Cayo Scoop! The Ecology of Cayo Culture

Cayo was listed number 1 in a Huffington Post article about the best budget locations in the world.  The author has a lot of great things to say about Cayo and its residents.

"Warm and welcoming, independent and private. Those four perhaps seemingly contradictory adjectives best describe both Belizeans and their country.  Belize is also one of the safest countries in the world, despite what you may read about it...  However, I favor the interior Cayo region with its Mayan ruins, caves, rivers, waterfalls, and rain forest, a frontier where self-sufficient communities are emerging and attracting like-minded folks interested in being 'independent together,' as a friend living in this part of the world describes it.

Cayo got a great write up in International Living.  Yes, Everyone should visit Cayo, even though the only things we have here are Mayan archaeological sites, rivers, waterfalls, caves, hiking trails, butterfly farms, medicinal trails, ziplines, cenotes, canoe adventures, botanical gardens, granite pools, Lake Benque, ATM, award winning hotels...  Photo is from the Black Hole Drop adventure at Caves Branch Lodge.

"If you love lazy rivers, vast rolling hills, and fertile farmland and rainforests where you can test your gardening skills, Cayo is for you.  The heart of this area are the twin towns of San Ignacio and Santa Elena, which both enjoy an Old West feel…but in a tropical frontiersman kind of way that you’ll find only in Belize.  Bargains can be found here, too—not only on real estate but on the huge amount of produce and fresh cheeses grown and produced here by local Mennonites."

Hidden Valley Inn got an amazing review in the Huffington Post!  From the title, you'd think they went to the cayes...Ambergris got one paragraph, Cayo got well over ten; that's about right.

"Over four days, we hiked through dense tropical jungle on well-maintained trails to spectacular waterfalls, swam in crystal clear pools beneath the falls, explored caves both on foot and in canoes, watched huge Turkey and King Vultures glide over 1,000-foot escarpments, and scampered up the sides of the mystery- and jungle-enshrouded Caracol Mayan ruins.  At times, as we bumped along rutted dirt roads in our guide's SUV or swam in waterfall pools, gazing straight up sheer stone walls covered in dense jungle vines, we felt as if we were in an Indiana Jones movie.

Even so, we were far from roughing it, thanks to our accommodations, a small laid back but elegant find called the Hidden Valley Inn, nestled in the middle of the huge reserve, where we enjoyed excellent meals prepared with fresh ingredients, fresh roasted Belizean coffee every morning, and great individual service from the staff and guides."