Cayo spans more than 2,000 square miles across diverse terrain, changing from lush river valleys and savannas to jungle hillsides and rugged mountain ridges. With an estimated population of around 40,000, one of Cayo Districts most important industries is ecotourism. Besides the country's most extensive number of Archeological Sites and a growing number of comfortable accommodations, Cayo offers visitors the unique opportunity to encounter its physically diverse flora and fauna, with such natural wonders as cascading waterfalls and limestone caves in an intact and relatively undisturbed environment. In fact over 60% of Cayo District has been set aside as either a Wildlife Sanctuary, National Park, or Forest Reserve. To experience Cayo you can Hike, Canoe, travel by Horseback, or tour in the comfort of an air-conditioned van. Whatever your preference, prepare yourself for the ultimate in an "up close and personal" experience you're not likely to forget. Belizeans from western Belize are fond of boasting that "the west is best!" And they sure have a lot to be proud about. Besides being home to the nation's new capital of Belmopan, the Cayo District, covering some two thousand square miles of verdant landscape, has some of the most scenic attractions in Belize: clear, meandering rivers, lush jungles, green hillsides, thundering waterfalls, huge cave systems, two of Belize's most important Mayan ruins, and a pine ridge forest just waiting for you to explore and experience. It's rich with wildlife and a favored destination for ecotourists. The Cayo district is the Belizean frontier (you'll be able to do more horseback riding than in any other part of the country). It's reached via the Western Highway , which begins on the outskirts of Belize City at the intersection of Central American Boulevard and Cemetery Road . A one-hour ride from Belize City gets you to Belmopan , whose downtown market area is a pulsating, thriving bus terminal with connections to every part of Belize . Between Belmopan and San Ignacio, one will pass the modern-day Mennonite settlement of Spanish Lookout. Both English and Spanish are widely spoken in Cayo, which is home to large populations of Mestizos (Spanish Maya), Chinese, Creoles, Lebanese, Guatemalans, Mennonites and Mayas. As with every in Belize , smaller groups of all other ethnic groups live there, like the Garifuna and East Indians. It is the country's second largest district, with a population of some fifty-four thousand people.