I.II.IV.II – Hopkins: Day Two
HOPKINS
I.II.IV.II – DAY TWO
23/09/22
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 on most days, but here in Belize, it felt like I had been cheating on trees and jungles with beaches and sea.
Luckily enough, this country had an abundance of both. And, from what I was told, Belizeans take great pride and put a lot of effort into their nature’s conservation. Of note, Queen Elizabeth II, who had passed away a week earlier, took it upon herself to enlist Belize, amongst many other countries, in a project dedicated to the protection of the environment 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 tons of money in Belize’s marine reserve in order to “protect 30% of its ocean, strengthen governance frameworks for domestic and high sea fisheries, and establish a regulatory framework for coastal blue carbon projects.” This would allow a great generation of income which could be put to use in more ways than one, including solving the government’s debt!
Mayflower Bocawina National Park
Spanning over 28 kilometres squared of tropical forest, the national park of Bocawina is home to over two hundred different types of birds, amongst the many other types of animals that can be found here.
In the park are also some Mayan ruins and a total of seven waterfalls, of which I planned I’d visit at least three. I was originally planning to camp overnight in the park, however, thunderstorms brought about by the vicinity of Hurricane Ian, which by 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 is the main reason I was the only one who had checked into the park that morning. He also 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 I’d see what I had set out to see.
From the ranger’s office, I walked straight on until I got to a bridge crossing over a river. From thereon, the passage forked into two, and I chose the one going to the left – the difficult path, the one that would lead to the Antelope Falls. With the storm raging on, I could barely see anything that was outside the radius of my footsteps. Luckily, Chaac seemed to be on my side as the rain finally gave way, though its aftermath still palpable. The path was all muddy and the rocks slippery. I had to exert great caution not to trip down, calculating every single step. Whilst my eyes would usually be hyper-focused on the foliage and dense vegetation as I’d try to spot some weird insect or perhaps a bird or 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 mosquitos attacking me in hoards and caught 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 the open mountain on their sides, I could hear the thundering river below. One misstep and my cadaver would be floating in it, only god knowing where it’d end up. It felt risky, dangerous, 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 the other, offering me some much-needed assistance. By the time I reached the end of the trail, it had already stopped raining and finally, I could afford to raise my head and look out in front of me. As my best friend-slash-mother figure 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, or at least that’s the way it felt right then. The Antelope Falls, in all their flesh 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 in order to appreciate a view of the entire waterfall surrounded by the thriving forest. Alone and with no equipment, I could only climb up 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 in the shape of a rectangle, with a sign saying the site was occupied from around 800AD to 900AD. Whilst little is known about the ruins thus far, archaeologists think that once fully excavated, the ruins will be amongst the largest Mayan ruins ever discovered.
About a kilometre into the loop trail, is a fork that leads to the Tau Witz Mayan ruins. Tau Witz literally translated 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 had been craving one for ages!) and a couple of beers, I still had a few hours remaining until sunset. I hiked to two nearby waterfalls; the Lower and Upper Bocawina Falls; both spectacular, and then headed back to Hopkins where I wandered around the town a bit more before my departure the following day.