Last updated on August 22nd, 2018 at 03:47 am
Cockscomb Basin Wildlife Sanctuary and Jaguar Preserve is a tropical forest in southern Belize. If you are in Belize looking for adventure, this is a place you need to visit!
And no, we didn’t see any jaguars, they’re nocturnal for the most part.
Getting There
From Placencia, we took Ritchie’s bus to the Mayan Center just outside of Cockscomb Basin. Ritchie’s bus is an old american school bus painted bright blue. The Placencia Breeze has the schedule for Ritchie’s bus, which goes back and forth between Placencia and Dangriga. We caught the bus on the Placencia main road, just across from our Airbnb, by waving at the driver (there are no official stops along the route).
The bus fare was two US dollars, collected by a young guy who held onto the open door while the bus was moving and would walk around occasionally to collect money and ask where people were going. We were the only tourists on the bus, but the people were friendly. We got off at the Mayan Center where they called a taxi to take us to Cockscomb.
The taxi was an old Toyota Camry with bad shocks, which was unfortunate because the road was an uneven dirt trail. The taxi costed 20 US dollars each way. Pricy, but still the cheapest option at the last minute. They also offer tours and car rentals that make it easier to get to Cockscomb if you are prepared and not on a budget.
Once we arrived, we headed to the visitor’s center, where one of the employees explained the trails that we were interested in. Tiger Fern was suggested by our taxi driver because it leads to a double waterfall, but that trail was a bit long for us (about an hour and a half roundtrip). We chose the single waterfall trail instead on the way to Ben’s Bluff, so we would have enough time to go river tubing as well.
Hiking Cockscomb
We only saw one group of people on our hike, but we lost them early on. It was unsettling being in the jungle alone, completely cut off from the world, not entirely sure what we might run into.
The jungle is very loud. There’s a constant buzzing occasionally interrupted by a lizard scattering up a tree or the leaves shaking as something within recognizes your presence. It is not at all like the forests in Colorado that I am used to. It was also very hot and humid, which I expected, but I was still surprised to be completely drenched in sweat within about five minutes. We followed the signs for Ben’s Bluff as the trail got a little steeper. We saw some beautiful foliage along the way!
To reach the waterfall, we had to go down a slippery and rocky trail. We heard the rushing water before we saw it. The area was beautiful! The water was crystal clear, no other people in sight.
You can swim in both the Ben’s Bluff and Tiger Fern waterfalls. Warning: the water does not feel like the Caribbean. Once I adjusted it, I was able to swim around. It took another dose of courage to actually approach the waterfall because the water surrounding it was much darker. But finally we did it (me before Luke!).
Tubing and Tarantulas
After swimming for a bit we headed back to the visitor’s center to get some tubes. The tubes were five US dollars. We carried them for about 15 minutes in the direction the guide pointed, which was very difficult in the sweltering heat with bugs buzzing around our ears. The entry point was wide and intimidating.
We considered turning back, but didn’t.
We held onto each other’s tubes nervously and attempted to dodge the branches that hung low over the river (often unsuccessfully). There were no water snakes that we saw, but several times I noticed small black beetles dotting my shoulders and arms before I dramatically threw them off.
When we reached the rope that said “Last Chance to Exit” (I don’t remember seeing a first or second chance), we grabbed it and tried to pull ourselves to shore while staying together. It was made more difficult by a large water spider that was residing on the buoy, which caused me to release the rope. Luckily, Luke was able to grasp it again and we finally made it to the muddy shore. Walking back to the visitor’s center we saw a giant yellow grass hopper that looked like a leaf and a Red Rump Tarantula (I could have done without that).
Until Next Time
After the river tubing we were about done with the jungle, so we called another cab to take us to the Mayan Center where we got some chocolate from the Che’il Mayan Chocolate store and waited for the bus.
Ritchie’s bus left Dangriga around two o’clock and picked us up at the Mayan Center around 2:40. On the way back, the bus was completely full and we were forced to stand in the aisle with nothing to hold onto. As we got farther along the route, people vacated their seats and we were able to sit. I talked to a very friendly Belizean who said he played basketball for six months at CU Boulder (the more I travel, the smaller I realize the world is).
This experience was unlike anything else I had ever done before and I am grateful for how it opened my eyes to the culture and wildness of Belize. I still think I prefer the beach though!
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This looks wonderful, everything is so green and untouched, I can’t even imagine what it would feel like to be there so far from civilization.