What a Difference A Year And A Half Can Make

Hopkins Village in southern Belize is a wonderful, off the beaten track, coastal village. We spent some time there back in 2010 and truly hoped we would find a place to settle, but the availability for what we were looking for was slim pickins. We have visited a few times since - the last time by sailing down from Corozal a year and a half ago. What a wonderful trip that was!

Culturally different from northern Belize, Hopkins has more of a Caribbean feel, being heavily influenced by the Garafuna & Mayan culture. The sand stretches the entire length of Hopkins and swimming in the sea is delightful. In the evening you can hear the Garafuna drummers playing and by day there is the normal routine of children walking to school in their yellow shirts & brown skirts/trousers, while their parents get busy with the days work. Tourism is the mainstay of Hopkins. It boast every type of accommodation from the Funky Do Do  to All Seasons Guest House and then the high end resorts like Hamanasi and Parrots Cove Lodge to name just a few. There are many options for excursions from organizing through the resorts to more local tour operators such as Happy Go Luckie Tours and wind surfing instruction right in the village at Winds Chief. These are the things I love about Hopkins, there is something for everybody.

 

The sunrises over the water and sets over the mountains both are breath taking. The simple pleasures are abound, all while the village continues to grow. From just a few mom & pop stores, Hopkins has grown to now having several large grocery stores, a multitude of restaurants, a wonderful marina - even it's very own ATM (that's a biggy). You can find just about all you need right here. Then there are the delivery trucks. Right to your front door you can get water, gas,vegetables and meat from various vendors that deliver to Hopkins from Dangrega and Cayo.

Trips to Dangrega are fewer these days, but when the need arises, you leave early and hope it doesn't turn into an all day afare. The Hopkins road has always been a bit of a challenge. Recent work has made it much better but it always feels longer than the 4 miles it is. The Hopkins junction has a bus stop but in between buses there will always be a few who want to "hitch" a ride. Care must be taken by tourist with regard to this. If its just a ride to the end of the road and you have a truck they can hop in the back, thats a pretty safe bet. Check points after getting on the main road can get you in trouble, as transporting passengers, when the taxi services need the business is frowned upon and can even result in a citation. For safety, allowing unknown passengers in your car is not a safe practice anywhere in the world, so don't let your sense of safety waiver, even here.

The people here are very colorful and warm-hearted. If you ever

get the chance to venture to southern Belize, be sure to stop in and soak up some wonderful Caribbean hospitality.