We know that we are still traveling during the rainy season and therefore expected more rain. However, Belize is currently being hit by a prolonged period of bad weather, which may also be due to storms over the Caribbean Sea. Either way, we have already arrived in Hopkins by the sea in Belize, as some stopovers have been canceled due to the rain in Belize. Many of the national parks we wanted to visit are temporarily closed as parts of the rivers and caves are flooded with water, making a meaningful visit impossible. The second reason is the sometimes very muddy or sometimes completely flooded roads as soon as we turn off the main traffic route to get to a national park. We have deliberately not opted for an off-road vehicle and have to turn around early if the road looks more like a mud hole than a road.

Beach life in Hopkins

The alternative to the numerous national parks for us is to relax in the coastal village of Hopkins. We can park right next to a restaurant on the beach and leave our camper Ben there for the next few days. Hopkins is not big, so we can easily reach everything in the village on foot. Unfortunately, the sea here, like further up the coast in Mexico, is saturated with algae, so a dip in the Caribbean Sea is not very appealing. Never mind, we enjoy the relaxed, calm atmosphere from the veranda of the restaurant directly above the water. A coffee here, a cool drink there, that’s all we do in Hopkins.
There are also diving and snorkeling trips to the offshore reef and the many small islands off Belize. But here too, the weather is more likely to put a spanner in the works than to persuade us to go on a boat trip lasting several hours in the rain because of the weather.
We therefore postpone diving until Honduras, where there are some world-famous diving spots. Keep your fingers crossed that it works out there!