a guide to Hopkins, Belize

This is the route I took to get to Hopkins. 

After getting off my plane at Philip S.W. Goldson International Airport I took a taxi to the Belize City bus station. The bus station seems to be surrounded by some small shops and market stalls. The area felt safe enough and the locals were very helpful in finding me the right person to buy a bus ticket from. Nevertheless, I’m always a bit intimidated when trying to take public transport in a big city in Central America. After I arrived at the station I found a seat and sat tight. The ticket operator found and got me when my bus arrived and made sure I got on the right bus. 

You’ll want to tell the ticket master you want to go to Dangriga or Hopkins. There are very regular buses to Dangriga but only a few that go all the way to Hopkins. At the time of writing, I believe the 5:30 am, 10:30 am, 2:30 pm, and 5:15 pm buses stop in Hopkins, otherwise, you may be able to stay on the bus until the Hopkins Junction and then get off and hitchhike (a very common practice for locals and tourists in Hopkins). Your best bet is to always notify the driver where you are going and they will tell you where to get off. For most buses, your ride will not go all the way to Hopkins and you will have to get off at Dangriga and catch another bus to Hopkins. All buses will stop in Belize’s capital, Belmopan. You should have enough time to use the bathroom and get a snack but be warned, buses in Belize can easily fill up and you may not always have a seat or much space to stand. This bus costs around $14 BZD and takes 3 hours.

Unfortunately, my bus did not go all the way to Hopkins so I did need to catch a new bus in Dangriga. Despite arriving in Dangriga before 2 pm, the Hopkins bus had already left and I had to wait until 5 pm for the next one. Since I had so much time to kill, I thought going for a walk around town and seeing how much a taxi would cost would be a good idea. Surprise, it wasn’t a good idea.
Dangriga is very rough around the edges and I did not feel particularly safe. I didn’t make it more than 100 meters out of the bus station before getting swarmed by multiple local men trying to grab my arms to get my attention and ask for money. I don’t think they had any ill intentions, but being grabbed by a man I don’t know is never a situation I want to be in. I also noticed all the surrounding shops were barred (if you wanted something from the grocery store you had to point from the outside) which is not so uncommon in Central America, but usually applies to just small corner shops. This experience was very unnerving, especially because it was my first day in the country.
Quickly, I walked back to the bus station. To avoid this situation, I advise if you are a female or traveling alone, stay inside the bus station while you wait for the bus to Hopkins and arrive before 5 pm. If you arrive after 5 pm there will be no more buses to Hopkins. The Dangriga bus station felt safe, and the locals inside were incredibly nice, even sharing local golden plums with me. Luckily, I also discovered Mimi’s Ice Cream Cafe directly across the street. I do think it is safe to walk there since it’s very close and the shop has wifi and air conditioning.
Please don’t let this anecdote sway your preconceptions about Belize. This was the only time I felt unsafe in Belize, and if I returned I would still feel confident in taking the public transportation through Dangriga. Another solo female traveler had also told me she stayed a night in Dangriga and felt safe.

Taking the 5 pm bus was a fun experience, it seemed to be like a lot of kids coming home from school. The bus was around 45 min and cost $5 BZD.