Caves Branch is most popular visitor site

In case you haven’t been out to visit your nearest archaeological site lately you’d be surprised to learn that business is booming. Thanks largely to the steady influx of cruise, as well as overnight tourists, many popular destinations are chock-a-block, particularly on the cruise heavy days of Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday.

And which spot receives the most visitors? No, it’s not Altun Ha or Xunantunich. In fact, it’s not even an ancient Maya site. Belize’s most popular attraction is the river and cave complex at Caves Branch. Located of the end of the Frank’s Eddy road off the Western Highway, the spectacular cave tubing experience attracted over one hundred thousand people in 2005, most of whom paid the Institute of Archaeology ten dollars for the privilege of entering. Next on the popularity list is Altun Ha with over ninety-four thousand visitors, followed by Xunantunich, Lamanai and Cahal Pech.

The next tier of attractions includes Caracol, the Barton Creek Cave and the Altun Tunich Muknal Cave, followed by the Toledo Maya sites of Lubaantun and Nim Li Punit. At most of these locations foreign visitors far outnumber locals.