All you need to know before driving to Caracol (Belize)

The Mayan site of Caracol, in Belize’s Cayo district, see few visitors. Those who make it there, usually come on an organised day trip with a guide and driver. This is understandable, since the drive from the nearest town takes 3 – 4 hours. Needless to say, public transport is not an option for getting to Caracol. I prefer to visit sites on my own and when going to Caracol this was no different. The trip requires some preparation. Add to that the military checkpoints and complete absence of any services and you know you’re in for a real adventure. I have summarised all you need to know before driving to Caracol in your own vehicle.

Caracol is the largest Mayan site of Belize and it deserves a lot more visitors than it gets. It is also sometimes called El Caracol, as in “the snail”. In its heydays, the size and power of the city were comparable to Tikal, the famous Guatemalan site just across the border and often at war with Caracol. Researchers believe that over 120 000 people lived in Caracol at the height of its power. Caracol’s main structure, Caana or “the sky palace” is 42 metres high. Climbing in in the Belizean sun is an ordeal, but once you see the 360 degrees view that awaits at the top, this is quickly forgotten. Being surrounded by kilometres of untouched jungle in every shade of green feels pretty special.  

PREPARING FOR DRIVING TO CARACOL

Driving to Caracol independently is quite an undertaking. There are a few things you need to know before hitting the road. The site is remote with no phone coverage (unless you have a local phone, coverage in Belize is limited anyway) and there are no facilities. If you visit Caracol in the dry season, you won’t need a 4WD, but you will still need a sturdy, high-clearance car. Our go-to rental car broker is Sunny Cars, because of their easy, all-in formula.

• Petrol: make sure to leave with a full tank. If you’re unsure about the capacity of your car’s tank, take an extra jerrycan. The last opportunity to buy petrol is in San Ignacio;
• GPS & maps: I couldn’t find a good paper map of Belize, but Open Street Map did a good job. I also tracked our route on my Garmin GPS to retrace the route if needed. The area around Caracol is a labyrinth of dirt roads with few signposts;
• Car breakdown: if you have a flat tyre, you’re on your own as there is no telephone reception. Check if your car has a spare tyre (and you know how to replace it!). If your car breaks down and you can’t fix it, be prepared for (worst case) a night in the car;
• Lunch / snacks: after the turn off from San Ignacio there are no options to buy anything, also not at the site. We bought a packed lunch at our lodge and kept some supplies in the boot of the car; 
• Water, water, water: the jungle is mighty hot and humid. Expect to sweat a lot and drink litres of water. There is none for sale anywhere along the way, also not at the site. We kept around 10 litres in the boot of the car throughout our road trip in Belize;
• First aid kit: sun screen and insect repellent are a must if you at all want to get out of your car. I slipped on some loose rocks and was very pleased to have some disinfectant and patches.

DRIVING TO CARACOL IN YOUR OWN VEHICLE

Timings and road quality

We visited Caracol from our accommodation, Black Rock Lodge, outside San Ignacio. The lodge is remote and sits at the end of a dirt road, so this added some travel time to our day. The one-way drive was close to 4 hours. If you are staying in San Ignacio (the main travellers’ hub) or nearby San Elena, the drive will take you 3 hours. The driving time may depend on the season (wet or dry). We left Black Rock Lodge at 0700 in the morning to ensure we would reach Caracol well before lunch time. We took 3 – 4 hours for our visit and pick-nick lunch and started the return trip just before 1500 in the afternoon.

The drive to Caracol, through the Mountain Pine Ridge Forest Reserve is not for the faint hearted. If you’re up for some adventure though, it is half the fun of the day. I found it hard to believe that getting to Caracol would take us that long. Indeed, the distance from San Ignacio is barely 80km the road had recently been levelled in many places. Still, the time estimate was pretty accurate. The drive was rough and full of potholes and rocks which I thought was delightful!

At key stop on the way is Douglas da Silva Forest station. You have to arrive at this checkpoint before 0930 when the army convoy to Caracol leaves. The reason for having this convoy in place are problems that have occurred in the last decade with poachers roaming the area around the Belize – Guatemala border. Moreover, the location of the border is heavily contested (mostly by Guatemala) which has historically led to some unrests in the area. That said, the recent years have been very quiet and the army presence is merely a formality.

We were allowed to pass without joining a convoy. We heard from others that the convoy is hardly ever enforced these days. Nonetheless, you could be denied access if arriving after 0930. The convoy aside, given the length of the drive passing through Douglas da Silva before 0930 is a good rule of thumb.

Directions to Caracol

From the main road in San Ignacio (Western Highway), two options exist for starting the drive to Caracol. Either take Noh Beh Ox Mul road (also known as Cristo Rei Road, after a hamlet it passes through) just outside the centre of San Ignacio or take Chiquibul Road from Georgeville (a few kilometres outside San Ignacio). We took the latter road to go to Caracol and the former to return at the end of the day. The quality of Cristo Rei Road is better (several sections were recently paved). However, it is curvier than Chiquibul and therefore equally slow. Along the way, you will see many turnoffs to farms or logging sites, but the direction of the main road is obvious.

Not very far after the crossing of Chiquibul Road and Cristo Rei Road, the entrance to Mountain Pine Ridge Forest Reserve awaits. There is and entry station where a member of staff will take the details of your vehicle and your name. The entrance to the reserve is free.

A good two hours into the journey, Douglas da Silva Forest station awaits. Douglas da Silva is actually an abandoned logging village. Housing units and dilapidated infrastructure are still there, but we did not see a soul. The army checkpoint is just beyond the village and impossible to miss. A soldier took our details, briefly explained directions and waved us on.

We read that the road worsens after Douglas da Silva, but we found its condition was rather consistent. As we got deeper into the jungle the road became narrower. Thankfully the risk of oncoming vehicles is very low here! I found it hard to believe (and pretty useless), but the last 16 km of the road to Caracol used to be paved! The University of Pennsylvania who has been leading the excavations works since the 1950s fund the road. Unfortunately they undertook no maintenance, so the pavement is shattered and full of deep potholes, which actually makes the driving slower compared to the unpaved stretches. There are two other military checkpoints along the way. Staff waved us on without even stopping us.

Wildlife on the road to Caracol

Besides road safety, another reason for taking your time to drive the road to Caracol is the abundance of wildlife and the gorgeous jungle. We stopped several times to look at birds, coatis and howler monkeys. We were not lucky enough to spot the elusive jaguar! However, resident staff at Caracol told us jaguars roam the area in relative abundance. Staff spot them regularly at dusk or dawn.

MAJOR SIGHTS AT CARACOL

Whilst I enjoyed driving to Caracol, I was very pleased when we finally entered the archaeological site by 1100. We saw two other visitor cars in the car park. We decided to visit first and leave our lunch in the car for later. The entrance fee to Caracol was $BZ 15 at the time of our visit and the friendly ranger gave us a quick tour of the museum.

Caracol is a great site for many reasons. Archaeologists excavated several majestic buildings for visitors to admire. Visitors are free to explore all the corners and crooks of the buildings and climb them. It was roasting hot, but the 360 degrees views over the jungle made the climbs worthwhile.

The main attraction at Caracol is “Caana”, which translates as the Sky Palace. Once you’re at the top of Caana (42m high), it is easy to understand the origin of its name. When looking down from the top, you can make out the different levels of Caana and the labyrinth of rooms. There are even a couple of ancient tombs that you can descend into provided you have a torch (beware of snakes!). Caana sites on a plaza with two other pyramids.

This first plaza is most definitely the highlight of the site, but I don’t mean to say the rest will be disappointing! Also visit hte well-preserved housing units, two more large acropolis, ballcourts and an array of smaller buildings.

RETURN TO SAN IGNACIO

The return to San Ignacio and Black Rock Lodge felt much longer, probably because it was getting late and I was very aware there were no other visitors behind us to give us a lift in case the car got stuck. Nonetheless, we made a few stops in Pine Ridge to do what had been recommended by the staff at Black Rock Lodge: chase waterfalls.

Many waterfalls are dotted around San Ignacio, but the following ones make a good stop on the way back from Caracol: Rio Frio Cave, Rio On Pools and Big Rock Falls. They are all located relatively close to Douglas da Silva Forest Station (San Ignacio side).

We took Cristo Reo Road back into San Ignacio, a slight variation from the route we took in the morning. Significant parts of Cristo Rei Road are – drum roll – paved! There are a few settlements along this road, so you will see more people and even some small stores and roadside stalls. The road is very windy though, so we didn’t gain any time by taking this route.

Are you up for driving to Caracol after reading this post? Don’t forget to also check out my 10 day itinerary with other sites to visit in Belize and places to stay.