Located on the coast of Stann Creek District in southeastern Belize, the small village of Hopkins has steadily become the top cultural destination in the country.

Hopkins was built in 1942 and named after a traveling priest. Today, approximately 1,000 people live in Hopkins, the majority of which are members of the Garifuna culture, an Afro-Caribbean people that first arrived in Belize 200 years ago. Today, most residents of Hopkins are still focused on traditional work like farming and fishing, but it is the growing tourism industry which has led so many visitors to beat a path to this small village.

Hopkins is unusual in that it is laid out along a long arc on the coast but is bisected down the middle by a small river. The north side (sometimes called Baila) and the south side (sometimes called False Sittee) give visitors two very different looks, but it is generally agreed that the crescent bay and view out over the Caribbean is simply spectacular.

Hopkins has been named the friendliest village in the country several times, and visitors should expect a genuinely warm reception. Hopkins is an especially popular destination on November 19 when the entire country celebrates Garifuna Settlement Day to commemorate the arrival of the Garifuna to Belize's shores. In Hopkins, the holiday begins with a dramatic dawn re-enactment of Garifuna dugout canoes landing on the beach followed by lots of music, dancing, drumming, and feasts of traditional Garifuna foods like cassava bread, seafood, wangla (a candy made with toasted sesame seeds), and hudut (a soup made with coconuts, fish, and plantains).

Some visitors come to Hopkins to partake in the rich fishing available in and near the village as there are several wetland areas, coastal estuaries, and lagoons that are ideal for fishing. But most visitors come to Hopkins in order to learn more about Garifuna culture. Several local families offer workshops on learning to harvest, prepare, and cook Garifuna food, learn Garifuna dances, or learn how to play traditional Garifuna drums which are used to let the ancestors "speak" and tell stories of love, war, betrayal, and joy.

If you'd like to discover the magic of Hopkins Village for yourself, you can rely on Untame Belize, a full-service tour company that is based right in Hopkins. Untame Belize also provides shuttle service, private ground transfers, and organizes adventure tours for affordable prices to all of the most popular destinations in the country.

Belize is celebrating a new partnership with Sun Country Airlines which has announced the first-ever seasonal nonstop service from Minneapolis/St. Paul to Belize, marking the 10th U.S. city to offer nonstop service to the country.

Sun Country will operate roundtrip flights once weekly on Saturdays between Minneapolis/St. Paul (MSP) and Philip S. W. Goldson International Airport in Belize City (BZE).

“Sun Country’s new nonstop flight from Minneapolis to Belize City marks our farthest reach into the Upper Midwest — an area of the U.S. that can really benefit from easy access to a tropical Belizean vacation when winter comes,” said Karen Bevans, Director of Tourism for Belize.

“We appreciate Sun Country for further supporting our thriving tourism industry and providing more curious travelers with seamless opportunities to escape to Belize.” Mrs. Bevans added that “the Belize Tourism Board is committed to enhancing and expanding tourism programs that contribute to the momentum of the Belizean tourism industry. Working with travel partners like Sun Country enables us to serve as good stewards for the destination while maintaining Belize’s high-quality standards for accommodations.”

“At Sun Country, we pride ourselves on delivering fantastic value to our guests, connecting them to their favorite people, places and memories,” said Ben Brookman, the Vice President of Network and Pricing for Sun Country Airlines. “Belize used to be considered a best-kept secret among travelers. Now that the secret’s out, we’re excited to help curious travelers experience it for themselves.”

Minneapolis/St. Paul joins an ever-expanding list of U.S. and Canadian markets offering nonstop flight service to Belize. The list currently includes Los Angeles, Chicago, Miami, Denver, Newark, Charlotte, Atlanta, Dallas/Ft. Worth, Houston, Calgary, and Toronto. Tickets are now on sale at suncountry.com.

Travelers visiting Belize who need deals on shuttles and transfers, adventure tours and even accommodations can rely on the expertise of Untame Belize. Untame Belize is a premier tour operator based in southern Belize and is run by a team of local tourism professionals.

For more information on traveling to Belize, visit https://www.untamebelize.com/.

How does one begin their adventure in Belize? By leveraging our full-service travel network to customize a dream vacation in Belize.

Once a distant dot on the map, Belize has, in recent years, become one of the hottest vacation destinations on the planet. Just a short flight away from the United States and Canada, Belize is truly a world away. Instead of overcrowded beaches and overheated concrete cities, Belize is a small nation where nature is king. Indeed, there's not a single stoplight in the whole country, but you will find over 500 species of birds as well as exotic wildlife like tapirs, giant harpy eagles, monkeys, and jaguars.

At Untame Belize, we specialize in helping visitors enjoy an unforgettable vacation. We provide private ground transfers and shuttle services to and from any destination in the country, including top destinations like Belize City, Dangriga, Hopkins, Placencia, and San Ignacio as well as eco-resorts located deep in the jungle and AirBNB destinations. Untame Belize operates a fleet of modern, spacious vans that can accommodate up to 10 passengers and their luggage.

Untame Belize can also hook you up with some of the best guided tours and adventure in the country, including exploring the remote jungle by ATV, sailing through the rainforest canopy on zip lines, floating down subterranean rivers on an inner tube (cave tubing), and rappelling down cliffs and waterfalls.

Prefer something a bit more relaxing? Untame Belize also offers guided activities like bird watching, horseback riding, and touring local chocolate makers. Untame Belize also organizes visits to local Maya and Garifuna villages to learn more about the incredible cultural diversity in the country.

If that's not enough, Untame also organizes trips to the Belize Barrier Reef, the second-largest coral barrier reef system in the world after Australia's Great Barrier Reef. Belize has hundreds of islands on the reef, many of which are protected marine conservation areas, making them the perfect place to enjoy activities like scuba diving, snorkeling, fishing, and sailing. Or, perhaps, you just want to play castaway-for-a-day while enjoying a beach barbecue of fresh-caught fish, lobster, and other types of seafood.

Belize enjoys a sunny, mild climate that makes it the perfect year-round vacation destination. Home to golden sand beaches and majestic waterfalls, Belize is a great place to relax, unwind, and have the time of your life. For all of your Belize travel needs, contact Untame Belize.

No matter where you want to go or what you want to do in Belize, Untame Belize is the name to trust for adventure and travel in the country.

Untame Belize specializes in handcrafting incredible adventures in Belize that will match your adventure spirit. Just look at all of the interesting things you can do in the country:

• Visit the Belize Zoo or a wildlife sanctuary.
• Explore ancient Maya ruins like Xunantunich, the ATM Cave, and Tikal.
• Rappell down from the "Mother of All Caves" on the infamous Black Hole Drop.
• Go horseback riding
• Zip line through the jungle
• Cave tubing (floating down underground rivers).
• Visit a Maya village and learn how to make chocolate.
• Partake in a boat safari up the well-named Monkey River.
• Visit a Garifuna village and learn how to make traditional foods.
• Explore remote areas on a fun ATV tour.
• Snorkeling and scuba diving on the reef, including with whale sharks.
• Fishing some of the best coastal and offshore areas.
• Island hopping tours.

And many more!

Every tour offered by Untame Belize is tailor-made for your interest, travel style, and budget. Special prices are available for group bookings and all-inclusive vacation packages. Untame Belize can also organize pick-up and transportation to the top activities in southern Belize for cruise ship passengers docking at Harvest Caye.

Untame Belize also offers shuttle and private ground transfers to and from anywhere in the country. If you're coming in to the international airport in Belize City and want to get to popular destinations like Placencia, Dangriga, Hopkins, Corozal, Orange Walk, San Ignacio, or Belmopan, Untame Belize can get you there safely, comfortably, and on time. With Untame Belize, you'll be able to relax and unwind as you are transported to your destination by a professional driver.

And, if you like, Untame Belize will stop off at great places to take photos as well as enjoy food at local restaurants that serve both Belizean and international fare. Stops at the Belize Zoo are also available for people going to/from the international airport.

After enjoying a fun day of adventure in Belize, the best place to stay is the Davis Falls Inn. Located near one of the most beautiful waterfalls in southern Belize, this lovely, family-run guesthouse offers comfortable accommodations at an affordable price. The onsite restaurant serves delicious, homecooked food and specializes in Belizean cuisine.

For all of your travel needs, count on Untame Belize.

1.) The Garifuna history has been one of constant migration and intermarriage. Oral history records that the Garifuna ancestors, the Arawak Indians, migrated from Guyana, Surinam and Venezuela around long before the arrival of the Europeans to the New World and settled in the Greater Antilles Islands in the Caribbean. A second ancestor, the Carib Indians, also migrated from their settlements in the Orinoco Delta in 1220 A.D. and seized the Lesser Antilles. The Carib and Arawak then intermarried and engendered the Island Carib, who settled predominantly on Saint Vincent Island.

2.)  Anthropologists recognize the Garifuna as a product of ‘voluntary assimilation’, which indicates the peaceful creation of this new ethnic group, but the ensuing years of searching for a homeland saw very little peace for the Garifuna. In 1660, a British peace treaty guaranteed the “perpetual possession” of the island to the Garifuna, but less than a decade later, the British broke the treaty and re-claimed the island as a colonial possession. However, by the mid 1700s (following several generations of prolific reproducing by the Garifuna), it became increasingly aware that the Garifuna were such a demographic force on St. Vincent, that they threatened to jeopardize the inherent success of a colonial mission, and the British sent more and more representatives to the island to subdue the native Garifuna.

3.) In 1796, as the Garifuna desperately sought a solution to their imminent enslavement, an intended raid became a defeat for the Garifuna, and the minority of survivors was deported to the Honduran island of Roatán.

4.)The Garifuna flourished and multiplied, and thus when they were again forced to flee following republican revolt in Honduras, they continued their epic exodus in even greater numbers. In 1832, led by the charismatic and ambitious Alejo Beni, a group of Garifuna arrived on the southern Belizean coastline. It is this miraculous marine arrival that is celebrated every November in various Garifuna areas, including Dangriga, Seine Bight, Hopkins and Punta Gorda in southern Belize.

5.)For centuries, the Garifuna people had faced persecution, injustice and demoralization, and yet they still arrived in Belize with an optimistic ambition to serve their ‘new’ homeland and to develop their ‘new’ nation.

6.)In 2001, UNESCO (the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization) declared the Garifuna culture a “Masterpiece of the Oral and Intangible Heritage of Humanity” – in much the same way as various local marine areas (including several ranges of Cayes) were latterly classified as UNESCO World Heritage Sites.

7.)Legendary Garifuna hero Thomas Vincent Ramos was born on 17th September, 1887 at Tulin, Puerto Cortes in the Republic of Honduras. Ramos married Elisa Marian Fuentes in 1914 and they migrated permanently to Dangriga, Belize around 1920. While in Belize, Ramos became a school teacher but he was also a visionary leader. He founded the famous Carib Development and Sick Aid Society (C.D.S) and later Carib International Society (C.I.S). Both spread and were established in all Garifuna communities throughout Belize, and the C.I.S had affiliations as well in Guatemala and Honduras.

8.)Thomas Vincent Ramos had serious concerns about the systematic neglect and the need for improvement of the health facilities for Garinagu in Dangriga. Up to that time, there was not a single Garifuna nurse working in the entire Stann Creek District. So Ramos lobbied and agitated that Dangriga get its native nurses to serve its citizens in the Dangriga hospital. The colonial authorities finally capitulated and granted the request.

9.)But T.V Ramos was also concerned with the promotion and preservation of the Garifuna cultural heritage. To that end, he dedicated his talent, time and effort so that in 1940, as leader and spokesman, along with Pantaleon Hernandez and Domingo Ventura, T.V Ramos petitioned the British Governor of the colony and requested the establishment of a Public and Bank Holiday in observance of the Garifuna arrival to Belize on November 19th.

10.)The request was granted and official celebration of the 19th November as a public and bank holiday began in Stann creek district on November 19th, 1941. Two years later in 1943, Punta Gorda, in the Toledo District, was given the Holiday, and in 1977, Garifuna Settlement Day became officially a Public and Bank Holiday throughout Belize.

11.)The Garifuna culture, particularly music and dance is active in Belize and has become migrated to the world, with the travels of Andy Palacio (deceased), Paul Nabor (deceased), the Garifuna Collective, Aziatic, Supa G and Lovaboy as well as the Sweet Pain Band.

12.)Artist and musician Pen Cayetano created modern punta music in the late 1970s in Dangriga before migrating to Germany. He has now settled permanently in Belize with his family and runs an art studio in Dangriga.

13.)Garinagu have contributed to Belizean society as teachers, politicians, law enforcement and military and others.

Maya Ruins in Belize

Belize has more ancient Maya sites than any other country on the planet, which is why every visitor to Belize should definitely visit one of these architectural wonders.

If you're coming to Belize to visit ancient Maya ruins, here are five sites you should definitely visit:

Cahal Pech

Located just across the river from modern-day San Ignacio, Cahal Pech is the perfect introduction to ancient Maya architecture. This cliffside residence was built by the ancient Maya exclusively for members of noble families and the ruling elite and commands a wonderful view over the river valley below.

Xunantunich

One of the largest ancient Maya cities ever built, the rulers of Xunantunich clashes with other powerful rivals in the area, including Tikal. In 2016, the largest Maya royal tomb ever discovered was excavated in Xunantunich, and the site remains an impressive display of pyramids, palaces, and other grandiose buildings.

Tikal

Located just over the border in Guatemala, Tikal is a UNESCO World Heritage Site and, perhaps, the most famous ancient Maya site in the world. Easily accessible from Belize, Tikal contains more than 3,000 structures, including the colossal temples featured in blockbuster movies such as Star Wars (Episode IV: A New Hope) and Moonraker.

Nim Li Punit

The Maya name for this site means "Big Hat" because it refers to the most iconic Maya sculptures in Belize. The ancient rulers of Nim Li Punit commissioned large sculptures of themselves, including one ruler with a large hat. Nim Li Punit is also home to the best-preserved ball courts of the ancient Maya world where teams would compete for religious honors.

Lubaantun

Located in southern Belize, the site of Lubaantun has been generating controversy ever since it was re-discovered nearly a century ago. Supposedly the location where a crystal skull was found, Lubaantun is unique because hundreds of tiny ceramic objects were found at the site. Archeologists believe that these were used as either lucky charms by the ancient Maya or as special tools for religious ceremonies.

If you'd like to visit the above sites or any other ancient Maya wonders in Belize, book your tour with Untame Belize. Untame Belize specializes in a wide range of adventure tours, including off-road ATV tours of the jungle and trips to the reef.

Untame Belize also operates private ground transfers and shuttle services to and from any location in the country.

If you're looking for paradise, you'll find it in Belize and if you require a tour company to ensure your trip is a good one then consider Untame Belize, one of the nation’s premier, licensed tour companies equipped to arrange cultural experiences, hiking, zip-lining, river cruises, tours to ancient Maya cities and sacred caves, and airport transfers that meet the needs of the intrepid traveler. Dependable, safe, affordable and accommodating, Untame Belize offers the best services and amenities.

One of the top things to do in Belize is a tour of Actun Tunichil Muknal Cave (also known as the ATM Cave). Before you embark on a tour of the ATM, here is what you need to know about this sacred cave:

ACTUN TUNICHIL MUKNAL

The ATM (Actun Tunichil Muknal) means “The Cave of the Crystal Sepulchre" and is located close to San Ignacio Town. The ATM Cave is an archaeological treasure that contains the remains of ancient Maya people and mesmerizing samples of stoneware and ceramics. The ceramics in particular are an important find because their construction hints of their use in sacred ceremonies conducted by the ancient Maya. Just as fascinating is how the Maya created ceremonial areas using the natural shape of the cave that include altars and sacred images carved into the walls. The beauty of the cave is further enhanced by many stalactites and stalagmites found in its upper compartments. In addition, the cave teems with wildlife because it is a river cave and thousands of bats call the cave home. The adventure traveler to this cave would be hard-pressed to find a better place to enjoy nature in all its splendor.

TOURING THE ATM

Let Untame Belize’s experienced guides take you on a tour of the ATM, the most sacred cave in Belize. Seize the opportunity to gain an appreciation for the rich culture by learning about the history of the Maya people and witness first-hand the Maya creations that make the cave one of the most unique places on earth. Untame Belize will –

• Provide tours by licensed guides that consider the environment and preservation of archaeological sites
• Round trip transportation to the ATM Cave from your hotel, resort or AirBnB
• Guide visitors on a 45-minute hike from the Tapir Reserve to the cave
• Guide visitors on a 3-hour tour of the ATM cave that includes a chance to see the remains of the “Crystal Maiden”, a teenage girl that the Maya sacrificed in a sacred ceremony
• Provide a picnic with water and soft drinks

The essence of Maya culture awaits the explorer and Untame Belize is ready to show the way. Bring a sense of adventure as you descend deep into the ATM cave that is known as the Maya underworld. Your trek will exercise the body, intrigue the mind, and enliven the spirit.

Belize is a land of wild, untrammeled beauty, its jungles and rainforests teeming with a cornucopia of exotic wildlife. And one of the best ways to explore these lush natural environments is with an ATV tour.

ATVs or All-Terrain Vehicles are tough, four-wheel vehicles that can easily navigate the rugged terrain of Belize. Far from the smoothly paved surfaces of Belize's towns and cities, ATVs can easily traverse steep inclines, ford jungle rivers, and navigate the thick foliage of the Belizean jungle.

Even if you've never driven an ATV before, operating one is quite simple. ATVS have an automatic transmission with and are easily steered using the handlebars. All ATV tours start with a brief overview of how to operate the vehicle as well as a safety course. All necessary equipment, including helmets, will be provided to participants. In Belize, a driver's license is not required in order to operate an ATV as long as it is done on a privately-owned property.

Although ATV tours head through some of the most ruggedly beautiful areas of Belize, participants will be following well-marked paths in order to sustain the integrity of the surrounding jungle. Many ATV tours are held on vast, privately-owned property and can be combined with other exciting adventures, including jungle hikes, swimming and resting at the foot of a jungle waterfall, visiting an abandoned prison, exploring ancient caves, and zip lining through the jungle canopy.

ATVs allow visitors to enter deep into the heart of the Belizean jungle, a natural wonderland where the perfumes of thousands of tropical flowers fill the air. In addition, ATV tours allow visitors to see some of the exotic wildlife that call Belize home, including black howler monkeys (whose cries can be heard for miles around), giant iguanas, flocks of scarlet macaws, parrots, and toucans, tarantulas, tapirs (Belize's national animal), and even the occasional ocelot, jaguarundi, and other indigenous big cat species.

Interested in exploring some of the most beautiful and untouched areas of the Belizean jungle by ATV? Book your tour today with Untame Belize, the premier tour company in the country. Untame Belize offers a wide range of exciting adventure tours and guided expeditions to all of the most popular destinations in the country. Untame Belize also provides shuttle services and private ground transfers to and from anywhere in the country as well as arranging for accommodations at the popular Davis Falls Inn.