Experience Nature’s Light Show in Hopkins, Belize
One of the most magical nighttime experiences in southern Belize is witnessing bioluminescence at Anderson Lagoon, near Hopkins Village. As the water moves, tiny microorganisms called dinoflagellates can produce a beautiful blue glow, creating an unforgettable natural light show.
The Bioluminescence Tour experience is seasonal, typically occurring during Belize’s dry season, from approximately December through May. The exact start and end dates depend on weather and lagoon conditions, so the glow is never guaranteed.
Visitors can experience this natural phenomenon on a guided evening boat tour along the Sittee River, where the journey itself offers opportunities to spot wildlife and enjoy the peaceful surroundings before reaching Anderson Lagoon.
Here is how the adventure begins
The tour starts at 5:30 Pm and the boat ride to the lagoon is about 30 minutes. The boat ride down the Sittee River is basically a sunset cruise, spotting iguanas resting on branches, kinkajous eating mangoes in treetops, and even crocodiles floating by the water banks.
Being amongst such an unspoilt landscape, the lack of light pollution means that as you cruise through the river and into the lagoon, you look up and notice the blanket of stars that lights up the sky.
Soon, you arrive the narrow entrance of the canal, by this time it is already dark. The lagoon is surrounded by mangroves and it is a mixture of fresh water from the Mayan Mountains and salt water from the Caribbean Sea.
The mixing of both fresh and salty water fills lagoon with brackish water, creating the perfect environment Bioluminescence.
The only way to truly top the experience is by taking a swim in the water. Each movement you make in the water will emit a glow of these sparkling particles right in front of your eyes.
The brackish mixture of the salt and fresh water makes the lagoon the pleasantly warm. This is why Belizeans call it “burning wata”. Make sure to make a big splash and see the water light up in blue all around you!
It really is something you must see to truly believe and feels almost as though you are swimming amongst the stars that you were just cruising under.
Taking photographs of this natural phenomenon is very challenging. A specialty low light camera is needed to capture it so you really need to see it to believe it!
The bioluminescence really is one of the best ways to end an evening here in Hopkins, Belize. The tour wraps up around 8:00 pm.
Photos courtesy of our partners Belizing.com.