Boat and Ferry Travel

There is a well-established water taxi, a small boat named the Hokey Pokey, between Placencia Village and Independence, a village on the west side of Placencia Lagoon. Currently there are eight round trips each way daily, except on Sunday, when there are six or seven. Schedules for the boat are set to coincide with James Bus Line stops in Independence, so you can make connections to Punta Gorda to the south, or Dangriga, Belmopan, and Belize City to the north.

From Placencia, a weekly boat, the D'Express, runs to Puerto Cortes, Honduras, on Friday, with a stop in Big Creek across the lagoon to clear immigration and customs. It departs from the Placencia Municipal Pier at the south end of Placencia Village. In Puerto Cortes, the boat arrives at Laguna and returns from Puerto Cortes on Monday morning. You can buy tickets at Barefoot Beach Bar, which is on the beachfront next to Tipsy Tuna in Placencia.

Happy Go Luckie Tours in Hopkins has a water-taxi service from Hopkins to Dangriga, Tobacco Caye, Placencia, and a few other destinations. There is no fixed schedule; passengers must book trips in advance and prices are based on a minimum of two persons. The company also provides sea and river tours, fishing and snorkeling tours, and custom charter tours to cayes and atolls off the Southern Coast.

Contacts

D' Express. D'Express has a weekly boat from the Municipal Pier in Placencia Fridays at 9 am, arriving in Puerto Cortes, Honduras, at the Laguna dock at 2 pm. Get information on D'Express from the Placencia BTIA office, across from ScotiaBank on Main Street in Placencia village or by calling the boat operator. Currently, you can buy tickets at Barefoot Beach Bar, beachfront next to Tipsy Tuna in Placencia. Check locally for any changes in times, dates or places to buy tickets. Placencia Municipal Pier, at south end of Main St., Placencia Village, Stann Creek. 626/8835.

Happy Go Luckie Tours. Happy Go Luckie Tours has two boats, one 21 feet and one 23 feet, that offer water taxi service from Hopkins to Dangriga (BZ$75), Placencia (BZ$100), Tobacco Caye (BZ$75), Southwater Caye (BZ$75), and Glover's Reef (BZ$300). In all cases, rates are per-person with a minimum of two people. Usually using a larger boat, the company also provides sea and river tours, fishing and snorkeling tours, and custom charter tours to cayes and atolls off the southern coast. Hopkins, Stann Creek. 635/0967; www.hgltours.com.

Hokey Pokey. The little Hokey Pokey boat has seven or eight round-trips daily between the MNM dock at Placencia village and the dock at Independence/Mango Creek. Fare is BZ$10 one-way. Most arrivals in Independence connect with James Bus Line. MNM Gas Station Dock, Placencia Rd., Placencia Village, Stann Creek. 667/1821. BZ$10.