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Day 1: - Morning departure from Belize City up the Western Highway to visit the Belize Zoo  historic wildlife habitat. Continue on the Western Highway to the Maya site of Xunantunich (you are hand-cranked across the Mopan River by a 19th Century ferry). Tour the site and view the breathtaking scenery of untouched jungles. Xunantunich, an ancient Mayan temple believed to have been used for sacrificial ceremonies. The site has a major Maya ceremonial center built atop a hill and panoramic views of the Cayo district along with distant Guatemala .
Accommodations: Cayo area resort - (L,D )
Day 2: - Full day tour to the Mountain Pine Ridge Forest Reserve, 1000 ft. Hidden Valley Falls, Rio Frio Caves , Rio on Pools. Morning departure to Mountain Pine Ridge where you will have a chance to see the natural beauty of this reserve. Acres of citrus, scenic vistas, then a ranger station welcomes you to the reserve. Hundreds of needle-like pine stretch heavenward as you rumble along red-tinted roads reminiscent of Georgia 's red clay. Amazing natural attractions lie ahead. Anticipation builds on the short walk to Rio Frio Cave . Your jaw may drop upon first seeing the cave's 65-foot-high mouth. Eerie light spills over boulders and stalactites at the half-mile-long  cave. Cool off in mini pools and soak up scenery at close by Rio On Pools, equally as impressive. An eye-boggling 1,000-foot splashdown can be found at Hidden Valley Falls -also know as Thousand Foot Falls -in the Mountain Pine Ridge area. (road conditions permitting) Watch water disappear into the jungle from a mountain top viewing area.
Accommodations: Cayo area resort -( B,L,D)
Day 3: - Tour of the Panti Trail (there is a bounty of wildlife to observe). The Panti Medicinal Trail begins at Ix Chel Farm. Learn the healing powers of its herbs and trees, like the cocolmecca plant (wild yam) which the American Academy of Sciences estimates will yield 17 new medicines in the next decade. You will also tour the Macal River and Cahal Pech Maya site enroute to Belize City . -( B,L)
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