Mayflower Bocawina National Park sits in the foothills of the Maya Mountains in Stann Creek District, a few miles inland from the Southern Highway and close enough to Hopkins that you can hike a waterfall in the morning and be back on the beach by mid-afternoon. It is one of the quieter national parks in Belize. On a weekday you may share the trails with nobody at all, which is part of the appeal and also part of the reason you want your own vehicle: there is no bus that drops you at the gate.
The park protects around 7,000 acres of broadleaf rainforest, three named waterfalls, and a cluster of unexcavated Maya mounds that give the place its older name. Trails run from flat fifteen-minute strolls to a steep scramble that will have your calves complaining the next day.
What is at Mayflower Bocawina National Park?
The park is organised around a small visitor area with a car park, a ranger station and a picnic shelter. Everything else radiates out from there on marked trails.
- Antelope Falls — the headline hike. A steep, rooty, rope-assisted climb to a tiered falls with a plunge pool and a lookout over the coastal plain. Short in distance, demanding in effort.
- Bocawina Falls — a longer but gentler walk through the forest to a tall curtain of water. The trail is undulating rather than vertical.
- Three Sisters Falls — the furthest of the three and the least visited, usually combined with Bocawina Falls as a longer loop.
- Maya mounds — Mayflower, Maintzunun and T'au Witz are low, grassy, largely unexcavated structures near the entrance. They are not a Caracol or a Xunantunich, but they are easy to walk and interesting in context.
- Birding and wildlife — the forest edge around the car park is productive early in the morning. Toucans, trogons, motmots and a long list of migrants pass through, and howler monkeys are heard more often than seen.
There is also a lodge inside the park boundary that operates ziplines and waterfall rappelling. Those are run by private operators, not by the park, and they need to be booked directly with them in advance.
How hard is the Antelope Falls hike?
Honest answer: harder than it looks on a map. The distance is modest but the trail climbs steadily on exposed roots and rock, with fixed ropes on the steepest sections. In wet weather the limestone and clay get genuinely slippery. Most reasonably fit walkers manage it in under an hour each way, taking it slowly.
The reward is a cool pool at the base of the falls and, if you continue up to the viewpoint, a long view east across the banana and citrus country to the Caribbean. Go early. The climb in midday heat is no fun, and the light for the view is better in the morning anyway.
If you would rather not climb, the walk to Bocawina Falls gives you a waterfall and a swim with far less suffering.
How do you get to Mayflower Bocawina National Park?
The park entrance road leaves the Southern Highway near the village of Silk Grass, roughly midway between the Hummingbird Highway junction and the Hopkins turnoff. There is a signed turning inland. Miss it and you will know fairly quickly, because the next landmark is a village either side.
From the highway it is about four or five miles of unpaved road to the visitor area. The surface is typically graded dirt and gravel, with some washboard, a few potholes that deepen through the rainy season, and one or two shallow creek crossings that are usually nothing more than a splash. After heavy rain the road can get soft and rutted, and the crossings rise.
Approximate drive times, and they really are approximate, since road works on the Southern Highway come and go:
- From Hopkins — around 30 to 45 minutes, depending on where in the village you start.
- From Dangriga — roughly 40 minutes to an hour.
- From Placencia — about an hour and a half to two hours.
- From San Ignacio — in the region of two and a half to three hours via Belmopan and the Hummingbird.
- From the international airport — allow the best part of three hours.
If you are coming from Cayo, the drive over the Hummingbird Highway from Belmopan to Dangriga is the scenic half of the trip and worth building a stop into.
Do you need a 4x4 for the park road?
Not in the sense of needing low range and a winch. What you do need is ground clearance and tyres that are happy on loose gravel. A small saloon car will usually make it in dry weather and will usually regret it after a storm.
An SUV is the sensible choice here, and it is the same vehicle that handles the rest of southern Belize comfortably. A 2017 Jeep Cherokee has the clearance for the park road and the comfort for the highway miles either side of it. For a bigger group, something from the larger end of our SUV and van fleet keeps everyone and their wet towels in one vehicle. Every rental includes third-party insurance and unlimited mileage within Belize, so a detour inland costs you nothing but fuel.
Fill up in Dangriga or Independence before you head inland. There is no fuel at the park, and phone signal in the forest is patchy to non-existent.
Entrance, timing and practicalities
Entrance fees are collected at the gate or ranger station. Rates change, so check the current fee when you arrive and bring Belize dollars in small notes. The park keeps daytime hours and you should not plan to start a long trail late in the afternoon — the forest goes dark earlier than the open sky suggests.
Guides can sometimes be arranged locally at the entrance, and for the Maya mounds and birding a guide adds a lot. For the main waterfall trails, the signage is adequate for self-guided walking.
What to bring
- Proper walking shoes with grip, not flip-flops. The Antelope Falls trail punishes smooth soles.
- Swimwear and a quick-dry towel for the plunge pools.
- At least a litre of water per person, more in the dry season heat.
- Insect repellent, especially for the lower, shadier sections.
- Cash in Belize dollars for the entrance fee.
- A dry bag or sealed pouch for your phone — spray and sweat both get in.
- Snacks. There is no shop at the park.
Making a day or two of it
Mayflower Bocawina pairs naturally with the coast. Most visitors base themselves in Hopkins, and the road guide to Hopkins and the Garifuna coast covers the turnoff, the village layout and where the paved road ends. Combining the park with a beach afternoon is the easiest full day in Stann Creek.
Further south, Cockscomb Basin Wildlife Sanctuary offers a bigger trail network and the better-known jaguar preserve. Doing both in one day is possible but rushed; two days with a night in Hopkins or Dangriga between them is far more enjoyable.
If you are new to driving here, our practical Belize travel notes cover licences, fuel, road etiquette and what to expect at checkpoints.
Ready to go
The park is close to the highway but it is not close to a bus stop, and tour schedules rarely give you the early start that Antelope Falls deserves. With your own vehicle you leave Hopkins at seven, climb in the cool, swim, and are back for lunch.
We are a family business in San Ignacio and we deliver anywhere in Belize, including Hopkins, Dangriga, Placencia and the international airport. Send us a reservation request with your dates and we will come back to you with availability and a price — no online payment, no booking fee.
Frequently asked questions
Do you need a 4x4 to reach Mayflower Bocawina National Park?
Not strictly, but you do want ground clearance. The entrance road from the Southern Highway is several miles of unpaved dirt and gravel with washboard, potholes and one or two shallow creek crossings. An SUV handles it comfortably in most conditions, while a low saloon car can struggle after heavy rain.
How long is the hike to Antelope Falls?
The distance is short but the trail climbs steeply on roots and rock with fixed ropes on the hardest sections. Most reasonably fit walkers take under an hour each way at a steady pace. Go early in the day, wear shoes with grip, and expect it to be slippery in wet weather.
How far is Mayflower Bocawina from Hopkins?
Roughly 30 to 45 minutes by road, depending on where in Hopkins you start and the state of the Southern Highway. The turnoff is signed near Silk Grass village, after which it is another four or five miles of unpaved road to the visitor area.
Is there an entrance fee and are guides available?
Yes, an entrance fee is collected at the park gate or ranger station. Rates change, so confirm the current fee when you arrive and bring Belize dollars in small notes. Guides can sometimes be arranged locally, and ziplining and waterfall rappelling are run by private operators inside the park who should be booked directly in advance.
