By Air

We keep this document updated regularly with information compiled by Dorothy as well as from tidbits passed on from our guests.

If you are arriving from North America it is best to fly directly to Belize City International Airport.This will place you right in the middle of the country with easy access to anywhere else in Belize. You may also want to continue on to Dangriga on one of our domestic airlines and catch a bus or taxi from there. The flight will take about 20 minutes. A taxi from Dangriga to Hopkins will cost about $40 US and take about 30 minutes.

 

If travelling from Europe, flights to Belize City always include stop-overs (sometimes overnight) somewhere in the United States and many overseas visitors prefer to fly into Cancun and drive or bus to Belize.

 

The flight to Cancun, Mexico can be a much cheaper option . From there it is easy to catch a bus to Chetumal, the overnight ADO bus,, or better yet, rent a car. They can be had for as little as $35 US per day (rental cars are typically about $75 US per day in Belize). With this option you enjoy the Riviera Maya of Yucatan for a few days. Be sure to order documentation from the rental company that allows you to take it across the border when you make the car reservation. You will also need to purchase insurance from one of several places as soon as you enter Belize. For reference, if you were to drive from Cancun airport directly to Hopkins it is 10 hours drive time, so don't plan on driving there right after you land in Mexico unless you get there very early.

 

Cancun is a highly developed, all-inclusive-tourist kind of place that can also be very expensive, and it is likely not the place to be if you are more the backpacker, low budget or adventurer type.

 

If you have to overnight in the area, a much nicer option is the little town of Puerto Morelos, just south of the airport or Bacalar just north of the Belize border.

 

If you plan to drive a rental car across the border, give yourself at least an hour to clear customs. It can be a bit of a hassle but certainly doable and again, don't forget to get the proper paperwork at the rental agency.

Whether you rent the vehicle in Cancun or at the Belize International Airport, you can bypass Belize City entirely and save yourself a bit of time by taking the exit to Belmopan via Burrel Boom.

 

From Belmopan, you will want to head south to Dangriga via the Southern highway. This route will wind through the Maya Mountains and is quite a nice drive. It should take you about 2 hours to reach the Dangriga/Hopkins Junction. If you find yourself in Dangriga, turn around and head back 6 miles, you missed the exit. From the Dangriga/Hopkins junction, head south about 10 miles and keep an eye out for the turn off to Hopkins. It is not too far past the town of Silk Grass. Turn left off the highway and drive carefully as this last 4 mile stretch is gravel. Continue through the first intersection in Hopkins to the next street and turn left. The Lebaha Drumming Center is exactly one half mile up the road and everyone knows where it is should you need to ask. Once at the drumming center, ask for Dorothy and she'll take it from there.

By Bus

From Cancun, Playa Del Carmen or Tulum, there are several buses going south to Chetumal and the trip will take about 7 hours, or you can take the overnight ADO bus from either the Cancun Airport or downtown Playa Del Carmen.

From Chetumal there are buses crossing the border to into Belize. Most of which go through directly to Belize City, and from there you can switch to another to take you to Dangriga, your next stop on the way to Hopkins.

 

If you came to Belize City by air plane, leave Belize City International airport by taxi to the main bus terminal (Novellos) near "Downtown" Belize City. Get yourself a ticket for a bus going south (to Dangriga, Placencia or Punta Gorda) and jump on.

 

If your bus ends in Dangriga or you came in by air plane, switch either to a bus going directly to Hopkins (at 10:30am or 5:15pm) When you pay, be sure to tell the conductor you are getting off at the Drumming Center and they will drop you off right at our gate; no need to get off at the bus stop with the crowd and walk.

 

If you grab a bus going to Placencia or Punta Gorda and leave Dangriga behind jump off at the highway junction to Hopkins (about 16 miles/half an hour after you left Dangriga - make sure the bus driver does not forget!). You have about 4 miles to go from the highway straight to the beach, hitch hiking is very popular and perfectly safe as well

 

Arriving in Hopkins ask the first person you meet how to get to the Drumming Center, virtually everyone knows where it is.

By Taxi
Taxis are available everywhere Belize as well, and for the right price, you can be taken anywhere in Belize that you might want to go. Be sure to ask about the fare before you take off, also if it is per person or for the ride!

Taxi fare Dangriga-Hopkins: about $40 US

Flights to Belize from the US: American Airlines - www.aa.com United Airlines - www.united.com/ Delta Airlines - www.delta.com Flights within Belize: Mayan Air - www.mayaislandair.com/ Tropic Air - www.tropicair.com