Weather

Today's Weather

Not surprisingly, Belize has beautiful weather. Hot sunny days, warm nights and at our cabanas, reliable evening breezes to cool things off at night. (Note the current weather link on the right) There is however, better times to go than others. The most popular season is during the drier months; mid November through May. Although the rainy months are not so wet that you are limited in what you can do. Tourists commonly visit Belize all year long.

The hurricane season is from August to September, however Belize is fortunate to be tucked into the southwest corner of the Caribbean Sea and typically misses most of action. Spectacular tropical thunder and lightning storms are common during this time.

Garifuna Village Life & Lebeha Drumming Center

Hopkins is one of a handful of villages situated along the Caribbean coast with an active Garifuna population and a fascinating black culture; a mixture of Carib and African influences with its own language, music, food and customs. A couple of excellent websites that provide information about this culture are: Garifuna.com and Everyculture.com. The people who live here live life at a much slower pace. They are friendly and hospitable and happily welcome visitors to their corner of the world. Our cabanas are located at the north end of the village and many of our neighbours are Garifuna.If you want a taste of this unique culture, you can't do much better than on our little beach.

The Lebeha Drumming Center is one of the main focal points for Garifuna culture here in Hopkins. Jabbar Lambey leads the effort to preserve the tradition of drumming by teaching the younger generations. Lessons are also given to interested visitors. Only a couple minutes away by foot, the drumming center is a fun place for locals and tourists during the evening.

Snorkeling & Scuba Diving

There is a barrier reef, one of the few unspoiled such reefs in the world, just a 40 minute boat ride from Hopkins and our manager, Dorothy, will be happy to book a snorkel excursion for you with a qualified boat and guide. They will provide snorkel equipment, lunch and beverages. Snorkeling in this area is absolutely fantastic. For those who SCUBA dive, we also offer excellent Dive packages.

Beaches

Our beach, shown below, is about as good as it gets. Clear blue water, golden brown sand and a shallow slope that allows you to walk out about 50 meters and still only be up to your waist. On days when the sea is a little less calm, enjoy body surfing and wind surfing. The water temperature ranges from about 76 to 83 degrees F. and is perfect for cooling off after a hot day in a beach chair.

Hopkins boasts some of the finest beaches in Belize. In fact, the only others that are comparable are further south towards Placencia or on some of the cayes offshore.

Hopkins has excellent beaches for windsurfing and Windschief located in the heart of the village offers both rentals and lessons. Ollie and Pam run the place and Ollie is an excellent instructor. After a hard day on the waves, you can relax with a beer or two at Ollie's little beachfront bar, play darts on Saturday night or even catch a movie once in awhile.

The Sittee River just three miles south of Hopkins makes a great day trip for a riverboat cruise, bird watching, looking for crocodiles and nature appreciation in general. Lining the river along is lush jungle. Parrots, Toucans and many other birds can be spotted along its banks. Again, just ask Dorothy at Lebeha Drumming Center for more details and she can book this for you as well.

Cockscomb Basin Wildlife Sanctuary and Jaguar Preserve
Only a few miles west of Hopkins, this santuary covers about 150 sqare miles and is the only Jaguar preserve in the world. While sighting the elusive jaguar is rare, there are hundreds of other animals you can spot in this protected area.

Imagine yourself exploring an underground river through gorgeous limestone formations and underground water falls. Cave Tubing is a uniquely Belizean experience and a Cave Branch tubing encounter is something that shouldn't be missed.

The Belize Zoo is a wonderful place to see many of the animals of Belize that you might never see in a lifetime of wandering through the jungles. Well thought out and with an amazing array of different habitats, the zoo is well worth a visit if you have the time to spare.

Reservations (requiring a deposit) can be made by email at:
info@hopkinscabanas.com