Hopkins – Day 2: Adventure in Bocawina
HOPKINS
Day 2: Adventure in Bocawina
September 23, 2022
My next adventure took me to the Mayflower Bocawina National Park. Finally – some green, and, most importantly, some time to roam a tropical forest (alone)! When I was in Mexico, I was doing these kinds of things most days, but here in Belize, it felt like I had been cheating on trees and jungles with beaches and the sea.
Luckily enough, this country has an abundance of both. And, from what I was told, Belizeans take great pride in and put a lot of effort into conserving their natural environment. Of note, Queen Elizabeth II, who passed away just a week earlier, had taken it upon herself to include Belize, among many other countries, in a project dedicated to environmental protection called the Queen’s Commonwealth Canopy.
In addition, during the Independence Day festivities, Ishmael had mentioned yet another project titled Blue Bonds for Ocean Conservation, whereby the government is investing a significant amount of money in Belize’s marine reserves in order to “protect 30% of its ocean, strengthen governance frameworks for domestic and high seas fisheries, and establish a regulatory framework for coastal blue carbon projects.” This would allow for a substantial generation of income which could be put to use in more ways than one – including helping to reduce the government’s debt!
Mayflower Bocawina National Park
Spanning over 28 square kilometres of tropical forest, Bocawina National Park is a wildlife haven, being home to over two hundred different types of birds, among many other animals found here.
In the park are also some Mayan ruins and a total of seven waterfalls, of which I planned to visit at least three. I had originally planned to camp overnight in the park; however, thunderstorms brought about by the vicinity of Hurricane Ian, which at that time was still classified as a tropical storm, made it practically impossible to stay there. The park ranger also thought hiking in that weather would be hazardous, which was the main reason I was the only one who had checked into the park that morning. He cautioned me to turn back the second I felt unsafe. But I was unrelenting, perhaps a bit reckless. I had already made it there, and I wasn’t gonna leave before seeing what I had set out to see.
From the ranger’s office, I walked straight ahead until I got to a bridge crossing a river. From there, the path forked into two, and I chose the one going left – the difficult path that would lead to Antelope Falls. With the storm raging on, I could barely see anything outside the radius of my footsteps. Luckily, Chaac seemed to be on my side as the rain finally gave way, though its aftermath was still palpable. The path was muddy and the rocks slippery. I had to exert great caution not to trip, calculating every single step. While my eyes would usually be hyper-focused on the foliage and dense vegetation, trying to spot some weird insect, perhaps a bird, or even the very elusive jaguar, I could only focus on the ground.
Antelope Falls
As I hiked up the steep hill, I could hear howler monkeys in the distance, feel mosquitoes attacking me in hordes, and catch a few glimpses of bright green lizards that took the opportunity to bask in the sun for a few minutes before the rain would resume. Crossing over narrow paths – ones that had open mountainsides – I could hear the thundering river below. One misstep and my cadaver would be floating in it, only God knows where it’d end up. It felt risky, dangerous, somewhat reckless to go on.
After forty minutes or so into the adventure, the trail got steeper, but at least there were ropes connected from one tree to another, offering me some much-needed assistance. By the time I reached the end of the trail, the rain had stopped, and finally, I could afford to raise my head and look out in front of me. As my best friend-slash-mother figure Momma Bear always says, “You gotta risk it to earn the biscuit.” And lemme tell ya, it was much better than any biscuit I had ever tasted. The Antelope Falls, in all their beauty and glory. Such a majestic view. With the waterfall right at the centre, a natural pool below it, and the river continuing downwards, I was left in awe as I tried to take it all in.
Usually, during guided tours, rappelling takes avid hikers above the waterfalls to appreciate a view of the entire cascade surrounded by the thriving forest. Alone and with no equipment, I could only climb about halfway there until I realised I couldn’t get any higher. Instead, I decided to savour the pool below the waterfall.
All hot, sweaty, and muddy, a dip in the icy cold water felt like the best damn thing in the world. I had the entire park to myself, so I decided to set loose the naturist in me and got rid of all my clothes. It was just me and the forest. Nobody else. Perhaps a crocodile or a jaguar, but none that I could see.
More loops...
Fully reinvigorated, I turned back and decided to do the Bird Loop trail – one that promises its visitors an impressive view of a couple of Mayan ruins.
First up were the Mayflower Mayan Ruins: two pyramidal mounds and a few stones laid out in the shape of a rectangle, with a sign saying the site was occupied from around 800 AD to 900 AD. While little is known about the ruins thus far, archaeologists think that once fully excavated, these ruins will be among the largest Mayan sites ever discovered.
About a kilometre into the loop trail, there’s a fork that leads to the Tau Witz Mayan ruins. Tau Witz literally translates to ‘dwelling of a local god of the hill’, and the ruins contain an unexcavated temple and a stela right next to a granite quarry. I’d say these were impressive – only the rain had flooded the rest of the path, making them inaccessible. I tried to bypass what by then was practically a swamp by walking through the forest, but this too was flooded.
After treating myself to a burger (I’d been craving one for ages!) and a couple of beers, I still had a few hours left until sunset. I hiked to two nearby waterfalls – the Lower and Upper Bocawina Falls, which were both spectacular. Afterwards, I headed back to Hopkins and wandered around the town a bit more before my departure the following day.