We left San Pedro in the morning and flew back to Belize City on the small plane. Our plane landed at the international airport, and after dropping off a few passengers and parcels, the same plane flew about 5 minutes to the municipal airport. We had a 2 hour layover here, and watched a soccer game with the Tropic Air staff while we waited to fly to Dangriga. Carrie and I had our one and possibly only chance to experience the \"jet set\" since we were the only passengers for the flight to Dangriga and had a private plane for the 20 minute flight to Dangriga. We were met by a vehicle for Hamanasi and traveled 45 minutes with other travelers who had just arrived to Belize to Hopkins. Hopkins is a coastal city south of Dangriga and has a predominantly Garifuna population, descendants of escaped and shipwrecked slaves from Africa. Hopkins is definitely a place where I could spend more time. Hamanasi is a beautiful resort with an emphasis on diving/snorkeling and inland adventures. It offers a good combination of activity and relaxation, and they have mastered the art of hospitality and cuisine. We had some of the best meals during our trip here, and we really enjoyed our beachfront room.
The trip was not only memorable for the amount of animals we saw but also for the people and accommodations at the two camps where we stayed. Our first guide, BK, was a wealth of information about the animals, landscape and down to the plants and what they were used for. Everyday out was a learning experience with him. All the people at the camps were gracious and the food was excellent.
Our second camp in the Okavanga was just as good as the first as far as the staff, accommodations, food and animals. After our experience at the first camp we amazed that the high quality remained the same. Our guide, G, made sure we were able to enjoy every experience including a rush through the bush to witness a cheetah and an ensuing hunt that he heard over his radio.
In both camps there were enough guides out that if they saw something the other guides were informed which helped in seeing as much as possible. It was also nice that the concessions were large enough that we did not have vehicles following each other throughout the day.
Normally there is always something in a trip of this length that we think could be improved upon but this is the rare case where we cannot think of anything. From the time we left the States to when we returned it was one of the most hassle free vacations we took.
Perhaps emphasizing the use of the laundry facilities at the camps would be useful because of the luggage restrictions would be the only thing I can think of as an improvement to future clients.
Kenneth Dropek
2 days ago
Mary was so pleasant and professional. She made sure all of our questions were answered.