Big Rock
Fall and pool.
Russell Harrison Photography from Raleigh, NC, US — CC BY-SA 2.0 · Tom Eppenberger Jr. — CC BY 2.0 · Russell Harrison from Raleigh, NC, US — CC BY-SA 2.0
A high plateau south of San Ignacio covered in a vast pine forest, a landscape quite unlike Belize's tropical forests: tall pines over red earth, granite boulders, and clear rivers tumbling over waterfalls and pools, in cooler, fresher air. Its best-known waterfall is Big Rock, a powerful fall dropping over a huge granite boulder into a deep pool, reached by stone and wooden steps. Nearby are the Río On Pools, a chain of natural pools and rock slides along the river, and Thousand Foot Falls, seen from a lookout on the valley rim, one of the tallest waterfalls in Central America. In the forest is the wide Río Frío Cave, open at both ends with a river running through it, so visitors walk inside by daylight. The roads are rough dirt, so a tour or four-wheel drive is best, and trips usually pair the reserve with Caracol. The water turns murky and fierce after rain, so do not swim near the fall when it is strong.
Fall and pool.
Rock pools.
Cave and river.
Mountain Pine Ridge Forest Reserve, about an hour south of San Ignacio
On a tour from San Ignacio or by four-wheel drive; trips usually combine it with Caracol in one day.