San Ignacio, Belize – Iguana & Nature Walk – Day 2

After a good nights rest in the Hotel (Midas Hotel), it was time to get started on seeing the many sights in and around San Ignacio and Western Belize. The Hotel offered a complimentary breakfast in its dining area, where the first thing that catches your eye are the many Iguanas that are either on the ground or in the trees around the Hotel.

  

One of the first things I want to do was go see the San Ignacio Hotel & Resort, which I was unable to get a booking in, but was rated as one of the top Hotels / Resorts in the area. The San Ignacio Hotel / Resort is located on the south side of the town, the opposite of where I was staying and is home to the Green Iguana Conservation Project and a highly rated Nature Walk – Herbal Medicine tour , both of which I was interested in seeing while here in town. The Hotel is located at the top of a large hill from downtown San Ignacio and offers great views of the surrounding countryside. You immediately know that you are in an upscale hotel, once you enter the lobby area. The marble floors, and beautiful flower arrangments, and paintings or photographs on the walls. Once I walked through the lobby and to the back of the hotel and looked out on the vista and the pool area, I knew I wanted to stay here. This was probably the best Hotel and Resort I have seen since leaving the States. Unfortunately, they still had no vacancies and I would have to stay where I was at the Midas Hotel.

At the Hotel / Resort, they have the Green Iguana Conservation Project and Nature Walk – Herbal Medicine tours, that I read about and wanted to do while here. The first tour that was available was the Iguana tour, which I only had to wait about 30 minutes before it would start.

 

The Green Iguana Conservation Project was created in 1996 by Mrs. Mariam Roberson and Daniel Velasquez due to the decreasing survival rate of Green Iguanas in Belize caused by overhunting. It’s a continuous effort that aims to conserve and look after the endangered Green Iguana species in Belize. The Project uses interactive exhibits and programs to help educate visitors and create awareness among the general public. The tour takes about 1 to 1.5 hours, and will get you up close and personal with lots of Iguanas. Our guide, Abdon, was great and very knowledgeable about the project and Iguanas. There are three separate caged areas, one for the juveniles (about 1 – 2.5 years old, one for the babies, and one area for the incubation of eggs. They let you feed the juveniles with fresh vegetables that the guide will give to you. Just make sure you don’t hold on to the food too long because the Iguanas will climb right up your pants to get to the food (See pictures and video below). You can even pick up and hold some of the Iguanas. Once the Iguanas reach about 2.5 years of age, the project lets them loose into the forest. There are hundreds of Iguanas located all around the hotel / resort, and surrounding area. Everywhere you go in Western Belize, you see Iguanas in the trees or on the ground.

 

 

Below is a quick video showing how the iguanas will climb right up your pants leg if you are holding any food for them.

Later in the afternoon, I was able to book the Nature / Herbal Medicine Tour, which is also located on the Hotel property. This tour lasted about 2+ hours and I was lucky enough to get the same guide (Abdon) as I had for the Iguana Conservation Project tour. This tour follows a path through the jungle located behind the Hotel and down the side of the valley towards the river. All along the path is located these information boards that identify the name of the tree or shrub behind it along with information about the item and their medical use. If you are lucky, you will also see some very interesting wildlife, including birds, butterflies and even monkeys.

         

After the tour, I headed back to my Hotel where I ended up walking towards town to get some dinner and was able to capture a few pictures of the moonrise.

What a great way to spend a day in San Ignacio, Belize.

Up next will be the trip to Tikal, a large and famous Mayan Ruin City located in Guatemala.