“12 Amazing Things to Do in Caye Caulker” will take you from the airport, onto the ferry, and into the seat of your very own cruiser bike.
You’ll go underwater with sharks, and snorkel with seahorses. Evenings will be full of fresh lobster, and cold drinks in your hammock, while watching a blazing red Caribbean sunset.
by Worldwide Wilbur, January 2019
Did you ever make it down to Spring Break back in college? Somewhere in Florida with white sand and warm ocean breezes? Bob Marley jamming from every speaker. Wasn’t it fun? Walking from bar to bar in the same shorts and flip-flops for a week. Did you think, “Man, I wish I could live like this forever.” Well, now you can. Let me introduce you to Caye Caulker.
Where is Caye Caulker?
Caye Caulker (pronounced KEY KAW-KER) is a tiny, pancake-flat island sitting in the Caribbean Sea, just a dozen miles off the Belize mainland. It’s split into two sections with the populated southern half being only 2 miles long and one-half mile wide. And even then, only about half of that section has been built up. What I’m getting at is; it is a SMALL place. Really small. It’s got two main streets. No pavement. Just white sandy roads. It’s got no cars. Just bicycles and golf carts. There are no Hyatts, Hiltons, or Marriotts.
Go Slow
What Caye Caulker lacks in big hotels and fancy paved roads, it makes up for in laid-back chill. It might be the highlight of your Belize itinerary. It’s 80 degrees every day. Young American and Canadian tourists stroll the sandy streets in board shorts and bikinis, carrying a bottle of Belikin beer or a plastic cup full of rum punch. There’s no dress code. No shirt, no shoes, no problem. There’s no open container law. Or a public drunkenness law. It’s party time, every day, all year round. The bars open early, are happy to accept your US Dollars, and everyone speaks English. Flip-flops are the main method of transport. It couldn’t be any simpler.
Or Stay Active
On the rare chance that you didn’t come here just to get a tan and a hangover, there are many fun things to do in Caye Caulker. It is a family friendly island, with lots of fun for kids to enjoy too. The island is near the second biggest barrier reef in the world. Multitudes of boats are leaving every day to take you to some of the best snorkeling and SCUBA diving on earth. All the usual ocean adventure activities are available; you can rent a paddleboard, a kayak, a windsurfer, or a kiteboard. Deep-sea fishing charters can be arranged. You can go look for manatees, or seahorses, or feed tarpon right from your hand! You can easily find something fun to do every day for a week.
(All prices listed in this Caye Caulker travel guide are in US Dollars.)
12 Amazing Things to do in Caye Caulker, Belize:
#1 Book a full day Snorkeling Tour
Head to the Hol Chan marine reserve and Shark Ray Alley. This is NOT TO BE MISSED! You will see stingrays, eagle rays, and dozens of different colorful fish in the fantastic Hol Chan marine reserve. And in Shark Ray Alley, the boat captain chums some sardines which brings a dozen big Nurse sharks, and a school of Horse Eye Jack. You can snorkel right next to these non-dangerous sharks that are bigger than you are! Later in the trip you can feed sardines to big tarpon that jump right out of the water, and to frigatebirds that swoop right to your hand. Other stops include seeing tiny seahorses, and searching for manatees. Anda De Wata Tours does a great full day trip that includes a visit to San Pedro island for lunch. Most people agree that this snorkel trip is one of the best things to do in Caye Caulker.
#2 Go SCUBA Diving
The second largest barrier reef in the world awaits you. Caye Caulker diving is fantastic! You can see a lot on the snorkel boats, but there is even more to see further down…
#3 Rent a Bike
Spend a half-day exploring the whole island, especially the south and west sides. Bikes are $7.50 USD from any number of rental shops. Look for little lizards, crabs, iguanas, and many different birds.
#4 Get active with water sports
Rent a paddleboard, kayak, windsurfer, or kiteboard. All of these are easily rented right next to the Lazy Lizard at The Split.
#5 Or Get pulled in an Innertube
You can get a sea-level tour around the island with Anda De Wata Tours for $37USD. They can even deliver a rum punch to you by rope and floating cup holder!
#6 Swim, snorkel, tan, and drink
with dozens of others whiling the afternoon away at the Lazy Lizard at The Split. Just remember, sunscreen is your friend.
#7 Sit in a swing
or a hammock, or a chair, or on a beach towel, look at the ocean, and do nothing.
#8 Snorkel with Seahorses
There is a home-made reserve built by the owner of the Iguana Reef Inn. You can see them from the dock, or jump in and snorkel. (free)
#9 Watch the sunset at Koko King with a Belikin or three
You can hop on the free (if you spend $15USD) 5 minute boat taxi over. Koko King is a cool bar/restaurant/hotel on the north island of Caye Caulker (across the Split) It has a bar, restaurant, a pool, and plenty of swings to play on, innertubes to sit in the ocean, a giant raft to lounge on, and a beach with a west-facing sunset view. A DJ is spinning tunes most afternoons. They provide a “free” ferry that leaves the power plant dock every 15 minutes after 11 am. You must spend at least $15US per person to get a wristband to allow your trip back. Their prices are about the same as anywhere else, and it is a nice spot.
#10 Window shop
On the main street you’ll find lots of hammocks, conch shells, and jewelry. Prices are reasonable.
#11 Get a massage.
There are a couple of ladies with massage tables set up near The Split. One was charging $25USD an hour, and another $27.50.
#12 Book a Flyover or SCUBA Dive The Great Blue Hole
You can capture some stunning photos. It’s not cheap though, about $200USD per person for the flight, with a minimum of three people. Diving is around $350 per person with a loooong boat ride.
12 Amazing Things to Do in Caye Caulker, What to Know Before You Go:
Backpacker Daily Budget:
$50. With $18 hostel beds, $3-8 meals, $3.50 beers, Belize is more expensive than its Central American neighbors Guatemala and Mexico. Nothing much is produced in Belize, so most goods are imported, and getting goods to islands raises the prices even more. At least it is cheaper than other Caribbean islands.
Cheap Beer index:
$2 for a cold bottle of Belikin at many of the bar happy hours. A more standard anytime price is $3.50. Belikin is the national beer and comes in three common varieties: Belikin Beer, Belikin Stout, and Belikin Light. Guinness Stout is also available in Belize, but it is brewed by the Belikin Brewing Company and does not taste like Irish Guinness. All are sold in returnable bottles, so make sure you are aware of the 12 cent deposit if you try to take your beverages to go. There are also lots of happy hour deals for rum punch and other mixed drinks. The size of the pour may vary from stingy to “Cough, cough, whoa!”
When to visit:
Caye Caulker weather doesn’t change much throughout the year. The hottest month in August, with highs of 88, the coolest is January with highs of 81. The rainiest time of year is October. It is very humid all through the summer months mid May to mid-October. The best time to visit, when temps are cooler and humidity is lowest is mid-December to mid-March.
What languages are spoken in Belize?
English is spoken by everyone on Caye Caulker, but locals will be using Belizian Creole when speaking to each other. You won’t be able to catch more than a word or two of it. Belizian folks of Mayan extraction will speak Spanish.
Do you need a Belize visa?
Visas are not required for nationals of USA, UK, AUS, and CAN who can stay visa-free for up to 30 days. Visitors must be in possession of a passport valid for at least 6 months after the date of arrival, and be able to prove their exit transport from Belize. In order to stay longer than 30 days as a tourist an Extension of Stay application must be submitted whilst in Belize at any of the Immigration Offices. It is best to submit an application at least 2 – 3 days before the 30 days period expires. This incurs a fee of $25USD.
Getting to Caye Caulker Belize:
By plane: The Philip S. W. Goldson International Airport (BZE) is 30 minutes to the northwest of Belize City, and receives international direct flights from Mexico City, Toronto, Calgary, Los Angeles, Atlanta, Charlotte, Newark, Miami, Dallas, Houston, Fort Lauderdale, Denver, Minneapolis, Chicago, Cancun, Flores, San Salvador, Panama City, Roatan and San Pedro Sula. Learn how to fly to Belize for free on my page: Nine Steps to Free Flights Worldwide. From BZE, you can fly directly to Caye Caulker (CUK) on either Maya Island Air or Tropic Air. The flight takes ONLY TEN MINUTES!!! and costs $75 one way!!! Likely the shortest flight you will ever take, and also the most expensive per minute. Tropic Air also has flights from nearby, smaller Belize City Airport (TZA) to Caye Caulker. The eastbound return flights are billed as being 5 MINUTES LONG! But are still an outrageous $75 each way. A taxi from the airport to anywhere in Belize City is $25USD.
By land: You can drive into Belize in your own car or on a bus from Mexico via Chetumal, or on a much rougher road from Guatemala via Melchor de Mencos. The most common overland transport would be the ADO express bus that goes all the way from Cancun to Belize City and back once a day.
By Caye Caulker water taxi: Once you have arrived in Belize City, you can take a ferry to Caye Caulker. There are two ferry companies:
OCEAN FERRY BELIZE is your cheapest option. One-way fare is $15USD. Round-trip fare is $25USD. Their website features an awesome hip-hop music video “Ocean Ferry We Can Take You There.”
Belize City to Caye Caulker Departure times: 0800, 1030, 1330, 1500, 1730.
Caye Caulker to Belize City Departure times: 0700, 0830, 1030, 1330, 1630.
SAN PEDRO BELIZE EXPRESS WATER TAXI One-way – $18 USD Return – $28 USD. They cost a little more, but have 9 daily departures instead of 5, so if you miss one, it’s a short wait to catch the next one.
Belize City to Caye Caulker Departure times: 0800, 0900, 1030, 1200, 1330, 1500, 1600, 1630, 1730.
Caye Caulker to Belize City Departure times: 0630, 0700, 0800, 0900, 1030, 1200, 1330, 1530, 1700.
You could also arrive in Caye Caulker by boat directly from Chetumal, Mexico on an every-other-day ferry by San Pedro Belize Express. The trip takes about 2.5 hours and costs $55USD one way, or $110USD round-trip.
Getting Around Caye Caulker:
There are NO CARS on Caye Caulker. Hooray! Your options are to walk, rent a bicycle, or rent a golf cart. If you enjoy walking, it is reasonable to just walk everywhere. The farthest distance you’d ever have to walk, from the Lazy Lizard at the north end, to the Airstrip in the south, is 1.2 miles. Bikes can be rented for as little as US$7.50 per day/US$30 per week. Biking is the way to go, but watch out for giant potholes which can swallow your front tire. And always lock your bike up whenever your butt is not on it. The golf cart rentals are fun, but a lot more expensive at around US$350 per week. Might be worth it if there are four of you together.
When you arrive at the dock (or airport) you have the choice of either walking to your accommodations or hiring a golf cart taxi. If you arrive at the dock, it’s most likely your hotel is just a 5-10 minute walk away! Try to figure that out before you arrive, to save a silly one minute taxi fare.
Belize Currency and how to get it:
The Belizean Dollar (BZD) is available at ATMs. I could only find a single ATM anywhere on island – the Atlantic Bank on Avenida Langosta. The market rate is 2 BZD = $1USD. And the US Dollar is readily accepted almost everywhere. So, for convenience, you don’t need to ever change any money. When you negotiate prices with anyone, ensure you are both talking in Belizean Dollars. Otherwise you can expect the price of your “good deal” to double on arrival when told they meant US Dollars. For more info on your cash-versus-credit card options when travelling, check out my post on How to Access your Money in Foreign Countries.
Stay Connected:
Good luck on this. Belize has the worst data speeds in all of Central America. Belize has only two mobile telecommunication operators: GSM users don’t have much choice as the only GSM-based operator in the country is DigiCell. (For USA visitors: Sprint, Verizon, and US Cellular use CDMA. AT&T and T-Mobile use GSM. Most of the rest of the world uses GSM.) Because of the almost monopoly situation of BTL, don’t expect a good coverage at high speeds compared with other Central American countries. Meanwhile, prices remain pretty high. You will need to show an ID while purchasing a SIM card at authorized dealers.
- DigiCell (by BTL) – GSM-based DigiCell sells their prepaid SIM Pack which includes a phone number and $10BZ prepaid voucher in any BTL Customer Services Center, at authorized dealers and agents countrywide at $10USD. For more credit you can top-up online using a credit card or at agents. You have the choice of these packages for data on 2G, “4G” (= 3G) and 4G/LTE:
Data Time Price Activation 225 MB 24 hours $ 1.12 Data S 400 MB 3 days $ 2.25 Data M 1 GB 7 days $ 5.62 Data L 2.4 GB 30 days $ 17 Data XL 5 GB 30 days $ 22.50 Data XXL - Smart! – (limited 3G and 4G/LTE-only) small network, limited coverage
- For more info on your telecom options, check out my post on How to Get Cheap Mobile Phone Service Worldwide.
Caye Caulker Accommodations:
On Caye Caulker, resorts are pretty limited, as it isn’t really a high-end destination. There are lots of condos available on AirBnB, so check them out too.
Caye Caulker Hostels: Yuma’s House has dorm beds for $18, and is likely the best hostel option in Caye Caulker. Yuma’s has a garden with sea views and a communal terrace, a shared kitchen and free WiFi. It’s within walking distance of all the fun, but set back enough for quiet nights.
Mid-range: Barefoot Beach Belize guesthouse has comfy private rooms right on the water for $57. It has a private beach area, water sports facilities, free WiFi, a tour desk, and free bike rental. You can cook on their grill, and enjoy outdoor seating.
Luxury: Caye Caulker isn’t really a luxury destination; but you might enjoy Amanda’s Casita. for $125 it has mini-apartments, well decorated with a pool and ocean views.
Where to eat:
On Caye Caulker restaurants are abundant and pretty good. Here are a few that won’t break your budget:
Breakfast:
- Ice N Beans – a great spot for coffee, mini-donuts, waffles, bagels.
- Crepes & Dreams, open 7am to 1pm has crepes ranging from $4 to $13 with every filling imaginable. I went for the $9 cheese, egg, and bacon.
- Errolyns House of Fry Jacks serves the ultimate cheap local-style breakfast; fried dough (you might know it as beignets in New Orleans, or sopapillas in Mexico) stuffed with your choice of ingredients. Prices range from just 75 cents for beans only, to $2.75 for “the works” eggs, chicken, beans, ham and cheese. Expect a line out the door.
- Caye Caulker Bakery is the place to go for cinnamon rolls, doughnuts, and cookies.
- Namaste Cafe is a “Yoga and Coffee Lounge” which has donation-based yoga classes every day but Sunday at 9am, and has $4 smoothies, and $7.50 breakfast combos.
- Try some fresh juice. There are a couple small juice stands that will blend whatever fruits you like for just $2.50 USD.
Lunch/Dinner:
- Chef Kareem’s UnBelizeable Lunch is a guy with a big grill and a tent on the main street. He is known for $6 jerk chicken, $7.50 pork ribs, $12.50 whole lobster, snapper and $10 curries. It’s BYOB, so you can grab a Belikin from the store down the street for cheap.
- Chef Juan’s Kitchen and Pastries has a bit of everything, a $3.50 breakfast burrito, $9 chicken curry, fish, $5 pulled pork, lobster, chili, $2.50 pies and cakes
- Reina’s is a tiny little place that has $6 fish or octopus tacos, $10 pizzas, $5 chicken quesadillas, lobster, jerk chicken, snapper, even a bar that blends margaritas!
- Dee N’ D’s Waterside Grill is a neon green shack with outdoor picnic tables that grills up all the usual stuff – $7.50 jerk chicken, $12.50 lobster, $10 snapper, AND happy hour 2 for $2.50 cups of rum punch.
- Falafel Bar-kosher has giant falafel wraps for $7.50
- Wish Willy – Bar & Grill is like being at a local barbeque.
- At Roy’s, you can get a good meal and save the reef by eating a Lionfish, an invasive species with no predators except your appetite.
Bar Scene Food: If you want some fun with your meal, try these places:
- Barrier Reef Sports Bar & Grill
- Lazy Lizard
- Bambooze
- Bondi Bar & Bistro
And for Dessert:
- The Creamery – Ice cream shop next to Paradiso cafe.
Caye Caulker Nightlife:
Caye Caulker has great nightlife. It’s a mini-Florida Spring Break every night. Since the island is so small, by the third night out, you’ll know a couple dozen people since you’ll be seeing them again and again at every place you go!
The afternoon boozing gets going at the Lazy Lizard You can get buckets of beer, frozen mixed drinks, and food at this giant bar. You can jump off a diving board into the ocean, sit on picnic tables right in the water, or sit on land and watch the kite surfers dodge jet skis. Sunset gets packed, as it has perfect views to the west. Pelicans may steal your taco. The rum punch can be lethal if you tip well.
Once it gets dark, a big crowd migrates en masse down the street to The Barrier Reef Sports Bar and Grill This place has live music almost every night, Trivia nights, and a small sweaty, sandy dance floor. It’s THE place to be on the island. It closes at midnight.
Finally, everyone left standing at midnight in the Sports Bar will walk down the street together to the I & I Reggae Cafe, open until 1am. After 1am….you are on your own. This ain’t Miami!
Get a Belize guidebook:
I found The Rough Guide to Belize to be a useful Caye Caulker travel guide.
What to Pack:
Your favorite bikini or boardshorts. A snorkel and mask. A sunhat, and sunscreen. Beach towel. A surf rash-guard shirt to prevent sunburn when snorkeling. Flip-flops. A good book. To learn how to pack light and be prepared for anything, check out my post The Worldwide Travel Packing List.
Is Caye Caulker safe?
Yes. Caye Caulker has very little violent crime. It does suffer from hotel room break-ins. ALWAYS lock your room when stepping out for even a moment. Lock your bike at all times. Be aware that Belize City has violent gang-related narcotics-smuggling crime, particularly on the south side of town. Don’t waste much time in Belize City, move on to Caye Caulker immediately, and you should be fine.
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