Previous Chapter | Next Chapter | Table of Contents
Dangriga | Hopkins Village | Cockscomb Basin Wildlife Sanctuary
Thanks to its good beaches, the Southern Coast—the area from Gales Point to Placencia—is the up-and-coming part of Belize, with a growing number of resorts and restaurants, especially in Hopkins and Placencia.
Dangriga
99 miles (160 km) southeast of Belmopan.
With a population of around 9,000, Dangriga is the largest town in the south and the home of the Garífuna or Black Caribs, as they’re also known (though some view the latter term as a remnant of colonialism). Strictly speaking the plural is Garinagu, but Garifunas also is used. There’s not much to keep you in Dangriga. Though the town is on the coast, there are no good beaches, no truly first-class hotels, few restaurants, and, except for a small museum on Garífuna culture in the outskirts of town, not much to see. Rickety clapboard houses on stilts and small shops line the downtown streets, and the town has a kind of end-of-the-road feel. Dangriga isn’t really dangerous, and in fact it’s friendlier than it first seems, though it has a rough vibe, a little like Belize City, that’s off-putting for many visitors.
Each year, on November 19 and the days around it, the town cuts loose with a week of Carnival-style celebrations. Garífuna drumming, costumed Jonkunu dancers, punta music, and a good bit of drinking make up the festivities of Garífuna Settlement Day, when these proud people celebrate their arrival in Belize and remember their roots.
Getting Here and Around
You can arrive in Dangriga by car, bus, or airplane. The Hummingbird, Belize’s most scenic road, runs 54 miles (89 km) from Belmopan to Dangriga. As it approaches Dangriga, it technically becomes the Stann Creek District Highway, but most people simply refer to the entire road as the Hummingbird Highway. James Line and other bus lines have frequent service during the day from Belize City via Belmopan to Dangriga. The bus station in Dangriga is seven blocks south of town on the main road. By air, Maya Island and Tropic together have around a dozen flights daily from the international and municipal airports in Belize City. The airstrip is at the north edge of town.
Contacts
James Bus Line. | 7 King St., | Punta Gorda | 722/2265 | www.pgbelize.com/jamesbusline.
Timing
Candidly, Dangriga isn’t exactly a mecca for tourists. (Some hotels have Dangriga mailing addresses, even though they’re physically located in Hopkins or on an offshore caye or elsewhere.) Unless you have a special interest in Garífuna culture, need to overnight there on your way to Tobacco Caye, Southwater Caye, or another offshore caye, or simply have a yen to visit quirky, Graham Greene-ish spots, you’ll probably spend only a few hours in Dangriga, if that. We do note that the best french fries we’ve ever had in Belize are at the Pelican Beach Hotel in Dangriga, the best hotel in town.
Safety and Precautions
Visitors may get hassled a little on the streets of Dangriga, and care should be exercised if walking around town after dark.
History
As elsewhere in Belize, the Maya were here first. They had settlements in what is now Stann Creek District at least from the Early Classic period (around AD 300) until the Post-Classic period (about AD 1200). However, this part of Belize did not have the large Mayan cities that existed elsewhere. Few of the known Mayan sites in the area have been extensively excavated, but they appear to have been small ceremonial centers.
In the 1600s, small numbers of English, some of whom were pirates, settled on the Placencia peninsula, though most eventually left the area. Creoles from Jamaica came to Stann Creek in the 1700s, mainly to work in logging, and, later, in fishing. In the next century English traders and farmers arrived in what is now Dangriga. They called their coastal trading posts “stands,” which was corrupted to “stann.” Hence the name Stann Creek. On November 19, 1823, a group of Garinagu from the Bay Islands of Honduras, former African slaves who had intermarried with Carib Indians in the southern Caribbean, arrived at the mouth of the Stann Creek River, at what was then called Stann Creek Town. This date is still celebrated in Belize as Garífuna Settlement Day. Later, the name of Stann Creek Town (but not the district) was changed to Dangriga, which means “sweet water” in the Garífuna language.
In the late 1800s several families, originally from Scotland, Portugal, Honduras, and elsewhere, arrived in Placencia. The names of these families—Garbutt, Leslie, Westby, and Cabral—are still common on the peninsula. In the 19th and early 20th centuries the fertile soils of the coastal plain were found to be ideal for growing bananas and citrus, and soon agriculture became the most important industry in the region. The first railroad in Belize, the Stann Creek Railway, built by the United Fruit Company to transport bananas, started operation around World War I. The railroad closed in the 1950s.
The first small tourist resorts were developed on the Placencia peninsula in the 1960s and ‘70s, but the bad roads and lack of infrastructure meant that few visitors got this far south. The first fishing cooperative was established in Placencia in 1962. Although fishing is still a way of life for a few people on the coast, the big money now is real-estate development and tourism. Shrimp farming, once an up-and-coming industry around Placencia, has run into problems due to competition from Asia, and several Belize shrimp farms have closed.
Hurricane Iris in 2001 devastated much of the Southern Coast south of Maya Beach, Tropical Storm Arthur in 2008 caused extensive flooding, and a minor earthquake in 2009 damaged some homes in Placencia and Monkey River, but the area has bounced back stronger than ever, and you will see few signs of the natural disasters.
Exploring
Top Attractions
FAMILY | Fodor’s Choice | Gulisi Garífuna Museum.
Named after a Garífuna heroine who came to Belize with her 13 children and founded the village of Punta Negra in Toledo District, this museum has a number of displays on Garífuna history and life. Exhibits cover the Garífuna migration from Africa to St. Vincent, then to Roatan and Belize. Another exhibit is on Thomas Vincent Ramos, a visionary Garífuna leader who, in 1941, established the first Garífuna Settlement Day. Other displays are on Garífuna food, clothing, medicinal plants, and music and dance. The museum also has rotating displays of paintings by Garífuna artists including Pen Cayotano. | Chuluhadiwa Park, Stann Creek Valley Rd., about 2 miles (3 km) from Dangriga | 699/0639 | www.ngcbelize.org | BZ$10 | Weekdays 10–5, Sat. 8–noon.
Mayflower Bocawina National Park.
Declared a national park in 2001, Mayflower Bocawina has some small Mayan ruins, lovely waterfalls, and good hiking on more than 7,000 acres. A private lodge, Mama Noots, is in the park and has lodging, food and drink, and a zip line. The park has three minor Mayan ceremonial sites: Mayflower, T’au Witz, and Maintzunum, near Silk Grass Creek. Nearby are the three waterfalls: Bocawina Falls, Three Sisters Falls, and Antelope Falls. Access to Mayflower is easiest from Hopkins, about 20 minutes by car. However, tours are offered from Placencia and Dangriga as well as from Hopkins. The entrance to the park is about 4½ miles (7½ km) on a dirt road off the Southern Highway. From the visitor center, to get to Bocawina and Three Sisters Falls, which are close together, it’s an easy hike of about 1¼ miles (2 km) on the marked Bocawina Falls trail. The trail to Antelope Falls, about 1¾ miles (3 km), is somewhat more difficult due to some steep sections that can be slick after rain. Maps of the trails are available at the small visitor center. So far, little excavation has been conducted at the Mayan sites, but the parklike setting at the base of the Maya Mountains is beautiful. | Off Mile 6, Southern Hwy. | From Mile 6 on Southern Hwy, go west 4½ miles (7½ km) west on dirt road to park visitor center | BZ$10 | Daily 8–4.
Southern Lagoon.
One of the most beautiful lagoons in Belize, Southern Lagoon, is about 25 miles (41 km) north of Dangriga—a 45-minute car ride. This lagoon is home to many West Indian manatees, and on beaches nearby, hawksbill turtles nest May to October. The Northern and Western lagoons also are in this area. | Southern Lagoon | Gales Point | From Dangriga, drive west on the Stann Creek Hwy./Hummingbird Hwy. to Melinda; turn right on the unpaved Coastal Hwy. and go about 12 miles (20 km) to the turn-off for Gales Point and follow 2½ miles (4 km) to the lagoon and Gales Point village.
Worth Noting
Billy Barquedier National Park.
Billy Barquedier National Park is a 1,500-acre park along the Hummingbird Highway in Stann Creek District. Established in 2001, the park is still in its infancy. Although it offers no spectacular sights, it does have primitive hiking trails and the Barquedier Waterfall (locally sometimes called Bac-a-Der Waterfall). It’s part of a community comanagement program for parks and reserves, in this case with the Steadfast Tourist and Conservation group of Steadfast village, along with the Belize Forestry Department. It’s best to enter the park via the northern entrance at Mile 16½ of the Hummingbird Highway. Entrance fee to the park is BZ$8, and a 3-hour guided tour to the falls by Holistic Eco Tours is BZ$120 for up to four persons. Camping is available in the park for BZ$20 per person, plus the park entrance fee. | Main entrance, Mile 16½, Hummingbird Hwy. | Steadfast Village | 603/0863 for park caretaker and Holistic Eco Tours guide | billybarquediernp.webs.com | BZ$8 | Daily 9–4:30.
Davis Falls.
Getting to Davis Falls requires a four-wheel-drive vehicle or tractor and wagon plus an arduous 2 miles (3 km) hike, but the falls here are about 500 feet high and are the second highest in the country (after Thousand-Foot Falls in the Mountain Pine Ridge), and the natural pool at the base of the falls is 75 feet deep. The swimming is wonderful, and the undisturbed forest around the falls is great for a picnic or enjoying nature. Before going to Davis Falls, stop at the Citrus Products of Belize plant (Mile 14.5 of Hummingbird Highway/Stann Creek District Highway), for information and to pay your admission fee. Tours of Davis Falls are offered by several tour guides including Holistic Eco Tours at Steadfast village. | Mile 14.5, Hummingbird Hwy. | 603/2339 for Holistic Eco Tours | BZ$10 | Daily 9–4:30.
Gales Point.
The small Creole village of Gales Point, population about 500, has an idyllic setting on the Southern Lagoon. The lagoon and nearby waters are home to many manatees. Gales Point is home to several drum makers, including Boombay Andrewin, who gives Creole-style drumming lessons (about BZ$16 an hour). You can drive to Gales Point, and tours are available from Dangriga and Hopkins. | Gales Point | To Gales Point: From Dangriga, go northwest on Hummingbird Hwy. 8½ miles (14 km) to village of Melinda; turn right on Manatee Hwy. (Coastal Rd) and follow 13 miles (21 km) to turnoff, a sharp right turn. This dirt road to Gales Point Village runs about 2½ miles (4 km) until it ends at lagoon and Manatee Lodge | 209/8031 community phone for Gales Point.
Marie Sharp’s Factory.
You can visit the source of one of Belize’s few well-known exports, Marie Sharp’s Hot Sauce, made in about 10 different heat levels from Mild to Beware. The small factory, with about 25 workers, established and still run by Marie Sharp and family, is open to interested visitors weekdays, but for a tour it’s best to call in advance. Besides the factory tour, you can also see the entire selection of products manufactured by Marie Sharp, and most are offered for sale. Marie Sharp’s main office is in Dangriga (3 Pier Rd. | 522–2370), where there also is a small shop. Her products are sold in nearly every grocery in Belize and are on tables in most restaurants in Belize. | 1 Melinda Rd., 8 miles (13 km) west of Dangriga | Stann Creek Valley | 520/2087 | www.mariesharps-bz.com | Free.
Where to Eat
King Burger.
LATIN AMERICAN | Formerly called Burger King, but a far cry from the U.S. chain of the same name, this is one of the best places in Dangriga to get an honest plate of chicken and rice and beans. Prepared by the Cuban owner, the fresh fish is good, and, yes, so are the hamburgers. Everything’s affordable, too. No alcohol served, but you can BYOB (Bring Your Own Belikin). | Average main: BZ$12 | 135 Commerce St., on Dangriga’s main street just north of the bridge on the North Stann Creek River | 522/2476 | No credit cards | Closed Sun.
Riverside Café.
LATIN AMERICAN | The Creole and Garífuna dishes here are hearty and tasty, prepared fresh by Maudeline Westby. The restaurant is often busy with fishermen and the guys who run boats out to Tobacco Caye and other offshore cayes. If you’re going to the islands you can arrange transportation while sipping a beer or having breakfast or a plate of rice and beans. | Average main: BZ$12 | Riverside and Oak Sts., on west side of North Stann Creek river | 661/6390 | No credit cards.
Where to Stay
Dangriga
Pelican Beach Resort.
HOTEL | This waterfront hotel on the north end of Dangriga, near the airstrip, is the best the town has to offer. Most rooms are in a two-story colonial-style building with a veranda. Some have porches with sea views. The restaurant has dependable food and service, and the open-air terrace is a delightful spot to enjoy a meal. The staff is helpful and knowledgeable. Though there’s a pier and small beach area, the water’s not always the best for swimming. It’s about a half-hour stroll to the center of town. The resort has an annex on Southwater Caye, a beautiful small island, an hour away by boat. Pros: charming colonial-era main building; breezy seaside location; the best lodging in Dangriga. Cons: not the beach of your dreams. | Rooms from: BZ$247 | Scotchman Town, North End | 522/2044 | www.pelicanbeachbelize.com | 20 rooms.
Near Dangriga
Mama Noots Eco Resort.
B&B/INN | Being environmentally conscious doesn’t have to come at the expense of comfort or adventure at this newly reopened lodge in Mayflower Bocawina National Park, with renovated rooms and its own zip line. A combination solar, wind, and hydro system generates the lodge’s electricity. The lodge’s zip line, newly built, is claimed to be the longest in Belize. Renovated rooms in thatch casitas, standard rooms in an older lodge building, and a new concrete lodge built in 2013 with luxury rooms, have views of surrounding bush and the rugged Maya Mountains. Nearby are the Mayflower archaeological sites and miles of jungle trails and waterfalls. The lodge offers a variety of tours. (To get to the lodge, which is within the national park, you have to pay park admission of BZ$10 per person.) Pros: hard-to-beat location in national park; lots of wildlife and birds; on-site zip line. Cons: you may need lots of bug spray; park admission fee not waived for guests. | Rooms from: BZ$175 | Mayflower Bocawina National Park, near Mayflower archaeological site, 5 miles (8 km) off Mile 6, Southern Hwy. | 670/8019 | www.mamanootsbelize.com | 6 standard rooms, 3 casita rooms, 4 deluxe rooms | No meals.
Manatee Lodge.
B&B/INN | This colonial-era lodge, just feet from the Southern Lagoon and surrounded by flowers, has a stunning setting, though the facilities do not live up to its location. With its fading white facade like something out of a Graham Greene novel and sometimes lackadaisical service, the lodge isn’t what it could be, but in minutes you can be on a boat looking for manatees or on a deserted beach. Rooms on the second floor are simple but have polished wood floors and views of the lagoon. The wood-paneled dining room serves Belizean and American fare. Pros: beautiful waterside setting; interesting colonial atmosphere. Cons: off-the-beaten-path location; lodge would benefit from updating and upgrades. | Rooms from: BZ$210 | Manatee Lodge, on Southern Lagoon | Gales Point | 532/2400 | www.manateelodge.com | 8 rooms.
Shopping
Dangriga has some interesting, offbeat shopping, notably for Garífuna arts and crafts. Collectors may want to spend a day looking for items that are rarely available outside Belize and in some cases may not be available elsewhere in Belize. Austin Rodriquez sells his handmade drums here. Noted Garífuna artist Pen Cayetano has a studio and gallery. Garífuna cultural expert Frank Swaso has a gallery selling local drums, dolls, masks, and wood carvings.
Austin Rodriguez Drums.
Visit this small seafront thatched shed for locally made drums. Ask locally for directions to the shop. Rodriguez’s drums also are sold at Lebeha Drumming School in Hopkins village. | Seafront at North Stann Creek River | 502/3752.
Garinagu Crafts Gallery.
This small gallery sells Garífuna drums, masks, wood carvings and other locally made items. In the gallery is a small museum on Garífuna life. | 46 Oak St. at Tubroose St. | 522/2596.
Pen Cayetano Studio Gallery.
Punta rocker and internationally known Garífuna artist Pen Cayetano displays his bold, colorful paintings at his studio and gallery at his home in Dangriga. Work by his wife, Ingrid Cayetano, and daughter, Mali, are also displayed. The house, built around 1900 and totally redone by Cayetano, alone is worth a visit, as it is one of the most interesting old buildings in Dangriga. | 3 Aranda Crescent at Gallery St. | 628/6807 | BZ$5 | Closed at lunch time and on Mon.
The Garífuna Struggle
Perhaps the most unusual of the ethnic groups calling Belize home, the Garífuna have a story that is both bizarre and moving, an odyssey of exile and dispossession in the wake of the confusion wrought in the New World by the Old. The Garífuna are descended from a group of Nigerian slaves who were shipwrecked on the island of St. Vincent in 1635. The Caribs, St. Vincent’s indigenous population, fiercely resisted the outsiders at first, but they eventually overcame their distrust.
In the eyes of the British colonial authorities, the new ethnic group that developed after years of intermarriage was an illegitimate and troublesome presence. Worse still, the Garífuna sided with, and were succored by, the French. After nearly two centuries of guerrilla warfare, the British decided that the best way to solve the problem was to deport them en masse. After a circuitous and tragic journey across the Caribbean, during which thousands perished of disease and hunger, some of the exiles arrived in Belize.
That the Garífuna have preserved their cultural identity testifies to Belize’s extraordinary ability to encourage diversity. They have their own religion, a potent mix of ancestor worship and Catholicism; their own language, which, like Carib, has separate male and female dialects; their own music, a percussion-oriented sound known as punta rock; and their own social structure, which dissuades young people from marrying outside their community. In writer Marcella Lewis, universally known as Auntie Madé, the Garífuna also had their own poet laureate. In 2002 the United Nations designated the Garífuna as a World Heritage culture.
Hopkins Village
10 miles (17 km) south of Dangriga on the Southern Hwy., then 2 miles (3⅓ km) east on a partially paved road.
Hopkins is an intriguing Garífuna coastal village of about 1,500 people, halfway between Dangriga and Placencia. Garífuna culture is more accessible here than in Dangriga. Hopkins has the same toast-color beaches as those in Placencia, and a number of new resorts have opened to take advantage of them. Americans, Canadians, and Europeans are snapping up beachfront land here at prices a bit lower than in Placencia or on Ambergris Caye, but so far only a few vacation homes and condos have been built. If there’s a downside to the area, it’s the biting sand flies, which can be vicious at times.
Getting Here and Around
The turnoff to Hopkins from the Southern Highway is 10 miles (16 km) south of the junction of the Hummingbird and Southern highways. The Hopkins Road is rutted and potholed. Plans have been announced to redo and pave the Hopkins Road, with completion by late 2014. A longer, but less potholed, route to Hopkins is via the Sittee River Road, 2½ miles (4 km) farther south on the Southern Highway. Buses on the Southern Highway will drop you at the entrance road to Hopkins, and a few stop in Hopkins itself. Hopkins has no air service. You can fly to Dangriga and take a taxi to Hopkins (about BZ$100–BZ$120), if your hotel doesn’t provide a shuttle.
Contacts
James Bus Line. | 7 King St., | Punta Gorda | 722/2049, 664/2185.
Timing
The highlights of Hopkins can be seen in much less than a day, but if this is your beach destination, you can profitably spend several days, or longer, here enjoying activities on the water.
Worth Noting
Lebeha Drumming Center.
In Hopkins you can watch local Garífuna boys hone their drumming skills at the Lebeha Drumming Center. Lebeha means “the end” in the Garífuna language, a reference to the school’s location at a small guesthouse with a bar, budget rooms, and cabins. Visitors are welcome. The drums, mostly made by a noted drum maker in Dangriga, Austin Rodriquez, are of mahogany or mayflower wood, with deerskin on the drumhead. Other instruments include shakas, or shakers, calabash gourds filled with fruit seeds and turtle shells. The drumming goes on nightly, though most activity is on weekends. Donations are accepted. You can take drumming lessons and purchase a CD of Lebeha drumming. | Lebeha Drumming, Main Rd., near north end of village | 665/9305 | www.lebeha.com.
Where to Eat
Fodor’s Choice | Barracuda Bar & Grill.
MEDITERRANEAN | Owners Tony and Angela Marsico traded running a restaurant in Alaska for operating a beachside bistro in Belize. They’ve turned this restaurant, part of Beaches and Dreams Seafront Inn, into one of the best eateries on the Southern Coast, with delicious dishes like fresh grilled snapper and smoked chicken or ribs. Catch the sea breezes on the covered, open-air deck while you munch a handmade pizza or enjoy a burger. The restaurant usually closes for a few weeks off-season. | Average main: BZ$45 | Sittee Point | 523/7259 | www.beachesanddreams.com.
Fodor’s Choice | Chef Rob’s Gourmet Cafe.
CARIBBEAN | You’ll recognize this restaurant by the big sign out front made from one side of a red 1964 Peugeot 404, but inside the restaurant at Parrot Cove Lodge, Chef Rob Pronk’s eclectic Caribbean-style, locally sourced food is surprisingly contemporary. And delicious. You can order a four-course meal (soup, salad, entrée, and dessert) from the prix fixe menu or order à la carte). The menu changes daily, but the entrée might be lobster, fresh fish, or ribs, all presented creatively and with interesting sauces. The restaurant is on the beach at Parrot Cove Resort, which Rob and his wife Corrie Pronk also manage. Chef Rob says he plans to add some of his “Love on the Rocks” dishes from a second location in Hopkins. At Love on the Rocks, you cook your own food on a hot lava rock, a concept the chef introduced in Belize years ago at the Radisson Fort George Hotel restaurant in Belize City. In-season, you’ll likely need reservations. | Average main: BZ$50 | Beachside, False Sittee Point, at Parrot Cove Resort | 670/0445, 523/7225 Parrot Cove | www.parrotcovelodge.com | Reservations essential.
Driftwood Beach Bar and Pizza Shack.
PIZZA | Driftwood arguably has the best pizza in Southern Belize, served up by outgoing British-American owners in a friendly, casual atmosphere in a beachfront thatch palapa. Try the Driftwood combo pizza, with red sauce, pepperoni, Italian sausage, peppers, onion, mushrooms, and black olives (in three sizes). If pizza isn’t your thing, go for the catch of the day or one of the pasta dishes. Plenty of cold beer and rum at reasonable prices. There’s usually a beach BBQ on Sunday afternoons. If you’re driving, be careful where you park, as it’s easy to get bogged down in the soft sand if you don’t have four-wheel drive. | Average main: BZ$25 | North end of Hopkins | 667/4072 | www.driftwoodpizza.com | Closed Wed.
Innies Restaurant.
LATIN AMERICAN | At Innies, as at most local restaurants in Hopkins, you’re eating in a spot that was once somebody’s house or back porch. Here, you can dine inside, or outside and get the full flavor of village life. The food is authentic (though some dishes cater to the taste of tourists), delicious, and inexpensive. You’ll find the staff very friendly. Traditional Garífuna dishes such as hudut (fish cooked in coconut milk and served with mashed plantains) and ereba (grated cassava bread) with bundiga (a gravy of grated plantains and coconut) are available, but less exotic dishes like fried chicken and rice and beans with stew chicken are also served. | Average main: BZ$12 | South end of village, Front St. | 503/7333 | No credit cards.
King Cassava Cultural Restaurant and Bar.
SEAFOOD | With its sand floors King Kassava may not look like much, but when the rum and beer start flowing, the drums start drumming, and the action at the pool table in the back room gets hot, this is the place to be in Hopkins. The food here is just so-so, but the beer is cold and patrons are convivial. Seating is inside and on the covered open-air patio. | Average main: BZ$14 | Main T-intersection entering village, Junction of Main St. and Hopkins Rd. | 503/7305 | No credit cards | Closed Mon.
Thongs.
CAFÉ | This European-run coffee shop and bistro has good coffee, well-prepared breakfast omelets, and satisfying smoothies. For lunch, try the salads. It’s open for dinner on weekends only. Thongs is small but stylish, with Belizean wood carvings and paintings on the walls. The prime tables on the front patio fill up quickly. Free Wi-Fi and helpful, friendly owners. | Average main: BZ$14 | South of main T-intersection, High St. | 622/0110 | Closed Mon.–Tues. No dinner Wed., Thurs., and Sun.
Development, Belize-Style
“People are building $500,000 houses on $5,000 roads!” This is the sentiment of many who watch in amazement as huge condos and luxury houses sprout up along narrow, muddy golf-cart trails. In some areas huge 4,000- to 6,000-square-foot homes are being built where there is no municipal water or sewage system, and in more remote parts of the country no electricity or telephone. One stretch of road on the Placencia peninsula is now sprinkled with massive McMansions, gated communities, and condo projects, built on filled land next to the lagoon.
Belize’s lack of infrastructure is nothing new. As late as the 1980s open sewers were common all over Belize City. Even today, in some rural villages, especially in Toledo District, telephone service is a rare commodity, and drinking water comes from a community well. With the unemployment rate in Belize in the low double digits, and with good, high-paying jobs scarce, many hope that the new housing boom will provide a needed economic boost and sustainable job growth. But environmentalists are taking a darker view.
In the Hopkins area, near Sittee Point, environmentalists worry that some of the tallest mangroves in the Western Hemisphere will fall prey to developers. It is illegal to remove endangered mangroves in Belize without a government permit, but this rule, like many other environmental protections, is often ignored. It isn’t unusual for homeowners and developers with waterfront property to simply tear out these precious trees and deal with possible fines later.
Belize effectively has no zoning or comprehensive land-use planning, though there is now a country-wide building code that applies to individual buildings and houses. Environmental regulations, while strict in theory—every development is required to have a formal Environmental Impact Plan approved by the national government—often fail in practice. Protective regulations and permit procedures are circumvented, flouted, or just plain ignored. Government officials, whose resources are stretched thin, often can’t provide oversight on development projects. According to environmentalists, some government officials are corrupt; they believe that developers can do what they like, if the price is right.
Economic growth, the environment, and the housing boom in Belize are complex, with parties facing off on a multitude of issues. Who knows if everyone will ever see eye to eye?
–Lan Sluder
Where to Stay
In addition to the resorts and hotels listed, Hopkins has about 20 small guesthouses, mostly run by local villagers but also by some expats who have found that the easygoing Hopkins life suits them. Typically just two or three rooms are built next to the home of the owner, who has an eye to tapping the growing tourism market in Hopkins. Most don’t look like much from the outside, but have the necessities including electricity and, usually, private baths. Among the better ones are Wabien Guest House (523/7010), Seagull’s Nest Guest House (522/0600), Whistling Seas Vacation Inn (608/0016), Ransoms Seaside Gardens (No phone), and Laruni Cabins (523/7026). Rates in most cases are less than BZ$100 for a double, with the least expensive ones, usually a block or two back from the water, costing less than BZ$50 for a double. At these guesthouses it’s usually not necessary to make reservations. When you arrive in the village, just walk around until you find one that suits you.
All Seasons Guest House.
B&B/INN | The small but immaculate rooms in this European-style guesthouse with a garden and sunny patio aren’t directly on the beach, but the atmosphere, friendly management, and reasonable prices make this an appealing choice nonetheless. The rooms in the main building are designed around themes. The Jungle Room has a fanciful zebra motif and mosquito net on the bed; the Butterfly Room has accents in the deep blue of the Blue Morpho; the Bamboo Room has a bamboo bed, wall decorations, and ceiling fan; the premium first-floor Orchid Room, in relaxing cream colors, opens to the garden. The helpful owner, Ingrid Stahl speaks German and Dutch as well as English, and she also manages three beachfront apartments across the street and a beachfront cabaña at Sittee Point. Pros: pleasant, very clean rooms; lovely garden. Cons: rooms in main house not directly on the sea. | Rooms from: BZ$107 | All Seasons Guest House | 523/7209 | www.allseasonsbelize.com | 4 rooms, 3 apartments, 1 cabana.
Almond Beach Resort & Spa.
RESORT | Variety is the spice of beach life here, with an assortment of rooms, suites, and villas, some of which can be combined into uber-suites, including a 5,500 square foot family suite. Butterflies is a full-service spa located next to the hotel’s coffee shop. Complimentary bikes and kayaks. Almond Beach coordinates with other Hopkins resorts to provide dive trips and inland tours. The same management has opened a new luxury jungle lodge, Sleeping Giant, on the Hummingbird Highway and is associated with Caves Branch Jungle Lodge, also on the Hummingbird. Pros: variety of accommodations; spa; full-service resort. Cons: not inexpensive. | Rooms from: BZ$632 | Almond Beach | 822/3851, 866/624–1516 in U.S. and Canada | www.almondbeachbelize.com | 13 rooms, 6 suites, 1 casita | No meals.
Beaches and Dreams Seafront Inn.
B&B/INN | Refugees from Alaska’s harsh winters purchased this small beachfront inn, turning it into a popular kick-back beach spot. Each octogonal cottage has two rooms, with vaulted ceilings and rattan furniture, just steps from a nice beach. A fifth treehouse unit has been added in the back. In 2011, the main building was totally redone. The inn has one of Hopkins’ best restaurants, the seaside Barracuda Bar & Grill. In-season rates are quite affordable. Rates include continental breakfast and complimentary bikes and kayaks. Pros: kick-off-your-shoes atmosphere; steps from the sea; good restaurant. Cons: inn offers comfort, not luxury; restaurant rates not cheap. | Rooms from: BZ$300 | Sittee Point | 523/7259 | www.beachesanddreams.com | 5 rooms | Breakfast.
Belizean Dreams.
RESORT | This collection of seaside condos is among the most upmarket accommodation choices on the Southern Coast. All villas have the same floor plans and furnishings, but some of the villas are directly on the beach, and the others have sea or garden views. The units, with hardwood and natural stone floors and custom-made cedar and mahogany furniture, can be reserved as a complete three-bedroom, three-bath villa; or choose a single bedroom or two-bedroom suite. All-inclusive packages with meals, some tours, and transfers also are available. The bedrooms have vaulted ceilings with exposed beams and four-poster king beds. The resort has a restaurant serving breakfast, lunch, and dinner. Pros: deluxe condo apartments; units can be combined and configured to meet your needs; friendly service. Cons: pool is small; some units have a minimum stay. | Rooms from: BZ$590 | Hopkins | 523/7271, 800/456–7150 in U.S. and Canada | www.belizeandreams.com | 9 3-bedroom villas (available as 1-, 2-, or 3-bedroom units) | Multiple meal plans.
Fodor’s Choice | Hamanasi.
RESORT | With beautifully landscaped grounds, top-notch accommodations, and an excellent dive program, Hamanasi (Garífuna for “almond”) is among Belize’s very best beach and dive resorts. Upon your arrival, you’ll notice that the grounds are manicured and the lobby is filled with local artwork, including paintings by Benjamin Nicholas. The “zero effect” pool seems to stretch to infinity. Choose from regular rooms, gorgeous suites with king-size four-poster beds of barba jolote wood, and regular and deluxe “tree houses” on stilts, which are the most popular accommodations (and the most expensive). Many people come here for the diving opportunities, but you won’t feel out of place if you want to snorkel or just laze around the pool. The restaurant has a romantic outdoor dining area with sea views and serves excellent seafood and other dishes. Dinner is pricey. Hamanasi’s onsite managers are from Botswana, where they ran upscale safari tours. Plans are underway for a new rooftop wine bar. Pros: well-run resort; deluxe lodging in beautiful beachside setting; high-quality dive trips and inland tours. Cons: expensive restaurant; pricey accommodations (but worth it); diving requires a long boat trip to the reef or atolls. | Rooms from: BZ$796 | Hamanasi, Sittee River Rd. | 533/7073, 877/552–3483 in U.S. | www.hamanasi.com | 10 beachfront rooms, 2 suites, 8 tree houses, 5 deluxe tree houses | Breakfast.
Hopkins Inn.
B&B/INN | Greg and Rita Duke are helpful hosts at their little beachfront cottage colony in Hopkins, featuring four cozy cabins with tile floors, ceilings paneled in local hardwoods, fridges, fans, and porches with sea views. A Continental breakfast with fruit and locally baked bread is brought to your cabin each morning. Pros: on the beach; helpful owners. Cons: you may be awakened by the sound of roosters. | Rooms from: BZ$150 | Hopkins | 533/7283 | www.hopkinsinn.com | 4 cottages | Breakfast.
Jaguar Reef Lodge.
HOTEL | Jaguar Reef Lodge, the original upscale resort in Hopkins, has been operating for more than 20 years. The original whitewashed duplex cabañas have thatch roofs and soaring pitched ceilings with exposed wooden beams. The newer colonial suites and rooms have local artwork, salt-tile floors, and custom-made hardwood furnishings. For those who aren’t excited about swimming in the sea, there’s a nice swimming pool with swim-up Tiki bar. Meals are served in a glassed-in beachside restaurant. The resort also has a fine little gift shop filled with pottery and embroidery as well as Garífuna crafts. The store also carries Marie Sharp’s superb hot sauces, music CDs, and drugstore, including the crucial no-see-um bug repellent. Pros: attractive and well-kept grounds; lovely beachside location. Cons: operation has gone through several major changes in recent years, but seems to be back on keel now. | Rooms from: BZ$540 | Jaguar Reef Resort, Sittee River Rd. | 731/1132, 888/731–1132 in U.S. and Canada | www.jaguarreef.com | 20 units.
Jungle Jeanie by the Sea.
B&B/INN | Although not actually in the jungle, this group of seven pleasant wood cabanas on stilts is on about 2 acres of beachfront nicely shaded by coconut palms. You can rent kayaks and windsurfing equipment here, or just relax in a hammock. “Jungle Jeanie” Barkman and husband “Jungle John,” who does a lot of the cooking at the hotel’s beachside restaurant, are actually Canadians who have lived in Belize for years. Pros: comfortable cabanas; lovely stretch of beach; laidback, quiet location south of Hopkins village. Cons: short hike to other resorts or to in-town restaurants and bars; don’t expect luxury. | Rooms from: BZ$120 | Sittee River Rd. | 533/7047 | www.junglebythesea.com | 7 cabanas | No meals.
Parrot Cove Lodge.
B&B/INN | This small beachfront resort with rooms in earth tones arranged around a courtyard with a pool, is an attractive option if you don’t need all the amenities of the larger resorts but want an excellent restaurant. The hotel and restaurant are now managed by Rob and Corrie Pronk. The restaurant, FChef Rob’s, is one of the best on the Southern Coast. Parrot Cove also has two 2-bedroom units in a beachhouse next door. Pros: Casual, quiet location; excellent restaurant onsite. Cons: Bit of a hike to activities in Hopkins vi | Rooms from: BZ$342 | Sittee Point, 1 mile (1½ km) south of Hopkins | 523/7225, 877/207 - 7139 in U.S. and Canada | www.parrotcovelodge.com | 5 rooms, 1 suite, 2 2-bedroom apartments | No meals.
Tipple Tree Beya Hotel.
B&B/INN | This tiny beachfront guesthouse in the heart of Hopkins village, in business since 1998, provides a comfortable, no-frills alternative to the coast’s upmarket resorts. The inn has rooms that are simple but immaculately clean, as well as a separate private cabin. Kayaks and bikes are available for rent. Pros: steps from the water; hammocks on the porch. Cons: basic, not overly large rooms; can be hot in summer. | Rooms from: BZ$83 | 533/7006 | www.tippletree.com | 4 rooms, 1 with shared bath, 1 cabin.
Sports and the Outdoors
Bird-Watching
Cockscomb Basin Wildlife Sanctuary has excellent birding, with some 300 species identified in the reserve. You can also sometimes see the jabiru stork, the largest flying bird in the Western Hemisphere, in the marsh areas just to the west of Hopkins Village. Keep an eye out as you drive into the village from the Southern Highway. North of Hopkins is Fresh Water Creek Lagoon, and south of the village is Anderson Lagoon. These lagoons and mangrove swamps are home to many waterbirds, including herons and egrets. A kayak trip on the Sittee River should reward you with kingfishers, toucans, and various flycatchers. About 30 minutes by boat off Hopkins is Man-o-War Caye, a bird sanctuary that has one of the largest colonies of frigate birds in the Caribbean, more than 300 nesting birds. Hamanasi, Jaguar Reef, and other hotels arrange bird-watching trips. Costs for guided birding tours run from BZ$50 to BZ$200 per person, depending on where you go and the length of time.
Canoeing and Kayaking
When kayaking or canoeing on the Sittee River, you can see many birds and, possibly, manatees and crocodiles. Manatees and porpoises are often spotted in the sea just off the Hopkins shore. If you go on a tour with a licensed guide from a local lodge, expect to pay BZ$100–BZ$150 per person. Several hotels in Hopkins, including Tipple Tree Beya Hotel, Hopkins Inn, Jungle by the Sea, and All Seasons Guest House, rent kayaks, canoes, and other water equipment by the hour or day. Although it’s possible to do sea kayaking from Hopkins, often the water is choppy. Long sea-kayaking trips should be tried only by experienced kayakers, preferably with a guide.
Caving
Caving tours from Hopkins typically go to St. Herman’s Cave and the Crystal Cave at Blue Hole National Park on the Hummingbird Highway. Cost is around BZ$120–BZ$150 per person.
Diving
Diving off Hopkins is very good to terrific. The Barrier Reef is closer here—about 10 miles (17 km) from shore—than it is farther south. Diving also is fairly costly here. Half-day, two-tank dive trips to the South Water Caye Marine Reserve are around BZ$200–BZ$280, not including regulator, BCD, wet suit, and other equipment rental, which can add BZ$50. Dive shops with fast boats can also take you all the way to the atolls—Turneffe, Glover’s, and even Lighthouse. These atoll trips generally start early in the morning, at 6 or 7 am, and last all day. Costs for three-tank atoll dives are around BZ$380–BZ$400 for Glover’s and Turneffe, and BZ$580 for Lighthouse and the Blue Hole. In late spring, when whale sharks typically show up, local dive shops offer dives to see the Belizean behemoths at Gladden Spit Marine Reserve for around BZ$400. Marine park fees (sometimes included in dive trip charges) are BZ$10 each for South Water and Glover’s marine reserves, and BZ$20 for Gladden Spit.
Hamanasi.
One of the best diving operations in Southern Belize is at Hamanasi. They have three large, well-equipped dive boats, including a 45-ft. boat with three 200-horsepower outboard engines. | 533/7073 | www.hamanasi.com.
Hiking
Most hiking trips go to Cockscomb Basin Wildlife Sanctuary, where there are a dozen short hiking trails near the visitor center. Full-day trips to Cockscomb generally cost about BZ$120–BZ$150 per person from Hopkins and can be booked through your hotel. If you’re a glutton for punishment, you can go on a guided hike to Victoria Peak, the second-highest mountain peak in Belize. The 40-mile (67-km) hike from the visitor center at Cockscomb Basin Wildlife Sanctuary to the top entails inclines of 45 to 60 degrees. Most of these trips require three to five days up and back and cost in the range of BZ$600–BZ$800 per person (minimum of two people). One guide who will take you on jungle tours is Marcos Cucul (www.mayaguide.bz). He is a jungle survival guide who is a member of the Belize National Cave and Wilderness Rescue Team.
Horseback Riding
Local lodges arrange horseback-riding trips, working with ranches near Belmopan and Dangriga. A full-day horseback trip, including transportation to the ranch and lunch, is around BZ$150 per person.
Manatee-Watching Tours
Local lodges offer trips to Gales Point and the Southern Lagoon to try to spot Antillean manatees, a subspecies of West Indian manatees. These large aquatic mammals—adults weigh 800 to 1,200 pounds—are related to elephants. They’re found in shallow waters in lagoons, rivers, estuaries, and coastal areas in much of Belize, and are especially common in the lagoons around Gales Point. These gentle herbivores can live 60 years or longer. The cost of manatee-spotting trips varies, but is around BZ$150 per person. Under Belize government guidelines, you’re not permitted to feed manatees, to swim with them, or to approach a manatee with a calf.
Snorkeling
Snorkeling off Hopkins is excellent, though expensive compared with the Northern Cayes. Half-day snorkeling trips from Hopkins to the Belize Barrier Reef, usually a pristine section of it in the South Water Caye Marine Reserve, cost from BZ$150 to BZ$230 per person. These snorkel trips are at least twice as pricey as those to Hol Chan from Ambergris Caye or Caye Caulker, partly because the trip out and back to snorkel sites here is longer, and also because there’s less competition to hold prices down. Full-day whale-shark snorkeling trips (usually whale sharks are best seen in late spring and early summer, around the time of a full moon) are about BZ$350–BZ$400.
Windsurfing
Windsurfing is a growing sport in Hopkins, as the wind is a fairly consistent 10 to 15 knots, except in August and September, when it sometimes goes calm. The best winds are in April and May.
Windschief.
Windschief rents well-maintained windsurfing equipment for BZ$20 for the first hour, then BZ$10 for additional hours, or BZ$60 a day. Private lessons are BZ$60 an hour. Windschief also has beach cabanas from BZ$60 a night double, and a bar. | 668/6087 | www.windsurfing-belize.com.
Shopping
Shopping is limited in Hopkins, where the local “shopping center” is a small clapboard house. Locals traditionally make much of what they use in daily life, from cassava graters to fishing canoes and paddles, and drums and shakas (shakers made from a calabash gourd filled with seeds). Around the village, you’ll see individuals selling carvings and other local handicrafts made from shells and coconuts. Also, several small shops or stands, including Wood Work Shop, Kulcha Gift Shop, and Tribal Arts, few of which have phones, sell locally made crafts. You can bargain for the best price, but remember that there are few jobs around Hopkins and that these craftspeople are trying to earn money to help feed their families.
Cockscomb Basin Wildlife Sanctuary
10 miles (17 km) southwest of Hopkins Village.
The mighty jaguar, once the undisputed king of the Central and South American jungles, is now endangered. But it has a haven in the Cockscomb Basin Wildlife Sanctuary, which covers 128,000 acres of lush rain forest in the Cockscomb Range of the Maya Mountains. With the Bladen Nature Reserve to the south, the jaguars have a continuous corridor of about 250,000 acres. Thanks to these reserves, as well as other protected areas around the country, Belize has the highest concentration of jaguars in the world.
Getting Here and Around
Maya Centre, at the entrance of the road to Cockscomb, is at Mile 15 of the Southern Highway. You can drive here, or any local bus on the Southern Highway will drop you. From Maya Centre it’s 6 miles (10 km) to the park. You can drive, hike (about two hours), or take a local taxi (about BZ$30 one-way). Admission to the sanctuary is BZ$10, and is collected at the crafts shop at Maya Centre.
Timing
Most visitors come to Cockscomb only on a day visit. However, for the best chance to see wildlife and even a jaguar, a stay of several nights is best.
Exploring
FAMILY | Fodor’s Choice | Cockscomb Basin Wildlife Sanctuary.
Some visitors to Cockscomb are disappointed that they don’t see jaguars and that wildlife doesn’t jump out from behind trees to astound them as they hike the trails. The experience at Cockscomb is indeed a low-key one, and seeing wildlife requires patience and luck. You’ll have the best chance of seeing wild animals, perhaps even a jaguar or one of the other large cats, if you stay overnight, preferably for several nights, in the sanctuary. You may also have better luck if you go for an extended hike with a guide. Several nearby lodges, such as Hamanasi, offer night hikes to Cockscomb, departing around dusk and returning around 9 pm.
Cockscomb Basin has native wildlife aside from the jaguars. You might see other cats—pumas, margays, and ocelots—plus coatis, kinkajous, deer, peccaries, and, last but not least, tapirs. Also known as the mountain cow, this shy, curious creature appears to be half horse, half hippo, with a bit of cow and elephant thrown in. Nearly 300 species of birds have been identified in the Cockscomb Basin, including the keel-billed toucan, the king vulture, several hawk species, and the scarlet macaw.
Within the reserve is Belize’s best-maintained system of jungle and mountain trails, most of which lead to at least one outstanding swimming hole. The sanctuary also has spectacular views of Victoria Peak and the Cockscomb Range. Bring serious bug spray with you—the reserve swarms with mosquitoes and tiny biting flies called no-see-ums—and wear long-sleeve shirts and long pants. The best times to hike anywhere in Belize are early morning, late afternoon, and early evening, when temperatures are lower and more animals are on the prowl.
You have to check in at a thatch building at Maya Centre on the Southern Highway before proceeding several miles to the visitor center. In the same building is an excellent gift shop selling baskets, wood and fabric crafts, and slate carvings by local Maya craftspeople, at good prices. Buying crafts at this shop, which is run as a co-op by local residents, generally gets more of the money into local hands than if you buy from a commercial gift shop. At Maya Centre there is also a small butterfly farm.
The road from Maya Centre to the Cockscomb ranger station and visitor center winds 6 miles (10 km) through dense vegetation—splendid cahune palms, purple mimosas, orchids, and big-leaf plantains—and as you go higher the marvelous sound of tropical birds, often resembling strange windup toys, grows stronger and stronger. This is definitely four-wheel-drive terrain. You may have to ford several small creeks as well as negotiate deep, muddy ruts. At the end, in a clearing with hibiscus and bougainvillea bushes, you’ll find a little office, where you can buy maps of the nature trails, along with restrooms, several picnic tables, cabins, and a campground. The Belize Audubon Society manages the Cockscomb and can assist in making reservations for the simple accommodations in the sanctuary.
Altogether there are some 20 miles (33 km) of marked trails. Walking along these 12 nature trails is a good way to get to know the region. Most are loops of ½–1½ miles (1–2 km), so you can do several in a day. The most strenuous trail takes you up a steep hill; from the top is a magnificent view of the entire Cockscomb Basin. Longer hikes, such as to Victoria Peak, require a guide and several days of strenuous walking.
Hotels and tour operators and guides in Hopkins, Placencia, and Dangriga offer tours to Cockscomb; Hopkins is closest to the sanctuary. | Outside Maya Centre, off Southern Hwy. | Maya Centre | 227/7369, 223/5004 Belize Audubon Society in Belize City | www.belizeaudubon.org | BZ$10 | Daily 8–4:30.
Where to Stay
Although most visitors come to Cockscomb on day trips and stay in Hopkins, Placencia, or Dangriga, you can camp at one of three campgrounds in the reserve for BZ$10 per night per person, or for a little more money you can stay in rooms in a dormitory with solar-generated electricity starting at BZ$40 per person. Also, a small house and three cabins, each with private bath, can accommodate up to four or six people (BZ$106–BZ$150 per house/cabin). An old, primitive cabin with 10 bunk beds is around BZ$16 per person. There’s a communal kitchen for cooking—bring your own food and water. No fishing or hunting is allowed in the reserve, and pets are prohibited. Book in Belize City through the Belize Audubon Society (223/5004 | www.belizeaudubon.org).
Tutzil Nah Cottages.
RENTAL | Gregorio Chun and his family, Mopan Maya people who’ve lived in this area for many generations, provide affordable accommodations in simple thatch cabanas. The reason to stay at Tutzil Nah is not the accommodations, which are basic at best, but the location near the Cockscomb Basin Preserve and to meet the Chun family. The Chun family were among those who helped Dr. Alan Rabinowitz study the jaguars in southern Belize, resulting in his well-known 2000 book, Jaguar, One Man’s Struggle to Establish the World’s First Jaguar Preserve. The Chuns provide a range of tours to Cockscomb and Mayan sites, and simple but tasty homemade meals are available. Pros: near Maya Centre; owners highly knowledgeable about Cockscomb; interesting tours available. Cons: very basic accommodations; furnishings and beds need repairs and upgrading. | Rooms from: BZ$50 | Near Maya Centre, Mile 13½, Southern Hwy. | Maya Centre | 533/7045 | www.mayacenter.com | 2 cabanas, 1 with share bath.
Previous Chapter | Beginning of Chapter | Next Chapter | Table of Contents