San Ignacio is base camp for western Belize, and almost every visitor uses it for day trips into the surrounding Cayo district. The major Maya sites — Xunantunich, Caracol, and Cahal Pech right on the edge of town — are within easy reach, the Macal and Mopan rivers run through the centre for tubing and canoeing, and Actun Tunichil Muknal is the most extraordinary cave experience in Central America. In town itself, the Saturday market is the cultural highlight; the Green Iguana Project and the Belize Botanic Gardens fill an afternoon when you need a slower pace.