There are no cars on Caye Caulker, no hurry and not a great deal to do. That is precisely the plan. The island’s motto is painted on the signs at the dock and everyone repeats it: go slow.
It is Belize’s backpacker island, far cheaper and simpler than its neighbour Ambergris, and the ideal base for heading out to the reef in the morning and doing nothing in the afternoon.
Getting there
By water taxi from Belize City, about 45 minutes, with several departures a day from the downtown terminal. There are also direct connections to San Pedro on Ambergris Caye, twenty to thirty minutes, and to Chetumal in Mexico, which makes Caye Caulker a natural stop between the Yucatán and Central America.
Light aircraft from Belize City also land on the island’s airstrip in under fifteen minutes.
What the island is like
Caye Caulker is about eight kilometres long and very narrow. Everything happens on three sand streets running parallel to the sea, named simply Front Street, Middle Street and Back Street. You can walk across the island in five minutes.
No cars circulate: golf carts, bicycles and feet. The second of those is still the most used.
What to do
The Split
The channel that cuts the island in two, opened by a hurricane in 1961. It is where everyone gathers: a bar, a platform to jump from and the best sunset on the island. There is current in the channel, so stay inside the marked area.
Snorkelling the reef
The main activity. Half-day and full-day trips run to the Hol Chan marine reserve and Shark Ray Alley, where you swim among nurse sharks and stingrays. These animals are used to people and the trips are regulated, but choose operators who do not feed them.
Many trips also take in the Manatee Channel and a stop at the Caye Caulker Marine Reserve.
Diving
Trips to the Great Blue Hole and the Turneffe and Lighthouse atolls leave from here. It is also a good place to get certified: there are several centres and prices are lower than in San Pedro.
Other things
- Kayaking or paddleboarding on the western lagoon, which is always flat.
- Fly fishing on the flats: the area is well known among bonefish anglers.
- Seahorses at the natural nursery by the southern dock.
- Nothing. Hammock, book, fruit juice. That is a legitimate plan here.
Where to eat
The best of Caye Caulker is eaten standing up. In the afternoon grills appear on the street with lobster in season, chicken, whole fish and prawns, served with coconut rice and salad. They cost a fraction of what the restaurants with terraces charge.
Try the fried breakfast empanadas, the fry jack, and — if you are there in season, which opens in summer and closes in spring to protect the species — grilled lobster.
Caye Caulker or Ambergris
Caye Caulker is smaller, cheaper, more backpacker and quieter. Ambergris is bigger, with better hotels and restaurants, more nightlife and more services. On a tight budget or looking for calm, Caulker. Travelling as a couple after comfort, Ambergris.
They are half an hour apart by boat, so you do not really have to choose: you can combine them without losing a day.
Practical advice
- The island has no conventional sand beach: you get into the water from docks and platforms.
- There is an ATM, but it fails often. Arrive with cash.
- Sandflies bite at dawn and dusk. Repellent and long clothing at those hours.
- Bottled water; the tap is not drinkable.
- Two or three nights is enough, unless you are diving several days.
