Caracol Ruins: How to Visit Belize’s Crowd-Free Mayan City

Tikal and Chichén Itzá tend to get all the glory when it comes to ruins. Guatemala and Mexico are just fame hogs like that!

But deep in Belize’s jungle, about two hours out from the nearest large town, you’ll find pyramids just as impressive — and far less crowded.

⌛ Planning your trip to Belize at the last minute? Here are my quick picks on what to do & where to stay! 🏞️ Top San Ignacio Experiences: 1. ATM Cave Tour (only 125 spots total per day, so book early!) 2. Caracol Ruins & Rio-On Pools (largest Mayan ruins in Belize – amazing) 3. Cave Tubing & Optional Zipline (stay cool & lazily float through incredibly cave systems) 🏨 Best San Ignacio Hotels: 1. Table Rock Lodge (conservation-focused eco lodge and where I stayed, review here!) 2. The Lodge at Chaa Creek (best luxury eco-lodge in Belize!) 3. Cahal Pech Village Resort (budget friendly eco-resort in town) ✈️ Flying in? Book an airport transfer here — they’ll help you get settled into San Ignacio easily. Alternately, rent a car at the airport to have your own set of wheels.

Because of the off the beaten path location of the ruins, you can’t get to Caracol by public transport.

To get here, you’ll have to take a tour or rent a car — and since at least an hour is basically off-roading, unless you have a rugged car, you’ll probably want to opt for the tour.

After loving my ATM cave tour, I was excited to see another area of Belize’s jungle interior: the massive complex of the ruins of Caracol. And it was a good thing too, as it ended up being yet another amazing day in Belize, a country that’s quickly becoming one of my favorites.

🛕Quick Things to Know About Caracol – There’s no public transport — take a tour unless you have a 4×4 car (you cannot safely make the drive in a normal car) – Tip: Combine Caracol with Rio Frio Cave & the Rio On Pools for a full-day adventure. – Bring water, and sun protection — this location gets hot. – Look up — wildlife spotting (like howler monkeys and oropendolas) is half the fun.

My Caracol Tour Experience

If you go on a guided tour, it usually follows this basic itinerary: Rio Frio Cave –> Caracol –> Rio On Pools (sometimes swapped with Big Rocks Waterfall depending on water conditions).

On this tour, we started the day with yet another cave, the Rio Frio Cave — although I must admit that after visiting ATM, no cave will ever come close. It was pretty cool though – just look at how massive it is!

The coolest thing about this cave, though, is that there is an actual beach inside the cave – yes, with sand and everything! I mean, how many countries can say that even their caves have beaches? Belize, you freaking stunner.

After frolicking on this cave-beach, I allowed myself to be corralled back into the van to see the ruins. After all – they were what I came to see.

Another hour of bumpy roads later, we arrived at the site of the Caracol ruins, one of the coolest things to see in Belize.

The main pyramid at Caracol, Caana, is the highest and largest Mayan structure in all of Belize, and the general Caracol ruins area is vast — you could easily spend all day here… were it not for the relentless sun.

Its position on the border of modern-day Guatemala means that from the top you can see two countries at once, something that this geography nerd always loves (my record is 7 countries at once from a mountaintop in Montenegro!).

Another amazing thing? Just look at how empty this place is. This completely unedited photo literally has one other human being in it. One. And you can hardly even spot them.

Just try getting that lucky at Tikal or Chichen Itza… you’ll have to do some early morning wake-up calls, a lot of waiting with the patience of a saint, or some true Photoshop wizardry to get a picture this free of people.

The ruins in Belize are truly just as beautiful but far less crowded than ruins in Mexico or Guatemala, so you’ll have an easy time finding beautiful parts to enjoy all on your own!

The History & Layout of Caracol

The ruins of Caracol span about 15 square miles, though they’ve definitely faded from its glory days — both literally and figuratively, as the stone structures were once painted in rich, vibrant colors.

In fact, the main pyramid used to be painted red. Just imagine a red pyramid matched up against a lush green backdrop — now that would have been a sight to take in.

But hey, this wasn’t too bad, either.

The site of Caracol was first settled perhaps even 3,000 years ago, though the structures are mostly from the period between 600 and 900 CE. At its peak, over 120,000 Mayans lived in this city.

Despite its smaller size than nearby Tikal (in modern-day Guatemala), the Mayans who occupied Caracol bested them in war and marked the occasion with a celebratory obelisk which, thanks to colonialism, is now housed at the British Museum. Don’t worry, though, they were kind enough to leave behind a plaster replica! (/sarcasm)

The sun was just starting to beat down with its typical pre-noon intensity, the kind that wouldn’t let up until well after 4 that afternoon. We walked through a bit of shade, our guide pointing out a trio howler monkeys napping in the trees along the way.

Luckily, they were too tuckered out by the heat to make their typical demonic howls.

Our guide was super knowledgeable about all of Caracol’s wildlife – in fact, it turned into a bit of a birding expedition of sorts.

My personal favorite? The Montezuma oropendola, aka the most badass bird nature ever created.

Basically, the female birds make the male birds build these elaborate hanging basket-type nests for her and her future eggs. If they’re not up to par, she’ll destroy the nest and refuse to mate with them. Slay.

After touring the ruins and getting some serious life lessons on standards from birds, we ate our packed lunches, broke into the rum punch because duh, it’s Belize, and then made our way to the Rio On Pools – a set of natural pools located just outside of Caracol.

And because our guide was a class act, he offered to give us some rum punch to go. Never one to be rude, I accepted.

My clumsiness kept me from taking the best photos, as the slipperiness of the rocks all but ensured I’d send my beloved Sony camera plummeting to the bottom of a pool.

But in addition to a beautiful swimming hole with a view of forest and jungle, there was a natural whirlpool and waterslide of sorts, plus two waterfalls where you could make nature give you the world’s best shoulder massage.

Don’t just take my word for it, though. Go and see it for yourself — you’ll be one of the only ones, I swear.

Is A Caracol Day Trip Worth It?

Absolutely — especially if you want Mayan ruins without the crowds, chaos, and camera-dodging acrobatics required at Tikal or Chichén Itzá.

Between the cave with a beach, the wildlife sightings, the ruins nearly all to yourself, and the refreshing Rio On Pools, it was one of my favorite days in Belize.

Don’t just take my word for it, though. Go and see it for yourself — you’ll be one of the only ones, I swear.

Check out tour inclusions and availability here!