The Sittee River winds through mangroves and lowland forest a short ride south of Hopkins. Exploring it by canoe is one of the quieter pleasures of this part of Belize. The river is calm and navigable, the birdlife is good — herons, kingfishers, and the occasional jabiru stork — and the mangroves give the water a greenish, tunnelled quality that's quite different from the open coast.
Local operators in Hopkins rent canoes and run guided paddle trips; a guided trip is worth it if you want to understand what you're looking at. The river connects to a network of lagoons that extend south toward Sittee River village, and a longer paddle can be turned into a half-day or full-day outing. Crocodiles are present — American crocodiles, not aggressive unless provoked, but a reason to keep hands out of the water and not swim in the river. Sunrise paddles, when the birds are most active and the light is low across the water, are the best time to go.