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With a population approaching twenty thousand, Orange Walk is
the largest town in the north of Belize and the centre of a busy
agricultural region. Like Corozal, less than an hour away along the
Northern Highway, it was founded by mestizo refugees fleeing from
the Caste Wars in Yucatán in 1849, who chose as their site an area
that had long been used for logging camps and was already occupied
by the local Icaiché (Chichanha) Maya.
Orange Walk traditionally thrived on the sugar and citrus
industries, but a fall in sugar prices has seen it come to depend
more heavily on profits from marijuana - though recent pressure from
the US government has forced the Belizean authorities to destroy
many of the marijuana fields.
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 Belize
travel guide
Caribbean
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The town itself boasts few tourist
attractions, and Corozal is a preferable place to spend the night.
The centre of town is marked by a distinctly Mexican-style formal
plaza, and the town hall across the main road is actually called the
Palacio Municipal, reinforcing the town's strong historical links to
Mexico. The tranquil, slow-moving New River, a few blocks east of
the centre, was a busy commercial waterway during the logging days.
Now, however, it's a lovely starting point for visiting the ruins of
Lamanai, and several local operators now offer tours.
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Belize
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Explore Belize City
North side
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Cayo and the west
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Belize city
to San
Ignacio
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Belize zoo
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Belmopan
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Monkey Bay Wildlife Sanctuary
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Park
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Caracol Ruins
Mountain Pine Ridge Forest Reserve
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San Antonio
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San Ignacio
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Arrival
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Xunantunich, San Jose
Corozal, Orange Walk
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Travel details |
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