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Inland Protected Areas

Mountain Pine Ridge

Mountain Pine Ridge Forest Reserve

The Mountain Pine Ridge is home to the Hidden Valley Falls (1,600 Foot-Falls), the Rio On River, the Rio On Pools, and the Rio Frio Cave and nature Trail, as well as numerous small streams and waterfalls.

Besides offering magnificent vistas, the cooler temperatures along with a refreshing swim can provide a welcome respite from the tropical sunshine within the Mountain Pine Ridge’s 300 square miles of forest reserve in the Cayo District. Established in 1944 to protect and manage the native pine forest, it is estimated to cover an area of 106,352.5 acres.

Notable Features

The cascading waters of the Rio On pools and the numerous waterfalls in the Mountain Pine Ridge are its main attraction
Most of the reserve is located on granite base with some areas of limestone in the west of the reserve, creating many sinkholes and caves, most notably the Rio Frio Caves.
The reserve is mainly pine forest of ‘honduras pine,’ with some broad leaf and small areas of grasslands.
Despite fire control measures being established in 1945, much of the forest was destroyed by a fire in 1949 and today few of the original trees remain. The reserve was reclassified in 1952 as a production forest and the 1950’s saw the provision of roads and a landing strip.

Visitor Experience
Access to the reserve is via the Chiquibul Road from Georgeville or via the Cristo Rey Road from Santa Elena Town just east of San Ignacio Town.

There are several lodges and resorts located within the reserve.

Visitors going to the Maya site at Caracol and/or the Chiquibul Rain Forest, drive through this picturesque area.

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