St. Matthews Village is a small settlement located at mile 38 on the Western Highway (George Price highway), at Latitude: 17.275757 and Longitude: -88.639516.
It is Situated between Cotton Tree Village and La Democracia, when travelling from Belmopan to Belize City. This Village lies approximately 4 miles (3.7 km) away from the Nohoch Che'en Caves Branch Archaeological Reserve, which is famous for Cave Tubing.
If you look closely at a map of Belize, you will see that this village is near the center of the country. This unique location enable the Guides at Belize Jungle Masters to carry out tours all over Belize.
The Village and Villagers
The village stretches two and a half miles (2-1/2) along the highway. It has a population of one thousand one hundred and fifty- five (1155) persons. The ethnic groups residing in the village are Mestizo, Creole, Maya, Garifuna, East Indian, Asian, living in harmony. Potable water, electricity, cell phone, Churches, a government school, grocery shops, restaurants, and public recreational spaces are all available in the village. The major economic activity of villagers includes subsistence tour guiding, farming, public service, construction works and landscaping activities. Many of the villagers leave early in the morning for work at return around 6 p.m. The people of St. Matthew’s village are friendly and helpful.
Popular attractions in the area:
- Actun Tunichil Muknal (ATM Cave) is about 45.7 km west of the St. Matthews. ATM Cave Tour is not to be missed, the sign to the archaeological site is found in Teakettle Village on the Western Highway.
- Belize Zoo is 14.2 km away, in Belize District, northeast from Belize Jungle Masters location. The Zoo is a great place to stop when traveling to or from Belize City or the International Airport.
- Caves Branch is about 3.7 km away, which is an area where many cruise passenger go for Cave tubing and Zip Lining.
Nohoch Che'en, known locally as Caves Branch, is an archaeological reserve in central Belize near St. Matthews Village which consists of a network of limestone caves.
This extensive network of limestone caves northwest of Belmopan City is super-popular for cave-tubing, kayaking and spelunking. The Caves Branch River (Sibun River) flows through nine caves, providing ideal conditions for floating through on a rubber tube or allowing for exploration of side passages, which lead to other caves, such as the spectacular Crystal Cave.
When driving from Belize City, Turnoff at Mile 37 on the George Price Hwy (western Highway), then its 6 miles down a paved road to the reserve entrance. There you will find snack shops, Gift shop, Restaurant, changing rooms and toilets. - St. Herman’s Blue Hole National Park - Today, it is an extreme caving destination for many adventurous tourists from all over the world. The main attractions in this park, namely the St. Herman’s Cave and the Blue Hole, are connected by an underground stream. The Blue Hole is a cool and refreshing place for an afternoon swim. It was formed by the collapse of an underground limestone cave. In this case, the river running through the original cavern still flows through the cave system, and forms a sapphire-colored pool at the bottom of the cenote.
For a more extreme adventure, visit Mountain Cow Cave (also known as Crystal Cave). The Crystal Cave is a rigorous tour that begins with a 50-minute hike in a jungle rain forest terrain. Once inside of the cave, a guide will lead participants on a 4-5 hour tour of the cave, learning about its history and geology, as well as viewing ancient Mayan pottery and even human skeletal remains.
Full of dazzling crystalline rock formations, this cave is believed to have been a ritual site used by ancient Mayan shamans who believed the cave was the underground domain of their gods.
The St. Herman's Blue National Park is about 39.9 km from Jungle Master in St. Matthews Village.
Several waterfalls can be found in and around the Nohoch Che'en Archaeological Reserve. The Guide Jungle Masters are experts on the area and carry out guided Rappelling tours to these waterfalls, great from both kids and adults.