largest metropolitan area, serving as a springboard to the rest of the district. Cradled in a picturesque valley between the Macal and Mopan rivers, San Ignacio is the pulse of the western region. Narrow town streets are a hub of activity. Creole, Mestizo, Lebanese, Chinese and Guatemalan cultures mingle, especially on Market Day (Saturdays). Streets vendors offer fresh bananas, pineapples, mangos and delicious barbecued chicken as evening approaches.

   Take Branch Mouth Road to discover where the Macal and Mopan rivers converge to form the Belize River, which then meanders northeast toward Belize City. Experience the thrill of racing every March, during La Ruta Maya Belize River Challenge from Cayo to Belize City. Some 60 canoes with three-man teams compete. Follow the event as a spectator on what used to be the only route to Belize City.*

  
* Source: Permanent Mission of Belize to the OAS.
 

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