Guatamala/Belize -From the Jungle to the Caribbean
Door: Marielle
Blijf op de hoogte en volg Marielle
03 Maart 2019 | Belize, Caye Caulker
From Flores the shuttle bus drops me at the main road shortly after Poptun and after a hike of around 1km on a dirt road I reach Finca Ixobel, a ranch in the middle of the countryside. It is quiet with few guests but the dogs and beautiful parrot provide good company. All food is prepared and I eat some delicious meals in the finca. I spend most of my time at a little pond where it is possible to swim which is extremely nice in this hot and humid climate. On Bolero (a horse) and with an extremely nice guide I explore the surroundings of the finca.
After a few days of relaxing it is time to move on and together with Tamasz (who arrived at the finca one day later from Flores) we take a public bus in Poptun towards Rio Dulce. In Rio Dulce a small boat takes us down the beautiful Rio Dulce to Finca Tatin.
Finca Tatin is located at the river in the middle of the jungle. To my surprise still many Guatamalan people live at the river and not all is taken over by expensive hotels and resorts. Finca Tatin has a dorm with beds for only 60 Quetzales (7 euro) and a private bathroom. Like in the previous Finca all food is prepared with a family dinner at night. I meet very nice people at the table and have interesting conversations.
Together with Tamasz I rent a kayak and go to Aguas Calientes, a hot water source coming from the mountain. Paddling on the river is very peaceful and brings us close to local life and in the middle of the jungle.
With a local individual guide (Finca Tatin supports the local community without taking any commision!) we do a night hike in the jungle hoping to not meet one of the toxic snakes. It is special and a bit spooky to walk through a jungle at night. We see only few animals among which insects that light up while flying. I also do another hike of 3 hours to Cueva del Tigre, a huge cave in which 6 meter lower a deep pool is located. I pass on the offer to go for a swim by jumping 6 meters down in this dark hole, I rather swim in de river by day light ;-)
I enjoy the river life and am sad to leave for Livingston. Only half an hour by boat but a totally different vibe with its Garifuna culture. The Inguana hostel is the only one with free beds and though the hostel is a bit run down the people I meet here are very nice. Since the hostel is known as a party hostel we try to make a party by turning the wheel with drinking games... OMG! Not my thing anymore, I would have loved it somewhat over 20 years ago ;-)
With a group of 5 we decide to hike to Siete Altares (Seven Altars) for which we first take a tuktuk to the suspension bridge. The tuktuk driver must have had the time of his life in between 2 girls on the front seat ;-) At the steep parts we need to walk since the tuktuk cannot handle the weight... The walk over the carribean beach is beautiful (despite an incredible amount of plastic waste). At the entry to Siete Altares we need to pay 20 Quetzales p.p. to a Garifuna man who is smoking out his office/house. A weird atmosphere. Unfortunately there is not much water in the Siete Acres since it is the dry season but the swim in the cold sweet water is very rewarding and the best cool down ever!
Before I leave Guatamala I exchange my Guatamalan money for Belizean dollars and Mexican pesos with Anna from the UK while enjoying a beer, it almost feels like monopoly :-) Unfortunately our ways separated here already... The boatride to Punta Gorda is short and the customs are primitive like in Livingston where I had to pay a small exit fee to the Guatamalan officials to get an exit stamp. When the taxidriver tries to overcharge me (20 BZD instead of 5 BZD as the customs officer told me) I start walking the 2 km to the hostel which costs me quite some sweat in the heat of the early afternoon ;-) The expensive dormbed at Piece of Land is very comfortable and airconditioned, a huge treat! At night I play pool with Rodger from Canada who drove with his car (named Zombie) all the way down from Canada to Belize! He was quicker than me ;-)
The next day Rodger and I visit Blue Creek. There are no other tourists while the cave is amazing and the swim is fantastic (though little fish do attack in the water and suck your skin...). On the way back we pass through San Pedro to have a quick glance of local life. Zombie has a hard time with all the unpaved roads... poor car!
Since there is no affordable accomodation in Placencia (Belize is extremely expensive compared to Guatamala and Mexico!) I decide to go to Hopkins where is a hostel named The Funky Dodo. Rodger is so nice to give me a ride to Hopkins and within no time I arrive in Hopkins, a small village with quite some tourism (most from the USA). All tours are extremely expensive so I decide to only do the one-day snorkling tour for 60 USD. After a rough ride of one hour on the ocean we reach some beautiful bounty islands and though the ocean is rough I do very much enjoy the snorkling (with life jacket ;-)). We see a sting ray and a nurse shark! Unfortunately most of the coral is brown and quite deteriorated...
To also experience some of the Garifuna culture I have dinner with Rick from the USA at Tina's where a drum band is playing. Good rhytm but extremely loud ;-) So after half an hour it is enough Garifuna culture for me ;-)
With a free bike from the hostel I explore the little village and end up at the point where the river ends in the ocean. Beautiful spot and not anyone around! Though my most favourite spot in town is the Nice Cream shop where they make delicious ice creams :-)
When Sophie from Beligium (whom I met in Livingston) arrives we have an nice evening when visiting the Anderson lagoon. The lagoon is filled with brackish water in which the plancton gives a bioluminescence glow when moved around. Amazing! Especially when we are allowed to swim! My whole body is covered in glitters when climbing on board of the boat! Unfortunately Sophie is already leaving the next day again...
On my last day in Hopkins I visit Coxcomb Wildlife Sanctuary when Anna of The Funky Dodo Hostel arranges for me to join in the taxi of Jamal with two other Dutchies so that the costs can be shared. I make a really nice hike (the Tiger Fern Trail) with Guido and Lizet to the higher located waterfalls. After a nice cool down in the water we do some more easy hikes until Jamal picks us up again. A very rewarding long day of hiking and happy I still could go without paying too much.
James Bus Lines runs old buses through Belize. When leaving Hopkins, the bus is overcrowded but with open windows enough fresh wind still enters. In Dangriga I have to switch busses for Belize City. Now I have to stand but with the nice eighthy music playing loud on the radio it is still an enjoyable journey. In Belize City I cross a small part of town to the boats and can quickly continue my trip to Caye Caulkner. Traveling in Belize is very easy and cheap! The only thing that is cheap ;-)
Caye Caulkner is paradise! Palmtrees, blue skies and a clear ocean. Unfortunately the island has no beaches. There is not much to do and I am becoming extremely lazy... I meet up with Rodger again on the island and we have a lot of fun on this holiday island of the USA. Because of our skin colour we are asked whether we live on the island. Most Americans that just arrived are sun burned ;-) Our favourite drink in the multiple happy hours is the Panty Ripper, a mixture of rum, coconut and pineapple juice.
We also book half a day of snorkling with the Go Slow hostel where I stay. A very good tour with three stops where we see incredible big sting rays (swimming half a meter lower!), nursing sharks, a huge green eel and many smaller fish. It looks like the coral is also in better shape here though still a lot is death and brown...
After all sunsets and spending quite some time at "The Split" I move to San Pedro on the next door island for a few more days of Belizean laziness. On Monday I will take a boat to Chetumal and continue my trip in Mexico (Yucatan). Looking forward to going back!
Warm greetings to all of you who took the effort to read this and hasta luego!!!
After a few days of relaxing it is time to move on and together with Tamasz (who arrived at the finca one day later from Flores) we take a public bus in Poptun towards Rio Dulce. In Rio Dulce a small boat takes us down the beautiful Rio Dulce to Finca Tatin.
Finca Tatin is located at the river in the middle of the jungle. To my surprise still many Guatamalan people live at the river and not all is taken over by expensive hotels and resorts. Finca Tatin has a dorm with beds for only 60 Quetzales (7 euro) and a private bathroom. Like in the previous Finca all food is prepared with a family dinner at night. I meet very nice people at the table and have interesting conversations.
Together with Tamasz I rent a kayak and go to Aguas Calientes, a hot water source coming from the mountain. Paddling on the river is very peaceful and brings us close to local life and in the middle of the jungle.
With a local individual guide (Finca Tatin supports the local community without taking any commision!) we do a night hike in the jungle hoping to not meet one of the toxic snakes. It is special and a bit spooky to walk through a jungle at night. We see only few animals among which insects that light up while flying. I also do another hike of 3 hours to Cueva del Tigre, a huge cave in which 6 meter lower a deep pool is located. I pass on the offer to go for a swim by jumping 6 meters down in this dark hole, I rather swim in de river by day light ;-)
I enjoy the river life and am sad to leave for Livingston. Only half an hour by boat but a totally different vibe with its Garifuna culture. The Inguana hostel is the only one with free beds and though the hostel is a bit run down the people I meet here are very nice. Since the hostel is known as a party hostel we try to make a party by turning the wheel with drinking games... OMG! Not my thing anymore, I would have loved it somewhat over 20 years ago ;-)
With a group of 5 we decide to hike to Siete Altares (Seven Altars) for which we first take a tuktuk to the suspension bridge. The tuktuk driver must have had the time of his life in between 2 girls on the front seat ;-) At the steep parts we need to walk since the tuktuk cannot handle the weight... The walk over the carribean beach is beautiful (despite an incredible amount of plastic waste). At the entry to Siete Altares we need to pay 20 Quetzales p.p. to a Garifuna man who is smoking out his office/house. A weird atmosphere. Unfortunately there is not much water in the Siete Acres since it is the dry season but the swim in the cold sweet water is very rewarding and the best cool down ever!
Before I leave Guatamala I exchange my Guatamalan money for Belizean dollars and Mexican pesos with Anna from the UK while enjoying a beer, it almost feels like monopoly :-) Unfortunately our ways separated here already... The boatride to Punta Gorda is short and the customs are primitive like in Livingston where I had to pay a small exit fee to the Guatamalan officials to get an exit stamp. When the taxidriver tries to overcharge me (20 BZD instead of 5 BZD as the customs officer told me) I start walking the 2 km to the hostel which costs me quite some sweat in the heat of the early afternoon ;-) The expensive dormbed at Piece of Land is very comfortable and airconditioned, a huge treat! At night I play pool with Rodger from Canada who drove with his car (named Zombie) all the way down from Canada to Belize! He was quicker than me ;-)
The next day Rodger and I visit Blue Creek. There are no other tourists while the cave is amazing and the swim is fantastic (though little fish do attack in the water and suck your skin...). On the way back we pass through San Pedro to have a quick glance of local life. Zombie has a hard time with all the unpaved roads... poor car!
Since there is no affordable accomodation in Placencia (Belize is extremely expensive compared to Guatamala and Mexico!) I decide to go to Hopkins where is a hostel named The Funky Dodo. Rodger is so nice to give me a ride to Hopkins and within no time I arrive in Hopkins, a small village with quite some tourism (most from the USA). All tours are extremely expensive so I decide to only do the one-day snorkling tour for 60 USD. After a rough ride of one hour on the ocean we reach some beautiful bounty islands and though the ocean is rough I do very much enjoy the snorkling (with life jacket ;-)). We see a sting ray and a nurse shark! Unfortunately most of the coral is brown and quite deteriorated...
To also experience some of the Garifuna culture I have dinner with Rick from the USA at Tina's where a drum band is playing. Good rhytm but extremely loud ;-) So after half an hour it is enough Garifuna culture for me ;-)
With a free bike from the hostel I explore the little village and end up at the point where the river ends in the ocean. Beautiful spot and not anyone around! Though my most favourite spot in town is the Nice Cream shop where they make delicious ice creams :-)
When Sophie from Beligium (whom I met in Livingston) arrives we have an nice evening when visiting the Anderson lagoon. The lagoon is filled with brackish water in which the plancton gives a bioluminescence glow when moved around. Amazing! Especially when we are allowed to swim! My whole body is covered in glitters when climbing on board of the boat! Unfortunately Sophie is already leaving the next day again...
On my last day in Hopkins I visit Coxcomb Wildlife Sanctuary when Anna of The Funky Dodo Hostel arranges for me to join in the taxi of Jamal with two other Dutchies so that the costs can be shared. I make a really nice hike (the Tiger Fern Trail) with Guido and Lizet to the higher located waterfalls. After a nice cool down in the water we do some more easy hikes until Jamal picks us up again. A very rewarding long day of hiking and happy I still could go without paying too much.
James Bus Lines runs old buses through Belize. When leaving Hopkins, the bus is overcrowded but with open windows enough fresh wind still enters. In Dangriga I have to switch busses for Belize City. Now I have to stand but with the nice eighthy music playing loud on the radio it is still an enjoyable journey. In Belize City I cross a small part of town to the boats and can quickly continue my trip to Caye Caulkner. Traveling in Belize is very easy and cheap! The only thing that is cheap ;-)
Caye Caulkner is paradise! Palmtrees, blue skies and a clear ocean. Unfortunately the island has no beaches. There is not much to do and I am becoming extremely lazy... I meet up with Rodger again on the island and we have a lot of fun on this holiday island of the USA. Because of our skin colour we are asked whether we live on the island. Most Americans that just arrived are sun burned ;-) Our favourite drink in the multiple happy hours is the Panty Ripper, a mixture of rum, coconut and pineapple juice.
We also book half a day of snorkling with the Go Slow hostel where I stay. A very good tour with three stops where we see incredible big sting rays (swimming half a meter lower!), nursing sharks, a huge green eel and many smaller fish. It looks like the coral is also in better shape here though still a lot is death and brown...
After all sunsets and spending quite some time at "The Split" I move to San Pedro on the next door island for a few more days of Belizean laziness. On Monday I will take a boat to Chetumal and continue my trip in Mexico (Yucatan). Looking forward to going back!
Warm greetings to all of you who took the effort to read this and hasta luego!!!
