|
15 day, 10 day with bikes
1088 km / 680 miles
|
Most people don't know much, if anything,
about Belize. All I knew before the trips was that they
have lots of Mayan ruins, which is something Jayne
and myself are very much interested in. Apparently
most tourist visit Belize for the beaches, diving and
snorkeling, which is not our cup of tea. Belize is so
much more than either of these things.
We flew into Belize City and immediately took a tiny
plane from Maya Airlines to Dangriga, 15 min flight.
From there we hired a driver to Hopkins. In
Hopkins we stayed at the Crash Pad hostel and then rode
our rented motorcycles to San Ignacio where we
stayed at Hotel Midas. From there we explored the area
and visited Caracol, Xunantunich and Cahal
Pech. We crossed the border into Guatemala
(without motorcycles) and stayed at Hotel Isla de Flores
in Flores. The next day we visited Tikal and
returned to San Ignacio. We rode our motorcycles down to
Punta Gorda and visited more Mayan from there. On
our way up to Orange Walk we encountered some issues
with the bikes and returned to Hopkins instead. From
there we went to the Mayflower Bocawina National
Park to do some zip lines and also visited the Cockscomb
Basin Wildlife Reserve before flying back to
Belize City and then back home.
Besides beaches Belize offers caves both for spelunking
and tubing, ziplines, swimming holes, Mayan ruins,
hiking, bird watching, snorkeling and diving at coral
reefs, and so much more.
Everybody speaks English in Belize (formerly called
British-Honduras) and US Dollar is accepted everywhere.
The exchange rate US$ to BZ$ is 1:2. ATM's can be hard
to find and/or often don't work. Credit cards are not
widely accepted, so bring a good amount of cash.
Belize is a very diverse country. Besides expats from
many countries you'll meet Garifuna, Mayans and
Hispanics.
|
|
The best time for such a trip is
December through March. January and February are the
height of the dry season. April through July is very
hot. August through November is Hurricane season. Even
dry season still leaves you with regular, heavy but
short rain showers. It's the tropics and rain forest
after all.
The road conditions are generally good for the
few paved highways. All other roads are unpaved dirt
roads, which will get very muddy quickly after a rain
shower. In the rainy season many of these dirt roads are
slick with deep mud or simply impassable. Dirt roads
often have potholes and everybody swerves widely to
avoid them. Speed bumps are common but usually well
marked.
In terms of safety we had no problems and always
felt safe, even when walking trough towns after
nightfall. If you are not leaving your stuff on the bike
while sightseeing and in general are aware of petty
thefts, like anywhere, you are very likely okay.
Motorcycles on the roads are respected by the vast
majority of car and truck drivers, as small bikes are a
means of transport for many locals. |
|
|
|
| Emma, pictured on the left,
also runs a small hostel in the same building,
which was very convenient for us. We stayed
there 3 nights before setting off on the
motorcycles. This gave us time to get a little
acclimated, sort out a few things and see and
experience the town of Hopkins. |
|
|
 |
| Emma's hostel, the Crash Pad in Hopkins, Belize,
has only a few rooms.The one we got was pretty
small, but was nicely decorated and was really
everything we needed. We pretty much used it
only to sleep anyway. We spent more time on the
roof-top patio, which is the common area with
fridge, microwave, dishes, sink and hammocks. |
|
|
|
| We hadn't planned to do much at
the sea at all, but then decided it would be a
shame to miss a snorkeling trip. At Emma's
recommendation we booked a half-day (4 hours)
boat trip with Noawel's in Hopkins, Belize
to snorkel at the reef. I'm so glad we did it,
as it was a fun experience. But I'm also glad we
didn't book a full day, because we were totally
sunburned after the 4 hours already, and yes, we
used sunscreen. |
|
|
|
|
