About 1000 kilometers (600 miles)
in Belize by motorcycle
(& a visit to Tikal in Guatemala sans bikes)

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Why Belize?

When Stefan (coyotetrips) said we should rent motorcycles in Belize and then tour the country with them, I was surprised. Belize? He'd never mentioned Belize before. He's mentioned a LOT of other places, but never Belize. But with the pandemic still raging, followed by political unrest, his original idea of renting motorcycles and touring Peru and Columbia for his 50th, and then 51st, birthdays had not been possible, and we think those options are out for at least this year, probably next year, and who knows after that. We both love ancient construction (we met in 2001 because we were both visiting New Grange in Ireland), and Belize is an amazing place to do that, it's mostly an English-speaking country and also, there is someone that rents motorcycles there, and she has a stellar online reputation for it.

I have been wanting to ride a smaller motorcycle for quite a while. I rode a 250 when I learned to ride a motorcycle, but that was many many years ago, Since then, it's been all 650s or bigger. Many people have said that riding a 150 or 250 motorcycle on dirt and gravel is a great way to make you a better rider on larger bikes, and I am always looking for ways to be a better rider.

Still, I was nervous: what would the roads in Belize be like? I'm no Dakar Rally girl - could I really do this? What if I couldn't?

Spoiler alert: yes, I could do it, and I did do it, and I now so want a smaller bike (in addition to my beloved KLR).

Where is Belize?

More than half the time when I said we were going to Belize, or we were just back from Belize, I have been asked, "Where is Belize?" To be fair, while I knew it was in Central American and knew it was on the coast, I didn't know exactly which countries Belize borders, and I also didn't realize how close it is to Cuba and Jamaica, both geographically and culturally.

So, I've put this map at the right, so you can see where Belize is, see what countries it borders, and see what countries are somewhat nearby. 

Knowing exactly where Belize is will help you understand the local culture better there: how there are such a large number of Mexicans living there, why so many people living on the Belize coast fly Jamaican flags and identify with Caribbean culture, why you will sometimes see Cuban flags and meet people who have been to Cuba (something that doesn't happen here often in the USA), and why Guatemalan politicians and extremists periodically declare they are going to "retake" Belize (scary but true).  

Accommodations

Where we stayed on our trip - or wish we'd stayed:  

• Crash Pad in Hopkins, Belize. We stayed here our first three nights and then again one night near the end. It's run by the person who also runs Alternate Adventures, where we rented the motorcycles. Clean, simple rooms (air conditioning is optional and extra), great location, and a beautiful rooftop patio. Plus, Emma will make recommendations for everything you want: snorkeling, diving, hiking, whatever (and she's already got all of her recommendations on her web site, in fact).
   
  
• White Horse Guest House in Hopkins. This is actually NOT where we stayed - at the end of our trip, we chose cabanas somewhere else for our last three nights, and THAT was a mistake. The cabana we chose was beautiful, but the White Horse is so much better: in addition to beautiful rooms and comfy beds and a kitchen, all of which our cabana had, it had two essential things the cabana where we did stay instead did not have, for the same price: beach front and air conditioning.
   
  
• Midas Resort in San Ignacio. We stayed in one of the budget spare rooms, and it was worth it: all we wanted the room for was to sleep, and that's what we did. Otherwise, we swam in the pool at night after very intense, hot days touring ancient sites and enjoyed the restaurant and bar. It's an easy walk from here into San Ignacio. It was a great, safe place to park our motorcycles as well. And the staff of both the hotel and the restaurant are so freakin' NICE.
   
  
• Hotel Isla de Flores in Flores, Guatemala. One of the nicest boutique hotels I have ever stayed in, Beautiful! Affordable (given that it's on a resort island), super comfy beds, easy walk to everything. Breakfast isn't included - but you HAVE to have the breakfast in the restaurant, it's SO GOOD.
   
  
• Warrie Head Resort outside of San Ignacio. Great place just for a meal, but the grounds are beautiful and the new owners as so so happy you are there and I loved staying there for a night. Great place if it's raining: sitting in the restaurant, all open to the elements, enjoying the heavy rain - magical. And you get to hear howler monkeys!
   
  
• Sea View Inn in Punta Gorda. I booked it through Booking.com. It's a well-worn hotel but it is comfortable, has all you need and, indeed, provides a sea view (but not from your room). Easy walk into little Punta Gorda. Very nice staff. Awesome porch outside the currently-closed restaurant, great place to sit and drink beer and watch the ocean and think - or not think.
  

Everyone has Internet - every hotel, every restaurant, every bar. It's even better than most places in the USA in that regard.

• went snorkeling with Noawel's Fishing and Snorkeling in Hopkins. Say hi to Alice for us and sing the chorus of "Alice's Restaurant" to her!
   
  
• went bicycle riding and enjoyed a beach front at the Belizian Dreams Resort (you are allowed to do that even if you aren't a guest - I checked at the front desk just to make sure) and Don Tonito's restaurant for wood fired pizza at the Lodge at Jaguar Reef.
   
  
• went zip lining at the Mayflower Bocawina National Park - easy to get to from Hopkins, and added bonus, that road from the main road, via motorcycle, is a terrific off-road experience.
   
  
• to the Maya Center Women’s Group (right next to the main road) and the welcome center at Cockscomb Basin Wildlife Sanctuary (it's inside the sanctuary. And, again, added bonus, via motorcycle, the terrific off-road experience (as well as seeing howler monkeys!).
   
  
• went swimming in interior St. Herman's Blue Hole (it's right off the Humingbird Highway).
   
  
• took the short hike to and inside St. Herman's Cave (down the road from St. Herman's Blue Hole - entry fee covers both places).
   
  
• rode motorcycles from Hopkins to San Ignacio, from there to Caracol and back to San Ignacio, and from there to Punta Gorda, and then back to Hopkins and around the Sittee River area (touring the country by motorcycle was the focus of our trip).
   
  
• toured the ancient Mayan sites of Caracol, Tikal (in Guatemala), Xunantunich and Cahal Pech (these archeological sites were our other focus of the trip - we LOVE ancient cities!).
   
  
• walked around the beautiful island of Flores in Guatemala, which looks like something out of the Mediterranean.
   
  
• walked around Punta Gorda (and having our best meal in Belize there).
   
  
• walked around Hopkins a LOT, having coffee most mornings there at Kat's right around the corner from the Crash Pad (it's also where we rented bicycles for a day) and having ice cream twice at Nice Cream (with their very friendly staff and enjoying the beach front view in the back).
   
  
• SAW A JAGUAR. Yes, I did. I really did. I talk about it in part three of my travelogue, about our ride to Caracol by motorcycle.
  .
  

 

 
Disclaimer
Any activity incurs risk. The author assumes no responsibility for the use of information contained within this document.

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