Garifuna Immersion & Maya Spiritual Healing

The Garifuna Immersion & Maya Spiritual Healing day pairs Garifuna culture with our family in Hopkins, Belize, with an afternoon of Maya spiritual healing practice in southern Belize — about seven hours in all. The healing portion is cultural learning, not a medical treatment.

The first half is ours: drumming, dance, storytelling, and hudut cooked over the fire hearth on Kalipuna Cultural Heritage Island.

Then you sit with a Maya healer. There's a herbal bath drawn with medicinal plants and a smudging with aromatic herbs, both explained before they begin — what the plants are, what the practice is for, and where it comes from.

Underneath it is the Maya approach to health: that mind, body and the land around you are connected.

What you'll do

• Garifuna drumming, dance and storytelling with our family
• Cook hudut over the open fire hearth
• A herbal bath drawn with medicinal plants
• A smudging with a Maya healer, explained beforehand
• How the Maya approach health and balance

• Free pickup from your hotel within Hopkins
• Kayak crossing to and from the island
• Cultural attire to change into
• The Garifuna cultural and culinary experience
• The Maya healing session — herbal bath and smudging
• All cooking ingredients and instruction
• The Garifuna meal you cook

• A boat crossing instead of the kayak — available at extra cost
• Transport from Placencia, San Ignacio or Belize City — add a transfer
• Tips and gratuities — not included in the price

Planning your day