9 Days In Belize: Hopkins Belize

Last Updated on August 4, 2025 by Carolyn

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After spending the afternoon tubing at the Crystal Caves we set out for our trip’s final destination the seaside Garifuna town of Hopkins, Belize.

The Hummingbird Highway

The drive from Belmopan to Hopkins is a scenic 53-mile, 1 ½ hour journey along the Hummingbird Highway. The highway takes you from the Cayo District through the scenic Maya Mountains and then drops you down into the grasslands bordering the ocean front town of Hopkins in Stan Creek.

The Hummingbird Highway winds through valleys with luscious orange orchards flanking the mountain sides, and untamed jungle rising above the orchards. A sun shower sprinkled down on us as we drove, casting a golden glow over the vibrant landscape. We would have liked to have stopped to bask in the gold-soaked landscape, but we were already pressed for time to make Hopkins by nightfall, so we continued driving

We were both dumbstruck by the beauty of the countryside, and the journey was over in no time.

Hopkins, Belize

The Funky Dodo

We arrived in Hopkins just after dark. Our accommodations for the next 3 nights would be the Funky Dodo, a backpackers’ hostel. We had wanted to stay at a nearby VRBO named The Nest at Pineapple Hill, but it only had a vacancy for the 1st and 3rd nights we needed to book, as was the case for several other locations we had earmarked.

I’d read a good review by a mother who had stayed with her daughter at the Funky Dodo, so here we were! We had a private room with access to a common kitchen and eating area, and shared bathrooms. The Dodo does have a couple of rooms with private bathrooms, but ours was shared.

As one might expect at a hostel, our room was very basic: Two twin beds and a fan. Unfortunately for us, the wifi petered out a few feet before our room.

The Funky Dodo’s main road location gave us easy access to the beach, ocean, and everything else in Hopkins.

Ellas Cool Spot

We freshened up a little and then went in search of dinner. My daughter had picked out Ellas Cool Spot: It had good reviews for both food and atmosphere, and was open. It is an easy walk from the Funky Dodo, but we opted to drive over as it was raining, and we didn’t think it wise to walk along the main road after dark.

Ellas Cool Spot serves a variety of local and international dishes. Sadly, they were out of Hudut, the dish we wanted to try, so we settled for another fish dish. It’s a fun spot, and the rooftop terrace where we ate had good vibes and overlooks the ocean ( it was already dark when we arrived, so I can’t comment on the view). Garifuna drummers started playing as we were finishing off dinner. It would have been a fun place to hang out, but we both were exhausted, so we called it a night.

Day 8: Exploring Southern Belize

We had a busy day planned for Thursday. We were heading to Red Banks to see if we could see the Scarlet Macaws and then driving to the very southernmost tip of Belize, Placencia, and then finally we hoped to be able to schedule a night hike in Cockscomb Basin Wildlife preserve ( or at least I did Katie wasn’t 100% sure she loved the idea!)

Breakfast at Siomara’s

Before heading out on our adventure, we stopped at Siomara’s for breakfast. This is just a tiny local open-air restaurant run by a local entrepreneurial woman and well worth a stop. The restaurant itself is very unassuming, with just a handful of tables. You might have to wait a little for the food, but it is well worth the wait, and the prices will have you coming back! The restaurant is open for breakfast, lunch, and dinner.

Red Banks

After breakfast, we headed to the tiny town of Red Banks, which is known for its population of Scarlet Macaws. I never tire of seeing these majestic birds flying freely.

Red Banks is just an hour South of Hopkins. It’s a very authentic, non-touristy town. We drove to the town and then slowly along a dirt road with our windows down in hopes of hearing the distinctive “Ercaw” of the macaws. The road petered out, and we didn’t see any macaws. We were low on gas, so we thought we’d better continue onwards to Placencia as there was no gas station in Red Bank.

Placencia

Placencia was a bit of a surprise to me: I didn’t know that it was so narrow, literally a finger of a peninsula reaching out into the ocean. At its widest, it’s ½ mile wide. It’s obvious while driving into Placencia that it’s rather upscale and touristy with luxurious condos lining pristine canals that lead out to marinas and the ocean beyond.

There wasn’t much parking to be found, and the town was rather congested. I managed to squeeze the car into a spot in an alley. When I locked the car, I made a silent prayer that it would be intact when we came back!

We walked to the municipal pier, loving the brightly colored fishing shacks that adorned the pier and the colorful oversized Adirondack chair and life-sized turtle who graced the sand at the municipal park, The Point.

Placencia Sidewalk

Placencia is a one-sidewalk town, but what a sidewalk it is!

The Placencia sidewalk is actually the main road in Placencia, even though only pedestrians are allowed to use it. At just 4 feet wide, and about 4000’ long, many of Placencia’s restaurants, art galleries, shops, and bars can only be accessed from the sidewalk.

It is reputed to have been constructed for a tenderfooted bishop who didn’t like to walk through the sand to church. The local fisherman embraced the sidewalk as it was much easier to push their wheelbarrows filled with the catch of the day along its smooth(ish) surface than the sand.

Trellises adorned with colorful tropical flowers provide much-welcomed shade from the blistering sun.

We strolled along the sidewalk’s full length, stopping to browse in a few souvenir stores and galleries and enjoying a frozen latte at Beaches and Cream café. We stopped in a tour shop to inquire about Cockscomb night hikes. Sadly, they needed a minimum-sized party, and they had no other interest yet. We left our name and number in case they were able to get a hike organized.

Cockscomb Basin Wildlife Sanctuary

Not surprisingly this was the only Jaguar we saw at Cockscomb

On the way back from Placencia, we stopped in at the Cockscomb Basin Wildlife Sanctuary to inquire about night hikes and obtain information on trails, etc. It was touch and go whether we’d arrive by closing at 4:30.

The entrance to the park is via a 10-mile-long, rather rough road and definitely not a drive for the timid! Even with all my Costa Rica driving experience, I was second-guessing my decision to make the drive for a purely informational mission.

As we descended from one hill, crossed a creek, and came back up, we glimpsed the rear end of a large creature disappear into the jungle. It was quite dark and had hair; we believe it was a peccary.

When we arrived at the visitors center, they were closing up, but were still quite happy to talk with us. We asked about the likelihood of seeing Jaguars (highly unlikely with one of the most common places for sightings being the very entrance road we had just driven). The ranger wasn’t aware of any night hikes taking place that evening.

The ranger asked us if we could possibly give a couple of employees a ride back to their housing at Maya Center, the village located at the junction of the highway. We gladly offered them a ride and enjoyed talking with them about their experience working at the park. They were lively and full of knowledge about the park.

Semiti Giffiti

We freshened up at the hostel and then went out to explore Hopkins on foot as well as find a place to eat dinner.

We ended up at Semiti Giffiti, a tiny restaurant with picnic table dining on the beach. The food was tasty and home-cooked.

As we were leaving, we asked one of the friendly workers about cooking classes with the Garifunas on Kalipuna Island. She said her grandmother taught classes and that she’d try to arrange something. She gave us her phone number and said to touch base with her a little later that evening.

Nice Ice Cream

To top off dinner, we thought a little homemade ice cream was in order. We stopped at Nice and shared a cone. The ice cream here is made from fresh natural ingredients, and they have some very interesting flavors.

We ate our ice cream as we walked along the beach back to our hostel, satisfied with another very busy day.

When, we were back at the hostel, we received a reply from Semiti Gifitti, saying that they themselves would be happy to give us a cooking lesson. We readily accepted and agreed to meet at the restaurant at 11:30 the next morning.

Day 9: Cockscomb and Cooking Class

We started this day pretty early as we wanted to get a hike in before our cooking class. We had bought a few groceries, so we ate breakfast at the hostel.

Cockscomb

We headed back to Cockscomb to hike and hopefully see some wildlife. We chose a trail that followed the creek, which may not have been wise, as it was fairly wet and therefore buggy too.

It was pretty, but we didn’t see anything extraordinary on the hike. I was hoping to catch a glimpse of a boat-billed heron as there were signs posted that this was a favored nesting area, but it wasn’t to be.

Semiti Giffiti Cooking Class

After hiking, we returned to the Funky Dodo to change into clean clothes and walk the block or two to Semiti Giffiti for our cooking class.

Our instructor, Boom Boom, was waiting for us. To our delight, we were cooking Hudut, the dish we’d wanted to order 2 nights prior! We started by picking herbs from their home garden to flavor the stock. We then made coconut milk. A coconut was procured from a nearby tree, and Boom Boom showed us which end to open and how to open it with a machete.

With a swift whack of the machete, he had sliced the top off. Then it was my turn. He handed me a coconut and the machete. With trepidation, I gave it a go. Thunk. It hit the side of the coconut, not leaving even a dent. I tried again. Thud. No better result. Boom Boom laughed at my feeble attempts and graciously stepped in to complete the task, lopping off the top of the coconut with a quick swoop of the machete.

Once open, we removed the coconut meat from the coconut and grated it with a large metal grinder until we had a bowlful of shredded coconut. We poured hot water into the bowl and let it soak for a few minutes. We then pressed the liquid through a dish towel into a waiting pot. We chopped the herbs and vegetables and added them to the mix.

Next, we mashed boiled plantains to make Fu Fu to dip into the soup. For this, we used a huge wooden mortar and pestle and lots of elbow grease. Once the plantains were mashed, it was time to cook the fish. Boom Boom had caught the fish (red snapper) earlier in the day. He showed us how to salt and season it, and then into the frying pan it went. Once the fish was browned on both sides, it was time to serve and savour our creation.

The coconut broth was ladled into a bowl, and a whole fish layed in it. The Fu Fu was served on the side. The verdict? Very tasty! We were surprised when the folks at Semiti Giffiti served the remaining hudut to their customers; they had faith in us (or at least the teachings of Boom Boom!)

Geocaching

We hadn’t planned anything for the remainder of the afternoon so we decided to explore the Southern end of Hopkins and do some geocaching. The first geocache we searched for was at a roadside artisan stand. We had to laugh when the artisan asked us if we were geocaching and immediately pointed it out to us. Belizeans love to help, but in this case, it kind of defeated the purpose of geocaching. We logged it and went on our way to the next.

As we walked, a dog joined us. We were concerned for its safety as the traffic on the road was fast-moving, but it refused to leave us, insisting on escorting us for our walk. Finally, another dog distracted it, and it went off to play with its new friend.

We found the resort where the next geocache was located, but it seemed to be on private property beyond a gate, so we opted not to pursue looking for it and turned back to head back into town. A clattering came up behind us, and this time it was a loose horse trotting down the road. It trotted along, tail over its back and snorting in excitement. We moved aside and it continued its freedom dash until some lush grass caught its attention and it settled to grazing.

It seems you never know what you’ll see on the streets of Hopkins.

Driftwood Bar and Grill

For dinner this evening, we went to the Driftwood Bar and Grill, a local fun spot. We weren’t super hungry, but they had ping pong tables, a geocache (which again was pointed out to us), and garifuna drummers. We had some appetizers as a meal.

Katie ordered a drink called “sorrel,” and what a flavour delight this drink was. Sorrel is made by brewing Rosa de Jamaica ( a form of Hibiscus), cinnamon sticks, and orange peel together, then chilled and served over ice with vodka. Delicious!

After dinner, we returned to the hostel to pack everything up as we’d be leaving Belize the next day.

Day 10: Goodbye Belize

Kat’s Coffee

Before we left Hopkins, we had a coffee shop we wanted to stop at. It was in a bit of an obscure location, tucked away on a secondary street behind the soccer fields.

The building was in a little nondescript shack that might make you question the quality of the food and drinks, but the drinks and food were very good! ( And the atmosphere wasn’t as bad as it looked from the street, there was a cute garden with tropical flowers alongside the building, and the comings and goings of hummingbirds provided our breakfast amusement ).

I sampled a Green Moringa Smoothie, which was both healthy and tasty! For those unfamiliar with Moringa, it’s often called a miracle tree due to all the health benefits it bestows on those who consume its bounty. Katie had a sunrise smoothie, and we split a waffle, which was also very good.

Marie Sharps

One thing you’ll find on every restaurant table in Belize is Marie Sharp’s hot sauce.

The company is named after its founder, an enterprising Belizean woman who created the original habanero pepper hot sauce in the 1980s from peppers from her farm. Word spread about her wonderful, flavorful hot sauce. From simple beginnings, Marie Sharp’s hot sauce is now sold in over 30 countries and employs over 125 local people.

As you drive into the Stann Creek location, you will drive through fields of peppers. Marie knew the secret to a good sauce was using the right peppers with just the right heat. The company still grows much of the peppers used in their sauce.

A tour didn’t fit into our schedule, but we did have time for a tasting. My daughter Katie surprised me as she is not a hot sauce aficionado, but stepped up to do the tasting while I opted to watch.

She sat down at a table with numerous bottles of hot sauce, jams, and wine set in front of her. An employee would pour a dab of each sauce on a cracker, which she would sample and then rinse her palate with some juice. She slowly worked her way up to the hottest varieties, with her face becoming redder with each bite. I was shocked when Katie was brave enough to sample and swallow the very hottest sauce, “Beware”. Since she does not enjoy wine, I did the wine sampling.

We bought several bottles of sauce and some of the jams home as gifts; the prices were very reasonable.

Mrs. Bertha’s Tamales

We’d heard that a stop at Mrs. Bertha’s Tamales is a must, so we pulled in off the highway as we drove to the Sleeping Giant Rainforest Hike. I was a little disappointed as they basically only sell Chicken Tamales, and I’m not a fan of chicken, but we bought one for the road to eat later in the drive.

Sleeping Giant Hike at Sleeping Giant Rainforest Lodge

Spectacular View from the Gazebo at the end of the Trail

While in Hopkins, I read that one could access the Sleeping Giant Hike via the Sleeping Giant Rainforest Lodge’s gated entrance. Since we thought the Hummingbird Highway was so pretty on our way down to Hopkins, we allowed time for that hike on the way to the airport.

We drove into the lodge, informing the guard that we were there to do the hike, and we were allowed to pass through without any trouble. We parked in the designated visitor parking area and walked a short distance along the road to the hike entrance.

The lodge appears to be spectacular and, per reviews, is a great choice for a Belize rainforest stay. The Sleeping Giant Rainforest Lodge offers complimentary kayaking on the river, rope bridges that lead you to a hike in the Mayan Mountains, you can stroll around the orchards and savor freshly picked oranges, explore trails on a bicycle, and plan a stop at the nest -an adult treehouse where you can picnic and watch birds. Paid activities include a horse and buggy tour, horseback riding, and cooking classes. And evidently, their restaurants and service are top-notch.

We entered the forest along a well-marked trail. It was fairly steep in parts, but the trail is only a little over a mile in length, so not too strenuous. It’s well worth the little bit of effort to get to the gazebo at the top of the trail to see the spectacular views below, and of course, the sleeping giant: a formation of mountains, the outline of which looks like a sleeping giant.

Ropes along the trail lend a helping hand when needed

Goodbye Belize

After our hike, we wasted no time getting to the airport as we were a little behind schedule. Katie ate the Mrs Bertha’s burrito and said, “Yes, it’s very good”.

We had a little grief with the car rental return: When they inspected the car, they saw damage that wasn’t noted on our inspection when we rented it. We assured them it was there during our walk-around, but they insisted on calling the other office, which took time, and an abundance of time we didn’t have. Finally, they let us on our way.

We walked into the airport and groaned; it was packed, and the lines through security were long and rather slow. Happily, we made it to our gate with an hour to spare and time to grab some gifts at the duty-free, before boarding the plane.

Adios Belize: Until next time, we had fun!

9 Days in Belize: Hopkins Belize