Hopkins

Hopkins was built in 1942 after a hurricane washed away Newtown just up the coast; it is a loose coastal fishing village steering more and more toward tourism. Ignore the monstrous condos going up on either end of the Hopkins coast road—nearly everything in between remains chill, spread out, and reasonably priced. Hopkins’s thousand or so inhabitants are mostly Garifuna, making this one of the more exciting places to be for Garifuna Settlement Day [1] (November 19).

With the advent of new resorts and time-share condos in Sittee [2], and the continual trickle of backpackers that still show up in Hopkins village proper, there are a few decent makeshift art galleries and craft shops along the main drag. Other than that, there really aren’t any sights beyond those that make up everyday village life. On a Saturday night, this means drinking beer and bitters [3], playing drums and dominoes, and laughing away another hot, breezy day. Of course, things pick up considerably on festival days, Christmas, and Easter Week (expect rooms to be in high demand during these times)..

The road that carries you into town from Dangriga [4] also splits Hopkins into Northside (or “Baila”) and Southside (or “False Sittee [5]”). Northside is a bit more dense with local flavor and Southside hosts most of the places to stay and eat.

Getting to Hopkins

If you have your own transportation, getting to Hopkins is easy: just follow the Southern Highway until you see the well-signed turnoff on your left; from there it’s a four-mile, straight stretch of dirt road (which can be under water during intense rains). Figure 30–40 minutes’ total drive from Dangriga [4].

There are a few daily buses from Hopkins to to Dangriga (10:30 a.m. and 5:15 p.m. Mon.–Sat., US$2.50); buses return to Dangriga at 7 a.m., 7:30 a.m., and 2 p.m. Placencia [6] buses used to go through Hopkins, but currently, there are no buses on the schedule going that route. A popular alternative is to get off the bus at the Hopkins junction and hitch a ride to the village or call for a taxi (tel. 501/669-5499). Otherwise it’s an expensive hotel shuttle or local taxi—which can cost up to US$50 from Dangriga.

Once in Hopkins, rent a scooter at All Seasons Guesthouse for US$38–50 a day; some people do this to get to the Mayflower reserve or other nearby hiking spots. Bike rentals are also easy to find and good for exploring the village.