It gets dark in the city from pretty early at night, around 6.30pm. I used to go running in the athletics track, near the university and it’s a good way of working off the rice and beans. The Radisson is good for after dinner drinks and on Fridays they have a happy hour affairs with free food and music, often with a DJ and live music. The Princess Hotel can also be a good night out – see separate review. The cinema here has two screens with new films from America. The films change about once a month. I saw The Ring 2 here, which was hilarious due to all the Belizeans screaming at the screen and actively engaging in a ‘he’s behind you’ type style. There was a new cocktail style bar just opened when I was there next to the swing bridge, it was still quite quiet when we went but the drinks were good and the local friendly. See separate review for places to eat.

Tobacco Caye is a tiny eco Island of the coast of Belize. It can be reached from Dangriga, I would recommend arranging transport in advance, as being such a small island there are not regular crossings. The Riverside restaurant can normally advise but if you book your accommodation in advance they can arrange transport for you. We stayed at the Gaviota resort who arranged our transport. The boat costs $30BZ each way and takes about 40 minutes. If you’re lucky you might see dolphins on the way out. The lodge is made up of small cabins on the sand, which are very basic and good value. There are shared bathrooms and showers and a main eating area with hammocks outside.

Being an eco island, the toilets are all fitted with sighs stating ‘flush the brown, keep the yellow’ in order to save water and you are advised not to have the lights on for any longer than necessary and if you do they will be turned off. Environmentalism is taken very seriously here and dinner for new arrivals starts with a chat about how to conserve energy and making sure that you do not overuse the lights or it will causes the fridges to shut down meaning no food. The food here is good and served on 4 large tables giving you a chance to meet other guests. There is a set mealtime and the menu is fixed so if you are a fussy eater or have dietary requirements let them know in advance.

The island is very small and has no shop as such. There are a few places where you can get drinks but if you want booze I would advise taking your own, same goes for snacks and water. Snorkeling is popular on the island and just sitting back reading a book is good entertainment. We headed out in a group and really enjoyed days on relaxing, reading and playing cards followed by nights drinking rum. If you can bring yourself to get up early to watch the sunrise it’s beautiful, check out my pics, and well worth it. There isn’t much to do on Tobacco Caye other than chilling so if you get itchy feet quickly only plan a one or two day stay.

Mayflower park is a great way to spend a day if you fancy seeing some of Belize's wonderful wildlife and swimming in waterfalls. The park can be accessed by buses heading between Dangriga and Hopkins, just ask the driver to stop by the park. The walk into the park is a 4 mile trek but it has stunning views and is surrounded by orange groves. Once in the park there is a small cabin containing toilets and a rest stop. There are several walks that can be taken and camping is permitted in the park. I spent a night in Hopkins and travelled to the park for the day. The path we took led us up very steep hills that were cliff edges. There are ropes on the paths to help pull yourself up but I would only recommend taking this route if you are fit and dressed correctly. Once reaching the top you are met with beautiful pools in a secluded spot in the jungle with a waterfall pouring into it. The jungle views are great and there is plenty of wildlife about, especially bugs and birds. There are chances of catching sight of jaguars but this is a rare lucky treat. I would recommend taking advantage of the camping option of staying locally as buses stop running early and anyone with an onward journey to Belize City will be pushed to make a good day of it. Make sure you are well prepared with plenty of water, food, boots, swim gear and are well covered if vulnerable to bugs as they frequent here!