Getting to Hopkins

By Air

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.

If traveling from Europe flights to Belize City always include stop-overs somewhere in the United States, most of the times even with an over-night stay. Once in Belize City you can than make your way across the city to the domestic airport and catch one of the many flights departing daily for Dangriga in the south. This flight will cost about $60 US one way and take about 20 minutes. A taxi from Dangriga to Hopkins will cost about $40 US more and take about 30 minutes.

Driving There

Another usually much cheaper option is to take a flight to Cancun, Mexico. From there it's easy to catch a bus to Chetumal, 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 get documentation from the rental company that allows you to take it across the border. You will also need to purchase insurance from several places as soon as you enter Belize. For reference, if you were to drive from Cancun airport directly to Hopkins it would probably take about 12 hours 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.

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. Also, if you are driving, 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 about 6 miles, you missed the exit. From the Dangriga/Hopkins junction, head south about 16 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 partially paved, mostly gravel and very dusty.

Continue through the first intersection in Hopkins to the next street and turn left. The Lebaha Drumming Center is about a mile up the road and eveyrone 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.

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 airplane, 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 or Punta Gorda) and jump on.

If your bus ends in Dangriga or you came in by airplane, switch either to a bus going directly to Hopkins (at 10:30am or 5:00pm) or grab a bus going to Placencia or Punta Gorda, leave Dangriga behind and 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!).

If you did not get on a bus that goes into Hopkins, you have about 4 miles to go from the highway straight to the beach, hitch hiking is very popular and perfectly safe as well, but depending on when you get into Dangriga, some of the buses to Placencia also go right through Hopkins (leaving Dangriga at 10:15am, 12:15pm and 5:15pm - just ask the bus driver if his makes the stop).

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

Airlines Servicing Belize

Flights to Belize from the US:

American Airlines - www.aa.com
Continental Airlines - www.continental.com
Delta Airlines - www.delta.com

Flights within Belize:

Mayan Air - www.mayaairways.com
Tropic Air - www.tropicair.com

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