Caracol is the most extensive, known Maya site in Belize. Caracol was not the Mayan name for the site. The original name is still unknown. In its hey-days the urban area of Caracol covered approximately over 30 square miles which is larger than Belize City today. It comprises a complex that includes many pyramids, five plazas, and an astronomical observatory.

The main plaza is linked by causeways to a number of outer ruins. It is estimated that 180,000 or more people lived in this area at the city-state's peak around 700 A.D. Over 35,000 buildings have been identified with its tallest pyramid known as Caana (meaning "room with a view" in Mayan) reaching 139 feet which makes it Belize's tallest.

In Caracol a carved ball-court marker has been found dating to the end of the Early Classic Period. The engravings on this ball court marker have been interpreted as claiming a military victory over Tikal, located in today's Guatemala.

Caracol is located in Belize's Western district Cayo, about three hours south of the town of San Ignacio in the Mountain Pine Ridge, in the Chiquibul forest, about a 45 minute drive from the Agustine Reserve Headquarters in the Mountain Pine Ridge. Tropical jungle, hot and humid.

Due to its remote location very few people visit the site. Different stages of the excavations show the process involved from the discovery of a 'pile of stones' to the beginnings of a 'tourist attraction.'

Caracol can only be reached by private car or with an organized tour through a tour operator from San Ignacio or through any of the 'jungle lodges' in the area.

The road to Caracol offers a gerat scenery, from plantations to Pine trees with abrupt changes to tropical jungle. In the wider area, horseback riding, river trips and extensive caving.

San Ignacio offers a great variety of accommodations, recommended Martha's Guesthouse or for bigger pockets, only one hour from the ruins, Francis Ford Coppola's 'Blancaneaux Lodge.'