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Women's Dual Sport Motorcycle Tour in Belize

Women’s Dual-Sport Motorcycle Tour in Belize

Ride Belize with a crew of female riders and guides!  Caribbean vibes, lightweight dual-sport bikes, jungles, Mayan ruins, and white sandy beaches are all on the menu during this trip.

Women’s Dual-Sport Motorcycle Tour in Belize is designed by women for women: your tour guides are Jurga and Egle, founders of Big Little Rides, and your crew members are going to be other two-wheeled gals just like you! 

We’ll be riding Belize’s stunning dirt and tarmac roads, exploring the local scenery, getting off the grid, and enjoying the hospitality of the locals – all in the company of other women riders. We’ll tackle some rainforest river crossings, see waterfalls, explore caves, dip into the Caribbean Sea, visit local farms and villages, connect with local Mayan women, enjoy delicious local food, and combine dual sport motorcycling with snorkeling and river tubing – just because we can.

It’s an adventure, a Caribbean holiday, and a motorcycling expedition rolled into one unforgettable experience – you’ll need your moto boots and your swimmers in equal measure!

Experience level: beginner/ mid-level riders

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What sets the Women’s Dual-Sport Motorcycle Tour in Belize apart:

– An all-female group of riders and guides

– Pristine wilderness and the Caribbean Sea

– Jungle trails, Mayan ruins, rainforests and beaches, amazing wildlife 

– Local knowledge

– Plenty of dirt and tarmac riding

– Kickass off-bike activities to rest up and recharge (river tubing, exploring massive underground caves, snorkeling over the second biggest coral reef in the world, pontoon boat river cruises, crocodile spotting, jungle hikes)

The tour is suitable for:

Beginner/mid-level riders (if you’ve been riding dirt for at least a few months, or if you simply want to have more confidence riding off-road, this tour is for you. If you’re an experienced rider hoping for fast and technical riding, we recommend choosing something more spirited – like one of our Andalusia enduro events).

Expect hard-packed dirt roads, a few creek and river crossings, some singletrack across the savannah, muddy trails in the rainforest, and tarmac stretches. Our off-road routes are not very difficult or technical, and we will be riding at reasonable speeds. You will always have a lead guide and a sweep rider, and we ride together as a group. This is not a training tour, but we’re happy to give you some tips and lessons once we hit dirt!

Don’t worry, you will be able to keep up, and we will cheer, support, and encourage each other along the way! This is a women’s adventure motorcycle tour, not a race, and our goal is to explore Belize, see the country off the beaten path, ride some seriously scenic trails, and improvise a lot along the way. If we’ll need to slow down, we will. If we’ll need to hit the throttle, we will, and if we discover a waterfall along the way and feel like going for a swim, we will. The daily distances will not be long – this is about enjoying the ride, the journey, and the Caribbean!

daily

itinerary

(some routes may be subject to change due to weather or road conditions)

Days/Nights: 10/9

Ride days: 6

Rest Days: 2

Day 1

Arrival to Belize City airport where the adventure begins – your transfer to Hopkins is a small bush plane to Dangriga and a 30-minute cab ride to town. If the pilot of the bush plane is in a good mood, you may be offered to co-pilot – we promise the views will be spectacular!

When you arrive to Hopkins, you’ll check in to our hotel basecamp and relax right on the beach before the evening meet and greet, briefing, and dinner. We’ll do the paperwork, take a look at the bikes, and get ready for the next day’s adventure

Night 1: Hopkins

Day 2

We’ll have breakfast enjoying sea breeze and fresh coconut water, then walk over to our bikes, saddle up, and ride out. This day is a gentle introduction to Belize and its dirt trails: we will travel down the scenic Sittee River Road, try to spot some crocodiles in the river, and enter the Cockscomb Jaguar Preserve. While seeing jaguars is unlikely, we may spot scarlet macaws, pythons, and tarantulas. We’ll also stop by an old plane wreck in the jungle along the way… But we’ll tell you the story of the crash once we get there!

At midday, we’ll leave the bikes and tube down the river or swim under a waterfall to cool off and relax and have lunch by the water. Then, it’s a short jungle hike back to the bikes and a ride home on dirt and tarmac backroads.

Night 2: Hopkins

Day 3

It’s time to pack up our essentials, strap the bags down to the bikes, and go off on an adventure! Today, we will be riding North toward the Mennonite country covering a stretch of the Hummingbird Highway, eating the best ice cream in the country, tackling some dirt, and having lunch by the river. Our destination of the day is Hidden Haven, a quirky local stay in the rainforest with a swimming pool and the best grilled food in town. 

Night 3: Hidden Haven

Day 4

Packing up again, we’ll tackle a big day today riding dirt towards a stunning Rio Frio cave and a Mayan ruin site rarely visited by tourists. There’ll be lots of dirt trails and plenty of adventure, so be sure to pack some snacks and lots of water and sunscreen. The road towards our destination of the day – the Martz Farm – will be a fun dirt trail leading deep into the rainforest, and once we arrive, we’ll be staying in rustic rooms surrounded by the sounds of the jungle and  howler monkey calls.

Night 4: Martz Farm Treehouses and Cabins

Day 5

Time for some rest! You can either kick back and relax at the Martz Farm or go on a morning horseback ride through the jungle, then join an expedition down the river in a pontoon boat. We highly recommend joining the rainforest river cruise – Captain Joe is an excellent guide (and a poet!), and during the trip, you’ll be able to spot crocodiles and iguanas sunning themselves on the rocks, swim near spectacular waterfalls, have lunch on a beach, and have a few cold ones on the way back. The river cruise is a fantastic way to rest up, recharge, and see Belize from a different perspective.

Night 5: Martz Farm Treehouses and Cabins

Day 6

Today, we’re packing our bags again and hitting the road back to Hopkins. We’ll ride scenic backroads, cross a river in a tiny hand-cranked ferry, have lunch at a Mennonite restaurant, and get back to our Hopkins basecamp just in time for dinner.

Night 6: Hopkins

Day 7

Another day of adventure: after breakfast, we pack up again and ride south towards Punta Gorda. Along the way, we’ll stop at a small Maya village and go on a short jungle hike to see one of Belize’s most stunning caves – the Tiger Cave. After the hike, we’ll have lunch with local Mayan families, jump back on the bikes, and ride to Punta Gorda. We promise the last few miles to be especially spectacular!

Night 7: Punta Gorda

Day 8

From here, we’ll say goodbye to Punta Gorda, pack up our luggage, and go on a Maya Village Loop. Today, we will explore some of the most remote Belizean countryside: expect lots of greenery and dirt trails leading us almost all the way to the Guatemalan border. Out here, you’ll see a different side of Belize – more indigenous, more far-flung, and more intriguing. After the Maya Village Loop, we’ll head back to Hopkins.

Night 8: Hopkins

Day 9

To end the tour with a bang, we’ll leave the bikes in Hopkins and take a boat to snorkel, visit a tiny remote island for lunch, and enjoy Belize’s spectacular underwater world. Belize boasts the second biggest coral reef in the world, and we highly recommend joining the snorkeling tour – it’s an unforgettable experience. If you have your PADI certificate, you may opt for a dive instead, or simply relax on the beach and explore Hopkins on your own.

After the snorkeling expedition, we’ll have our farewell dinner and may chance upon an impromptu drumming party on the beach.

Day 10

Departure: shuttle transfer to Belize City.

The Nitty Gritty:

Price: € 3300 per person ( *subject to change for 2023)

Included in the price:

Airport transfer

Accommodation in a twin or triple share room (room shares will be rotated)

Motorcycles

Fuel

9 Breakfasts

Entries to National Parks and off-bike activities during ride days (Maya ruins, Tiger Cave entrance and guide, river tubing in Cockscomb)

Not included:

Flights

Lunch and dinner meals

Adult beverages

Rest day activities – river cruise and snorkeling and island tour

Rest day activity prices:

River cruise – $60 per person

Snorkeling and island tour – $100 per person

Horse riding at Martz Farm -$57 per person

Motorcycles you’ll be riding:

Lifan 250cc

Lifan 200cc

Honda XR 150cc

Cancellation policy

You may cancel your tour 45 days before departure date. After that, we cannot accept cancellations, but we’ll offer you a voucher of the value you paid for any of our future tours!

Insurance

We strongly recommend you have a good travel insurance policy that covers motorcycling and other outdoor activities.

Packing List

Belize is very hot and humid, so we recommend riding in lightweight, off-road-oriented gear.

Be sure to bring:

  • A helmet; sturdy, over-the-ankle boots (motocross, enduro, or adventure type); summer gloves; pants and jacket with knee, elbow, back, and shoulder protection (we recommend using the modular system – motocross/enduro type knee pads or braces and body armor with lightweight jerseys and pants over the protectives); a lightweight rain jacket
  • Sunscreen and bug spray
  • Any medications you may be taking
  • Swimwear
  • Hiking shoes and flipflops
  • Your essentials – a change of clothes, toiletries, and the like. Pack light – we will be changing hotels several times!
  • A large waterproof duffel bag and Rok straps or bungee cords (the motorcycles do not have any panniers or top boxes)

You may rent a helmet upon arrival ($5 a day), however we cannot guarantee we will have your size.

Women's Motorcycle Tours: Adventure and Dirt // Big Little Rides

Women’s Adventure Motorcycle Tour: FAQ

       – What’s Belize like?

Belize is a teeny tiny Caribbean country wedged between Guatemala and Mexico. It’s small, but it’s all sorts of awesome: it’s a true melting pot of culture, history, incredible scenery, and pristine nature. Hopkins (where our women’s adventure motorcycle tour will start) is a Garifuna village: Garifunas are a very particular African descendent group of people that are sparsely scattered in enclaves in the Caribbean. 

The south, Toledo district, has the Mayan population. It’s the most undiscovered and remote area of Belize, and we’ll explore it on two wheels. Doing a tour through the Mayan villages down there will offer you some untouched landscapes and raise some curiosity among the locals. A bunch of moto-gals stopping at the local village shop buying some soft drinks can be an interesting adventure for all, not only our group but also for the local girls that live in the village!

The western part of Belize has a Spanish influence. You will feel that change in culture; coupled with all of this, there are also Chinese folks running the grocery stores and German-speaking Mennonites running the agriculture. In other words, the people are as diverse as the nature in Belize, and it’s an incredible experience to see it all up close and personal!

Belize has plenty to offer in terms of spectacular landscapes, great riding, and lots of water – swimming holes, waterfalls, the Caribbean Sea, and bright blue lagoons in the rainforest offer a welcome cool-down during the ride. You’ll see wildlife (scarlet macaws, crocodiles, iguanas, and if you’re lucky, you may spot howler monkeys), remote and undiscovered caves, Mayan ruins, and more.

       – What it’s like to ride motorcycles in Belize?

Motorcycling Belize is as much about the riding as it is about getting off the bikes and seeing or doing something for a little while before hopping on the saddle again. We will be doing lots of backcountry roads, dirt trails, paved routes, and just about everything in between. The daily distances will vary from 90 to 150 km except for our longest ride – 220 km – during the middle of the tour. Because most of the Belizean dirt roads are used by the public, we’ll be watching our speed – there may be animals, livestock, people, and dogs appearing suddenly, so it’s more about enjoying the scenery rather than going flat-out.

The women’s adventure motorcycle tour in Belize is about the adventure, the culture, and the nature in equal parts!

       – Where do I fly in?

You should book your flights to Belize City Philip S.W. Goldson International Airport. We’ll organize the transfer to and from Hopkins for you.

       – What gear do I need?

Bring your off-road-oriented riding gear. Expect hot and humid climate, so heavy adventure or touring suits may be too much. We highly recommend:

  • Off-road-oriented knee pads or knee braces
  • Enduro, motocross, or adventure type boots that cover your ankle and shin
  • Off-road or adventure type helmet
  • Body armor with a lightweight jersey over it
  • Light rain jacket (you’re unlikely to need it, but bring it just in case)
  • Light summer gloves

Your gear choices are up to you, but we like our riders to stay safe during the tour, so just make sure you’re wearing good protectives!

       – I’m short. Can the bikes be lowered?

Hell yes! We will have a couple of lower bikes for the shorties.

       – What’s the weather like?

Hot, humid, and sunny! Hydration is key when riding in hot climates, so bring your camelback (or simply pack a few water bottles with you each day).

       – What is the accommodation like?

In Hopkins, we’ll stay at Coconut Row, a relaxing beach resort offering air-conditioned rooms, beachfront views, spacious patios, and a restaurant. It’s a fantastic place to unwind and relax; you will be able to leave some of your luggage here during the days where we’ll be staying in different hotels to make your packing easier. Coconut Row is a true Caribbean getaway by the sea.

Martz Farm Tree Houses and Cabins is a quirky and rustic place with simpler rooms, but we guarantee you’ll love the jungle sounds, the fireflies, and the howler monkeys you may see right out of your window. The keywords here are simple and quirky rather than luxurious, but it’s going to be an authentic experience!

A Piece of Ground in Punta Gorda is a brand new hotel offering Japanese style sleeping pods and twin-share rooms. It’s full of local color, and it’s certainly not on the extravagant side, but we’ll definitely have some fun!

       – Who are the guides and the crew?

Your tour guides are Jurga and Egle – two motorcycle-obsessed chicas on a mission to ride the world one obscure destination at a time. To date, Egle and Jurga has led women’s enduro events and tours in Ecuador, Colombia, Portugal, Belize, Romania, and Spain, and the gals who ride with us are brilliant moto souls just like you – our mission is to ride, explore, have a ridiculous amount of fun together, and support each other every mile of the way.

Our motorcycle rental host is Emma Cases, a Swedish expat who’s lived in Belize for twelve years. She will be our backup guide and mechanic during the tour.

Still got questions? Shoot us a message or give us a call at +447730712856

 

 

Big Little Rides is for wild women with big ideas: we ride dirt, we fall, we get up again, we get muddy, we break things, and we discover places. It’s hard to describe that feeling we get when a bunch of dirt bike engines start roaring, braids and ponytails flapping from under the helmets, and off we go – a mad and brilliant cavalcade of moto women on a quest to ride, laugh, and be free.

Come ride with us!