About San Ignacio & Santa Elena
Located in the Cayo District is the town of San Ignacio, also known and called Cayo by locals. The Cayo District in Belize offers a great amount of activities from trekking and kayaking to archaeological sites, cave tubing, horseback riding and bird watching. It is a wonderland of Tropical outdoors with untouched rainforests, rivers,caves and wildlife, as well as ancient Mayan ruins and a modern myriad of cultures. Traveling or relocating to this part of the country is a perfect base for exploring, this wild part of the exotic Belize that is filled with never ending discoveries.
Location and geographic setting - San Ignacio is situated on the banks of the Macal River, and the Mopan River, about 72 miles west of Belize City and 22 miles (35 km) west of the country's capital, Belmopan.Many travelers find that it is one of the three most appealing towns inland. Twin Town - Santa Elena In recent years, San Ignacio has absorbed the formerly separate village of Santa Elena. San Ignacio and sister-town, Santa Elena makes up Belize's second largest urban area. The Macal River separates the two towns also referred as the “Twin Towns”. When coming to San Ignacio you will need to use the wooden bridge and when exiting Hawksworth Bridge, built in 1949 and the only suspension bridge in Belize. The two are collectively referred to as the "Twin Towns".
The Hawksworth Bridge is a one-lane bridge, eastbound traffic only. Therefore make sure not to miss the Big wooden sign indicating you to make a right for the wooden bridge once you reach and pass the speed bump located in front of the A&R store [to your right at the speed bump] and the Social Security Building [to your left] once you’ve made that right turn. Otherwise, you may end-up having to make a u-turn at the end of the street, which leads to the Hawksworth Bridge. If you end up missing, the right-turn wooden sign to San Ignacio. Then just before the metal bridge, to your left you will find one of best B.B.Q vendors in Cayo.
Demographics - The population is largely Mestizo and Creole, with some Lebanese and Mopan. San Ignacio also boasts a large Chinese population, most of whom, have emigrated from Guangzhou in the mid-20th century waves. A sizable Mennonite community resides near San Ignacio. According to the 2000 census, the combined population was 16,400 people.
Educational institutions - San Ignacio has one reputable high school - Sacred Heart Collegeand many governmental public pre-schools and elementary schools.
Attractions The area around San Ignacio is one of the most popular parts of the country for tourism. Nearby attractions, include the ancient Maya ruins of Caracol, Xunantunich, Cahal Pech, Tikal (Guatemala) and the cave Actun Tunichil Muknal (ATM), and the Mountain Pine Ridge Forest Reserve.
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Finding your way in San Ignacio
Banking Exchanging Money There are three banks inSan Ignacio—Scotia Bank, Atlantic Bank, and Belize Bank--all located on Burns Ave. Their hours are 8 a.m. until 1p.m or 2 p.m. Monday through Thursday, Fridays until 4:30 or 5 p.m., and Saturdays from 8:30 to noon. All three have ATM"s for 24 hour cash advances on Visa and Master cards, exchange travelers checks, and have wire transfer services. Belize Bank, Barkley Bank and Scotia have full service branches in Belmopan as well. A good tip is to have your branch program your ATM for International usage, before your travel dates. This will enable you too easily and quickly, withdraw some cash from your personal accounts back home without having to pay additional high charges for cash advances on your credit card or have to wait in line at any of the banks for cash exchange or additional cash. In addition, you won’t have to carry large sum of cash on you. ATM here in Belize allows daily withdraws up to $800 BZE dollars.
Exchanging Money “Money-changers” can usually be found at both the Belmopan and San Ignacio bus stops. The standard rate is $2 BZ for $1 US. There are also “money-changers” at the border near Benque Viejo who will exchange US dollars for Belizean or Guatemalan currency at current rates. Banks also exchange money for a somewhat lower rate. Most businesses--large and small--throughout the Cayo District accept US currency for payment at a $2 to $1 exchange, so you can pay directly in US dollars.
Email / Internet Access Many resorts, hotels and tourist related businesses in San Ignacio now offer Email and internet services to visitors. Cayo Community Centre, located next to the town Hall, library in San Ignacio often has the lowest rates, and any BTL branches will allow you access to the internet. There are easy to find, FAX Many hotels/resorts will receive or send FAX's for their guests. In addition, BTL (Belize Telecommunications Ltd.) will send or receive a FAX for you at their offices in San Ignacio, Benque Viejo, and Belmopan.
Film Sales / Developing - Many stores; including Venus Photos & Recordson Hudson Street in San Ignacio have one-hour photo processing, as does Brodie’s in Belmopan. In overall, you are better off bringing with you as much film as you think you will need because of higher prices and limited choice of brands and film speeds. A better option is to bring a digital camera along.
Gas Stations There are gas stations in and around San Ignacio, in Santa Elena, Belmopan, Benque Viejo, Spanish Lookout, Unitedville and San Antonio village near Mountain Pine Ridge. Regular Gasoline cost around $9.60 BZE per gallon as of August. 2010
Grocery Stores Almost every town in Cayo has a variety of small “Tiendas” which sell "staples"--rice, beans, canned goods, bread, soft drinks, and so on. If you are looking for grocery stores that carry a wider selection of foods, try the following stores. In San Ignacio, Celina's Super Store on Burns Ave. has groceries, dry goods, and is an Ace Hardware affiliate. Alternatively, there are many other grocery stores all around managed and owned by Chinese emigrants. Belmopan has Brodie's, in the Shopping Center. Brodie's is a Belizean chain of store, which carries household items and home decoration items, as well as a good selection of groceries. Benque Viejo's Super del Carmen, across the street from the post office, offers a good range of products at excellent prices. If you're nearSpanish Lookout, Farmer's Trading Center, on the main road, offers a good selection of groceries and household items at reasonable prices, and they have a hardware store next door, as well.
San Ignacio Market Square The Saturday market in San Ignacio is one of the best in Belize, with a wide array of produce for sale by local farmers, Mennonites and other local vendors, which sale almost everything at very reasonable prices. One can easily find freshvegetables, fruits, new and second-hand clothing, hand-made furniture by Mennonites, exotic plants, fish and household items. Make sure to plan your visit to the market early, as most great buys go quickly.
Health Facilities La Loma Luz Hospital, a private hospital located in Santa Elena, has a good reputation as a primary care centre and 24 hours emergency services. Their phone number is 824-2087 and FAX is 824-2674. There are also three government-run health facilities in the district: the San Ignacio Hospital, 824-2066; the Belmopan Hospital, 822-2264; and the Mopan Clinic in Benque Viejo 823-2079.
Pharmacies The Codd’s Pharmacy in San Ignacio is a well-stocked North American style pharmacy. Registered Pharmacist on hand and specializes in medicines for special medical needs.
Police If you need to contact the police to report a crime, an automobile accident, or for any other reason, there are police stations inBelmopan (822-2221), San Ignacio (824-2022), Benque Viejo (823-2038) and Succotz (823-2329). In case of emergency, dial 911 anywhere in Belize for police assistance.
Post Offices Virtually every town and village in Cayo have a small post office, often part of a store, where you can buy stamps and send or receive mail. For sending packages or more complicated transactions. Visit the post office in Belmopan, Benque Viejo, or San Ignacio. In San Ignacio, the post office is located right next to Courts Furniture store on Hudson Street. It costs 45 cents to send a letter to the USA. Rates for Europe are slightly higher. Figure about two weeks for a letter or card to reach the U.S. from Belize.
Express Mail DHL Worldwide Express has an office at the Texaco Station on Buena Vista St. in San Ignacio where you can send or receive "overnight" packages. It takes about 4 days for express delivery between Belize and the U.S. Their main office is in Belmopan. Exodus Travel in San Ignacio is a Federal Express agent and right across from the San Ignacio police station.
Telephone Belize Telemedia Limited (BTL) has offices in Belmopan, San Ignacio, and Benque Viejo where they can help you take care of all your phone call needs. Most hotels, resorts, restaurants, and other places of business will now also let you use their phone, if you make the call using a BTL Phone Card. Phone cards come in denominations from BZ$5 to BZ$50 (BZ$2 = US$1). The cost for calls you make, is automatically, deducted from the value of the card, and the phone from which you are calling is not charged. You can buy the cards at any BTL offices and almost every shop.
Western Union Should you need an emergency transfer of cash, In San Ignacio - Celina's Super Store and Plaza Del Rio shopping mall are agents for Western Union.
