Carribbean coast

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We used our rest day in San Ignacio to visit the market and to soak up the vibe in this busy town. We were particularly pleased to be camping 2 minutes walk from the French bakery which did great pastries and excellent coffee.


We checked out all the tour operators and found that David was our favourite. We booked his canoe caving trip for the next day.


The trip goes into Barton Creek Cave. The cave is 100m high and you can go 1.5km inside. David discovered the cave and was the first to offer tourist visits. He knew all about the different cave formations and rock types. 

He also knew about the significance of the cave to Mayans. We saw a human skull from a Mayan who had been buried in the cave along with the clay pots that helped the journey of reincarnation to come back as a jaguar or monkey.


We got to swim at the cave entrance after the canoe trip which was an added bonus.

David was incredibly knowledgeable and a shining example of good health (aged 64)


After the canoe trip we started riding to Belmopan. The ride took us through the delightfully named 'Teakettle'.


We stayed on the edge of the city where the jungle meets the houses at a place with a few guest houses and a space for camping. There were huge trees all around and the sound of howler monkeys from the treetops.


The city itself is nothing special. Probably as a result of it being designed from scratch in the 1970s (yes, you guessed it: lots of concrete). 

However, we did manage to pick up a Belizean flag for the back of the bike.


Our route took us over the Hummingbird Highway. This is a main road right through the jungle. Truly amazing. So many different and huge plants on either side of the road.

We went past the Blue Hole and stopped for our first swim of the day. The heat and humidity make jungle cycling hard work and we take any chance we can to swim and cool off a little.


The blue skies and fluffy clouds made the skies beautiful.


Around four we passed the Billy Barquedier National Park. They don't really have a camping space but the warden agreed that we could camp as it was just about to close for the day. We were allowed to walk to the waterfall where there is a viewing deck where we could pitch our tent.


Not a bad place to spend the night. The water was a lovely temperature. We were right in the middle of the jungle that is home to jaguar, other cats and several species of deadly snakes. Thankfully they all left us alone.


We were treated to this view from our tent as we woke.


A quick walk back down to the entrance where we retrieved our bike from the warden's office and then on our way to the coast.


We certainly were hungry at that point.


We went straight to the sea and soaked up the views. Hopkins is a busy seaside town and it took us a few tries to find somewhere to stay. Eventually we tracked down a room at our price point and had our first plate of rice and beans. 




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