Bocawina Rainforest
After freediving and inspecting the mooring line in Plasencia, we locked Argonaut up and flagged down a lift ashore on a local skiff to head inland. Having towed ourselves into Plasencia a few days prior, with issues with the main engine, we had recently sought the assistance of local mechanics.
Initially their diagnosis pointed to the gearbox, with issues building RPM only when underload and in gear. We held our reservations about this, but they remained confident and vowed to return the next day to remove it for further inspection. Meanwhile Ben and I had been onshore scouting the vibrant town out and making enquiries about hiring a fast powerboat for diving excursions.
After doing so, we found ourselves in a local over-the-water bar. Named Yoli’s after the welcoming owner, it became clear this was a haunt of cruisers passing through Belize. A flippant comment about our mechanical predicament had Yoli calling across the bar for Eric, an experienced sea captain from Vancouver. A few beers later it became apparent Eric had many great tales of work and life at sea. Whislt now surpassing conventional retirement age, Eric hadn’t slowed down, starting a growing a Tug and Salvage company. Now with a fleet of about 12 vessels, the idea had sparked from a conversation with a friend at Yoli’s several years prior, when the idea of slowing down been dismissed.
Eric, who had an engineering background and extensive diesel engine experience, soon offered to take a look at our engine in exchange for another drink so we climbed in the dinghy along with his partner and zipped across the bay. After half an hour of tinkering and diagnosis, and several rum punches later, we had gone full circle and were again convinced it was a fuel issue after the high pressure injector pump, and not a gear box issue at all.
Getting comfortable in the saloon as a large rainstorm passed, tales of Eric’s part sinking near the Blue Hole in his own cruising catamaran, commercial salvage operations and being manager of the largest sailing tallship in Canada, The Empire Sandy, flowed for many hours more.
Day 1
Several uncomfortable miles along dirt tracks led us past a citrus plantation with a sign reading ALL TRESSPASSERS WILL BE SHOT. ALL SURVIVORS WILL BE SHOT AGAIN, before we arrived to the gate of the Mayflower Bocawina National Park. With the park fee paid, a friendly park ranger gave as a whistle top review of the park layout, and teased us with the wildlife we may encounter.
We had arrived about midday and after being guided to our cabana up the hillside, we liberally applied bug spray, swapped crocs for hiking boots and set out to trek to Antelope falls. The trail increased in intensity rapidly, requiring ropes to traverse muddy and steep rocky slopes, dense with trees and their intertwined roots.
Whilst Ben, Alex and myself held back taking photos and exploring the foot of the falls, Charles forged on ahead, emerging part the way up the main drop off. We carried on, aiming to meet Charles up the top but after another half an hour hiking and climbing, we were surprised to be greeted by two Dutch travelers rather than Charles.
Charles was having his own adventure, having climbed a route closer to the waterfall. This unfortunately tailed off to a dead end just short of the top. He was forced to back track a siginificant distance, with further excitement provided a Green Vine Snake tearing across the leaf litter blocking his path.
Finally reunited, cooling off in the large deep pool at the top of the waterfall, and jumping from the rock face above, we drank in the surrounding views of the rainforest and it’s thick canopy sprawling out below us. Leaving the falls was not without drama, with Charles’ new Sony A7R also taking a quick swim whilst crossing the waterfall on the descent. After taking the battery out and frantically drying it, only time will tell if it survived to snap another day.
Day 2
Inspired by our previous day’s hike, we set alarms for a 6am start and a far more arduous and challenging route of about 17km. Checking in with the resort office to advise of our departure, we were warned no one had successfully completed the loop route we were about to commence this side of the recent rainy season. They mentioned the rains of Storm Sara had washed out many trails and the park rangers had not yet tackled the many large fallen trees particularly in the western section.
Armed with a very vague, almost cartoon style map, we set out into the rainforest trails to a cacophony of bird song. First stop was the ‘Lower Bocawina’ falls.
Catching our breaths at ‘Upper Bocawina’, we progressed onto ‘Tears of the Jaguar’ falls. Taking turns to descend a rope down a muddy sheer bank, we questioned the ‘easy’ rating of the map and what may be to come in the upcoming ‘moderate’ and ‘difficult’ trails.
Tears of the Jaguar falls
From Tears of the Jaguar, our ability to navigate the dense forest was increasingly put to the test. Any sign of an established trail had been washed away during recent flooding and any remaining small tell tale red ribbons that provided us our only reassurance, became increasingly tough to spot between the dense tree and new plant growth. The route required deep stream crossings and unless a clean jump was pulled off, hiking boots soon became waterlogged.
After a particularly arduous uphill section, the trail started to descend from the ridge, here the trail became a deep muddy washed out stream and we weaved from one side to the other until we could once again hear roaring water and our our next stop. Stripping off we plunged into refreshing pools, cleaning off layers of mud.
The final waterfall on our hit list was the appropriately named Big Drop. A there-and-back diversion from our main looped route, the trail soon began to live up to it’s name. We had been warned by a guide at the resort of how perilous the approach was to the foot off this waterfall. A previous hiker had lost balance on the near 90 degree decent whilst hanging from the knotted rope and swung into the rock face. They badly injured their back meaning their group didn’t get them back to further medical assistance and civilization until long after nightfall.
After 300m of descent we arrived at the foot of Big Drop which was raging with the recent rainfall. We were glad to have swum at Peck Falls, for here it was too treacherous to enter or more crucially, exit the water in any controlled manner. We really didn’t fancy carrying anyone out either.
After a slow and steady climb out, we took another small detour to the old steam hoist. Installed to haul felled trees out of the valley below in British colonial times. Thankfully the National Park status prevents any further deforestation of the area and this rusting boiler simply remained as a symbol of the past and different attitudes.
‘Gra Gra’ view point offers a peek through the canopy east to the Caribbean sea
Day 3
After the long hike the day before, only Alex and I arose at 0530 for another hike. Setting off before sunrise, we made tracks to Ramon waterfall, named in memory of a park ranger who had contributed hugely to the reserve during their lifetime. Whilst it was a newly forged trail, it again surpassed it’s ‘easy’ rating by a generous margin. Arriving at waterfall after about an hour, we swam at the foot of the water fall, but didn’t stay in for long as small inquisitive fish nipped at our bare skin.
Returning to the resort, we saw woodpeckers and hummingbirds in the grounds just minutes from breakfast at the restaurant. Ironically here where the trees were less dense and partially cleared, made it a whole lot easier to see all the wildlife that populated the surrounding forests.
Fueled up, we all climbed into harnesses for an hour of hiking ziplining through the tree canopies, fusing sensations of adrenaline and awe of the incredible landscape we had become fully immersed in over the last 3 days.
With the fuel injectors still packed in the hire car, our next stop was Spanish Lookout further inland for a diesel workshop to carry out a service, but with critical bridges flooded on the way, we opted to stay a couple of nights in San Ignasio, Belize’s second most populous city.
Leg 5/ 1200nm/ 7 day passage.
Squalls, hitchhikers, and pirates?