With over 7000 acres
of preserved low and highlands, the Mayflower Bocawina National Park is one of the best choices for leisure or adventurous explorations

MBNP
The National Park...
MBNP
MBNP was established in the 2001, initially with a focus on the Mayflower Archaeological Site. Its purpose was expanded to encompass its natural resources including its ecosystem, biodiversity, flora and fauna and its scenic physical attributes.
Willdlife
What can be seen...
WILDLIFE
The national park offers excellent wildlife observation and birding opportunities. With such the faunal diversity is high and it can be characterized by the diverse fauna that inhabit the national park.
Activities
Things to do...
MBNP
Along with birdwatching and camping for those wishing to visit overnight, MBNP has four hiking trails and several waterfalls known as the Three Sisters Waterfalls.
PROTECTION OF WILDLIFE
The national park offers excellent wildlife observation and birding opportunities as the faunal diversity is high. The MBNP forms part of the Maya Mountain Massif –an area of crucial importance to wildlife conservation, supporting the largest population of jaguars within Belize
PROTECTION OF FLORA
A Rapid Environmental Assessment was conducted within the MBNP and a total of 228 plant species were identified. However, this number is not exhaustive as many more plants, especially herbs remain to be recorded. But at least, some of the more dominant tree species can be expected to have been identified
PROTECTING WATERSHEDS OF FRESHWATER CREEK AND NORTH STANN CREEK
Watersheds play an important role in the formation of biological corridors, survival of endangered species, and help determine the health of the barrier reef. Within the MBNP there are tributaries that form part of the Freshwater Creek, North Stann Creek, and Sittee River.
LIMIT DEFORESTATION FOR AGRICULTURAL PURPOSES
There is evidence of illegal logging taking place in the park. Therefore, the park rangers are the frontline in terms of surveillance and security and as such their primary duty is to maintain a presence at the park and conduct patrols to detect possible encroachment, deforestation, illegal agriculture, logging, and to monitor fires.
PROVIDE INCOME-GENERATING OPPORTUNITIES THROUGH ECOTOURISM FOR BUFFER COMMUNITIES
MBEDG engages the community in economic activities when possible and provides workshops and training exercises for residents to support capacity building. The park also provides employment to community members as Park Rangers and Park Manager.
PRESERVATION FOR FUTURE GENERATIONS
This goal is pursued through activities such as reducing the direct pressures on biodiversity by promoting sustainable use of the buffer area, enhance the benefits to all from biodiversity and ecosystem services, safeguarding the ecosystems, species, and genetic diversity.
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Nature at its best. The park is easily accessible, the road is not paved but maintained. Remember this is rural Belize! Ample parking and covid complaint . The staff is... read more very welcoming and knowledgeable. After a brief explanation of all the trails you can be on your way. We chose the antelope fall which was marked as steep and labeled at 45 minutes, which is accurate . The first portion of the trail is very easy and then it gets inclined but not difficult. The second portion in my opinion is very dangerous. Go free hands, because you will need to use both hands , there is a special difficult spot with almost no area to walk on. If you have an accident here not sure how you will be rescued. Once you finally get to the top of the water fall and pool are gorgeous and you go for a swim. We were very disappointed to see that some visitors left garbage behind. Take into consideration that the same way you went up is the same way down.
September 13, 2021The Mayflower Bocawina park is an amazing and accessible preserve. Hiking trails range from mild to hardcore with river and jungle views, water falls, Mayan ruins and incredible flora and... read more fauna all around. A great place to spend a few hours or an entire week.
March 17, 2020Wear lots of bug repellent with high levels of DEET. Stunning beauty, great hiking, jungle pools, waterfalls.
December 17, 2019If you're willing to push hard, you will be rewarded! This is a STEEP trail that climbs pretty much parallel to a waterfall. you end up at a very pretty... read more swimming hole just below a nice waterfall. a minute before reaching the waterfall there's another...More
Charles L
March 11, 2018 -
I spent three nights at Bocawina as part of a group tour. The grounds of the National Park are gorgeous, the cabins are comfortable despite the absence of air-conditioning, and... read more the chef and kitchen staff turn out beautifully presented, delicious food. Our activities included a...More
Janet D
April 8, 2018My wife and I had an incredible time here hiking the trails and hanging by the falls. There is plenty of things to see on your adventures here.
Henry B
June 16, 2018This was a great experience. We went for a hike up Bocawina falls and climbed Antelope Falls. We didn’t get to the top of Antelope Falls because it’s very steep... read more at the top and was raining so it got dangerously slippy - I wouldn’t recommend...More
Livwilliams1991
September 2, 2018I suspect you could spend a couple of days exploring the park, but if you can't and you are up for the challenge, I recommend Antelope Falls. From the Visitor's... read more Center it's about a 45 min hike, if it is dry. We walked up the trail in a downpour and to ensure we were safe on the rocks and trails, we took our time. It was a very challenging hike (and climb in some places) so be prepared with something that comes over the toes--stubbed piggies are guaranteed otherwise.
There are two key things to see on this hike. The scenic view and the pool. The Falls are just gorgeous and the view is absolutely magnificent and the rain had stopped for us to be able to take it in! The pool is another 15-20 minutes further up, but should not be missed! We were the only ones there (who else would make the hike in a downpour?) and it was tranquil bliss! The pool was a cool treat for washing off the sweat and mud from the trail!
The climb down was still a bit treacherous because everything was still wet, but we persevered and had a very safe trip down.
Thanks to Israel, who was manning the Visitor's Center. He gave some great suggestions and helped us make the decision to try Antelope Falls!
Bring closed toed shoes, bug spray, swim suit, camera.
November 1, 2018 -
The hike to Antelope Falls is a wonderful adventure. The hike is 1000 feet up. The first third of the hike is relatively flat, the next third is stairs and... read more the last third is climbing on large rocks and roots using ropes to assist you....More
TanyaOkemos
April 21, 2018The environment is welcoming. We came here on a retreat and ended up having the treat of a lifetime. The staff is extremely helpful. The ziplining experience was awesome. The... read more waterfall trail is simply amazing. This place is a must visit. The food...exeptional.
KaydeeBZ
August 24, 2018With weather complications and a reschedule we finally were able to have this amazing adventure!! The hike up and repelling were sensational, we felt safe and well taken care of!... read more But honestly our guides Victor and Donald were just simply awesome, fun, educational and became our friends instantly!!
Marco and Terri, Austin
January 20, 2020We visited with kids from 4-7 and we did the antelope trail (graded as steep) and we were worry warts! It was tough for them to reach the guide ropes... read more and navigate the climb. It was just the right amount of tough for us too and we consider ourselves out of shape 🙂 Once we got to the “pool” it was all worth it! Must wear water/ hiking shoes and bathing suit as you have to go down the way you came wet. Pack a small towel for a mini dry of after swimming and a water bottle and that’s all you really need as the time spent hiking and swimming is about 2 hours. Cost is 10 belize per person. Would recommend!
June 6, 2021 -
We spent a whole day here hiking and exploring. Just ask the guys at the front desk, they can provide you with helpful information and suggestions. If you're in shape... read more you can do all the hikes much faster than the time limits they suggest. If you want to do an all-day loop, seeing a bunch of awesome waterfalls, I recommend getting there as early as possible.
The swimming holes are fantastic. The views are fantastic. There were no crowds when we were there. I highly recommend!
December 7, 2019The Bocawina National Park is a beautiful place with many natural wonders. The rangers are friendly and the price of visiting is more than reasonable. Since it is... read more in the jungle I made sure to wear proper clothing and footwear and doused myself and family with insect repellent. Unfortunately I found out days later that this was not enough as five big bumps that itched came out on me and as time went by the pain I experienced was terrible! One other person from our group of five also got a bite. Being from the city I did not know what bit me or how to get rid of it and most people could only give vague suggestions on what it was and what to do. I eventually found out it was locally called beef worms, otherwise known as human botfly larva! Unfortunately for me my body's reaction to these bites led me to having to visit two doctors which costed me a great deal of money, weeks of being unable to work, great mental stress and pain. Most people will probably visit this park and not be bitten but for those of us who are not so lucky it is a very stressful, expensive and unnecessary experience that I believe could have been minimized. This experience can be improved by having APAMO and the management at the Bocawina National Park take seriously the suggestion to have information on the website about the possibility of being bitten by different jungle insects while visiting the park. Giving names of the insects, how to prevent being bitten and what to do if you are bitten. I have contacted both organizations but none have seen fit to even answer my emails. This review is not to discourage people from visiting the park but rather to be INFORMED, so as to be aware of what can happen and so take as many preventive precautions to minimize the risks and if bitten having the knowledge to know how to respond.
June 1, 2022If you are in the Hopkins area this is a great hike to explore the NP and a wonderful cascading waterfall
Only a 3 mile out and back but... read more pretty steep with ropes and roots necessary for the last quarter mile up to the top of the falls and a beautiful swimming hole.
February 9, 2020Nice little park! The rangers are very helpful and informative and helped us decide what to do with our time there. Several of us did the hike up to Antelope... read more Falls, about 2 miles round trip. Tough but worth it! Nice and cool swimming hole. Two days later I did the loop trail, about 8 miles total with four water falls and swimming holes. Big Drop Falls was awesome...and a big drop getting there! Take PLENTY of water on any of these hikes. Nice way to get a taste of the jungle.
June 22, 2023 -
We were really excited about going to Bocawina and hiking through the jungle. It didn't surprise us that the lodge would be a bit pricy. However,we were shocked... read more to find how much it costs for a guide tour! Basically, by the time you pay US$140/night...More
SMLBill
January 31, 2017We had so much fun here. The hike to antelope falls is well worth it! The Wild Fig restaurant was great and affordable. The manicured grounds of the resort are... read more nice.
June 30, 2019We drove from Hopkins to the park and walked up the trail to lower Bocawina falls for a swim. It was a decent walk, not strenuous at all. ... read more The water is crystal clear and cool, but it feels great. After a nice swim in the...More
joshuar682
July 13, 2016Wonderful hike to and through (unexcavated) Mayan ruins took us through dense and beautiful tropical forest where we saw all kinds of flora, termite mounds, toucans... I wore long plants... read more and a long-sleeved shirt despite the warmth, and I'm glad I did as other members of my party suffered bug bites. The trail was muddy in spots so good hiking boots/shoes are recommended. There's a variety of hikes to choose from. facilities are primitive. Accessing the park requires a long drive down dirt roads.
February 16, 2023