Belize | Philip Burns | San Ignacio | Mopan River | Cayo

The morning after our mojitos, Sergio and I leave San Pedro on a seven a.m. flight for Belize City, where Philip Burns of Yute Expeditions meets us. Philip is another local, and his job is to not only take tourists where they need to go but also give them a crash course in Belize History 101. Highly educated and knowledgeable, he knows the origins of every plant and tree in Belize, as well as the historical progression of the native Mayan culture. Philip, who is a Mayan descendant, speaks eloquently about how the Mayans first settled the area more than 4,000 years ago.

“Most people associate Mayan ruins with Cancún and other areas of Mexico on the Yucatán peninsula,” he says. “The Mayan population was just as big, if not bigger, here in Belize.”

As he speaks, and as we make the hour-long drive into Belize’s interior, the entire countryside begins to transform. Gone are any hints of a beach paradise. The topography, as well as the flora, magically transforms into mountains and jungles that are home to more than 4,000 species of flowering plants, 700 species of trees, and 250 species of orchids. It’s as though we are in a foreign country within a foreign country.

Our destination is the ruins of Xunantunich, eight miles west of San Ignacio in the Cayo district, just a stone’s throw from the Belize-Guatemala border. Soon after we cross the Mopan River, the colossal 120-foot-tall man-made El Castillo pyramid rises on the horizon like a hulking beast. Intricately ornamented and detailed, El Castillo invites visitors to climb to the top of it, where they can take in a panoramic view of the Mopan River valley and of neighboring Guatemala.