Land Destinations

Land Destinations

A lot of people like to visit nearby towns while they are staying in Hopkins.  This site does not go into those places because you are better off using google maps or tripadvisor for city info.


Popular Jungle Spots - these are parks with tons of activities.  You have over 100,000 acres to explore!
  1. Cockscomb Basin Wildlife Preserve  - The Jaguar Preserve - You take a 20 minute drive to turn off into the preserve then you drive another 10 minutes to get to the parking lot.  This is a huge reserve with tons of different trails, waterfalls, and river tubing. 
  2. Mayflower Bocawina National Park - This is another very large preserve that is located 20 minutes from Hopkins.  Here you can hike to multiple waterfalls, go ziplining, rappel down a waterfall, and eat at a nice restaurant.
  3. Mayan Sky Destinations - This is a complex of activities at a private park of sorts.  You can go zip lining, river tubing, horseback riding, hiking, cave exploring, and they have a nice Waterfall to visit too.
  4. Billy Barquedier National Park - Hiking to a waterfall and natural swimming pool is the most popular activity here, but you can also enjoy other hiking trails and even camping.

Caves - 
  1. ATM Cave - This is a wet, technical cave full of Mayan artifacts, including the "Crystal Maiden". To tour this cave you must be decently physically fit and able to swim.
  2. Barton Creek Cave - Enjoy an easy canoe ride into the cave to see the amazing formations and some Mayan artifacts.
  3. Crystal Cave - This is a dry (though slick), technical cave with lots of cool formations and Mayan artifacts.  You must be physically fit to navigate this cave.
  4. St. Herman's Cave - Located in St. Herman's Blue Hole National Park, you can enjoy an easy cave tubing adventure here.

Belize Zoo - See animals native to Belize in their natural habitats, enjoy an animal encounter, or take a behind the scenes VIP Tour.


Mayan Ruins - We have a whole section of the site devoted to this.
  1. Cayo District Ruins - The Cayo District Ruins are located about 2.5 hours from Hopkins near San Ignacio.  You can visit the very spectacular Xunantunich and  Cahal Pech in the same day.
  2. Southern Ruins - The southern ruins are about 2 hours from Hopkins.  These ruins are called Nim Li Punit and Lubaantun
  3. Caracol is possible to arrange a trip to, but it is a bit trickier because it is a 2 hour to get to your turn and then another 2 hours on a bad road.  Caracol is near the Guatemala border, deep in the Mountain Pine Ridge Forest Reserve.

THINGS TO KNOW BEFORE YOUR ADVENTURES

Dehydration, sun and bugs are common enemies in Belize, but there are easy things you can do to combat them.  

Dehydration - Drink plenty of water. Drink water before you even feel thirsty. Also, consider bringing electrolyte tablets or a drink with electrolytes as a backup measure.

Sun - Sunscreen is partially effective. So, remember your hat, and consider wearing a long sleeve shirt and long pants.

Bugs - Bugs love the Jungle. Repellents work well for some bugs and poorly for others. Consider wearing a long sleeve shirt and long pants when in the jungle. On the beach you may encounter sand flies. All you need to combat them is a thin layer of something oily. Coconut oil is a favorite, but baby oil, Skin So Soft, and basically any other oil works too.
You can enjoy over 100,000 acres of parkland all within 30 minutes of Hopkins

CLIMATE

TEMPERATURES
Temperatures don't really vary that much. You can generally expect lows in the 70s and highs in the mid to high 80s. However, in the winters it might get down into the 60s, and occasionally during the summer it might get up into the 90s.

Also, it is generally humid, and there is usually an ocean breeze. This can make it feel cooler at night than the temperature would indicate, so bring a light jacket for the evenings.
RAINFALL
There is a so called "rainy season", and not-so-rainy season.  The rainiest season is from July to October.  This would be approximately twice as rainy as the dry season.  But, it doesn't generally rain all day in Hopkins...usually the rain is at night or in brief outbursts.
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