Three Perfect Days on Caye Caulker, Belize's 'Go Slow' Island

After an action-packed stay in Guatemala, I was ready for sun, sea and serenity. Caye Caulker, the Belizean island whose motto is 'Go Slow', offered that in spades. I spent three days relaxing next to the turquoise Caribbean Sea, snorkelling the Belize Barrier Reef, flying over the Great Blue Hole and eating lobster at least once a day. It was idyllic!

I'd planned to spend some time by the sea in Guatemala at the end of my trip, but when I saw how close Flores was to the Belize border I was sold. Caye Caulker soon emerged as the best option for some R&R when I only had three days. Sadly, I couldn't fit in a visit to Actun Tunichil Muknal (ATM) Cave, one of Belize's most unique attractions.

Caye Caulker is a limestone island just five miles long and divided in two by a small waterway. It lies 20 miles northeast of Belize City and you can get there by ferry or, more excitingly, by taking a ten-minute flight. With its colourful wooden buildings, relaxed Caribbean vibes and turquoise waters, the palm-fringed island is a most alluring place.

Once there, your only agenda items are sunbathing, swimming and indulging in grilled lobster. But once you've had your fill of 'going slow', there's a lot to keep you occupied. Read on to find out how I spent my time on Caye Caulker and which bucket-list experiences lived up to my expectations.

CAYE CAULKER AT A GLANCE

Population: 4,000

Language: English is the official language of Belize, but Spanish, Belizean creole and various Mayan languages are also spoken. After 10 days in Guatemala, it took me a while to switch back from Spanish to English!

When to go: Temperatures in Belize are warm year-round, with highs of 27–32C. The best time to visit is during the dry season, from December to April, though hotels tend to be more expensive and book up faster, especially around Christmas and New Year.

When I visited in early December it was 28–31C and mostly sunny, with cloudy spells but no rain (contrary to the forecast), though there were some rainy periods before and after my trip. When it does rain, it tends to pour — but briefly, followed by blue skies.

Entry requirements: British citizens and US citizens, among others, can enter Belize without a visa for up to 30 days. Check your country's entry requirements well in advance of your trip. If you are leaving Belize via a land border or water crossing, you'll need to pay a departure tax of 40 BZD or US $20 (the tax is usually included in airfare fees).

Money: The Belize dollar (BZD) is pegged to the US dollar at a rate of 1 BZD to US $2 (about 2.7 BZD to 1 GBP at the time of my visit). You can often pay in US dollars in Belize but may not get the best rate. Credit cards are accepted in many places on Caye Caulker, sometimes with a small surcharge, but it was good to have cash on hand.

Electricity: Belize uses type A and B (two flat pins, with or without a grounding pin) plug sockets, also used in the USA. You can sometimes find UK-style type G outlets, but I would bring a type A/B adapter.

Wifi/mobile data: Mobile data is more expensive in Belize than Guatemala. I paid about £7 each for two 1GB eSIMs from Airalo and Saily. Both had good coverage in Belize and were easy to set up. I used free wifi at hotels, restaurants and cafes when possible, as well as downloading offline Google Maps and keeping my phone on low-data mode. 

Want to try an eSIM on your next trip? Sign up for Airalo with my referral code — REBECC3024 — and we both get US $3 credit. Or if you sign up with Saily using my code — BEXEDI9260 — we both get US $8 credit.

What to pack: Check out my Guatemala and Belize packing guide here.

HOW TO GET TO CAYE CAULKER

Getting to Caye Caulker is part of the fun! The closest international airport to Caye Caulker is Philip S.W. Goldson International Airport near Belize City. From there, you can travel to Caye Caulker either by ferry or on a small puddle jumper plane.

I travelled from Flores, Guatemala, by shuttle. It took just over 5 hours to get to Belize City, including the wait time while everyone on our bus crossed the border into Belize. I paid about £30 for a ticket including the shuttle and the ferry to Caye Caulker. We made the noon ferry, so I was on the island by 1 pm.

San Pedro Belize Express has several departures to Caye Caulker per day, which then go on to San Pedro (there are also routes from Chetumal in Mexico). The journey takes an hour and costs US $21. If you're coming from the airport, you'll need to get a taxi to the ferry terminal (30 minutes, around US $30) and allow time to buy and validate your ticket and check your luggage.

The ferry ride was great. I sat at the back, enjoying the breeze and the views; we even spotted dolphins! But as I was staying in the south of Caye Caulker, it was a hot, 20-minute walk dragging my suitcase along the sandy, silty roads. You can get a ride on a golf buggy but I'm stubborn!

I'd planned to take the ferry back to Belize City, but ended up taking a flight with Maya Island Air instead (Tropic Air also runs several flights a day). As the Caye Caulker airstrip was next to my hotel and the flight only took 10 minutes (with a 30-minute check-in time), I got an extra 2 hours on Caye Caulker. 

The flight was an experience in itself — especially as I got to sit in the co-pilot seat! I paid about £90, including a checked bag. As it would have been about £40 as a solo traveller for the ferry and taxi, I considered this good value, given the lack of hassle and the journey time I saved.

After touching down in Belize City, it took 15 minutes to go through check-in and immigration. They advise allowing 3 hours before international flights; I had a connection time of just over 2 hours, but as I expected, I had 1h45 in the terminal before my flight to Miami. You may wish to adapt your schedule depending on your level of risk tolerance.

WHERE TO STAY ON CAYE CAULKER

December and January are busy times on Caye Caulker and as the island is small, quality accommodation books up early. When I started my research, 6 weeks before my trip, a lot of hotels and guest houses were already full.

I had my heart set on Weezie's Oceanfront Hotel, a boutique hotel in the south of Caye Caulker. The cheaper rooms were booked up, so I opted for a Queen Oceanfront Suite. It cost about £190 per night and was absolutely worth it. My suite was huge and tastefully decorated with a kitchen, living room and patio overlooking one of the two pools and out to the Caribbean.

There was another pool in the leafy gardens, as well as a large private jetty into the ocean, which was great for sunbathing, swimming and watching the sunsets. They also had kayaks and paddleboards to borrow, bikes to rent and outdoor yoga classes. 

The staff were incredibly helpful and friendly and I was grateful when they welcomed me with a cold drink and let me check in early. I was so hot after the long journey from Flores and I couldn't wait to get into the air con and have a shower!

It's about a 10–15 minute walk from Weezie's into the centre of Caye Caulker — quicker by bike or golf cart taxi. I enjoyed the peaceful location — outside the hustle and bustle, but still close to the action. 

As there aren't many 'proper' beaches on Caye Caulker, I would recommend choosing an oceanfront hotel, preferably with a private jetty. Other places I considered staying were Colinda Cabins, Barefoot Beach, Treetops Hotel and Island Magic Villas.

GETTING AROUND ON CAYE CAULKER

Caye Caulker is only five miles long and most of the hotels, eateries, shops, bars and travel agencies are located in a one-mile stretch of the southern part of the island. This makes it easy to explore the island on foot, although there are lots of golf cart taxis around and bikes available to rent, if you need them.

The streets are very sandy and as it had rained a lot before my visit, they were slippery with thick, silty mud. My flip flops didn't have very good grip, so I usually wore my Tevas or trainers. Outside of the centre, the streets aren't always well lit after dark so it's worth keeping a small torch in your bag.

To get to the North Side, head to The Split, where the Split to Split Ferry will shuttle you across the water for 5 BZD roundtrip. Private water taxies are available if you want to go to other locations on the North Side, like Bliss Beach.

BEST THINGS TO DO ON CAYE CAULKER

Take a scenic flight over the Great Blue Hole

Snorkelling on the Belize Barrier Reef was an absolute must-do for my trip to Belize. And as soon as I saw the stunning aerial photos of the Great Blue Hole, a large sinkhole located near Lighthouse Reef, I thought that was the place to do it.

But the Great Blue Hole isn't actually ideal for snorkellers. First, it's a three-hour boat ride from Caye Caulker and second, you can't really get the sense of the scale and beauty of it when you're swimming inside it. 

Then, I discovered you could take a one-hour scenic flight over the Great Blue Hole. This seemed like a much better option for me. I didn't book until I was on Caye Caulker, partly because I was worried about the weather and partly because it was expensive — US $250 — and I wasn't sure how much of my holiday budget I'd have spent by then.

Tropic Air and Maya Island Air both offer scenic flights but they didn't have any availability on the days I wanted to go. Instead, I booked a Cari-Bee Air flight with Tsunami Adventures: it's the same price and the same experience. There are only five passenger seats in the tiny plane: you can pay extra to sit in the co-pilot seat but everyone gets a window seat.

It was quite surreal arriving at the Caye Caulker airstrip just 15 minutes early, giving my name and then hopping onto the plane, with no other fanfare. And it was one of my all-time favourite travel experiences!

After taking off to the west, we circled back over Caye Caulker and out into the Barrier Reef, looking down on the intensely turquoise marine world below. Tiny atolls and islands, sail boats and even a huge shipwrecked boat were all on display.

But nothing could top that first glimpse of the Great Blue Hole. We circled it four times, twice in each direction. My side of the plane had the second 'slot' but it was worth the wait. It was mesmerising! My neighbour kindly took a photo of me with my new favourite sinkhole; I don't look my best but you can see how excited I was!

Before we knew it, it was time to turn around and fly back to Caye Caulker. The views were just as good on the way home and thanks to Captain Ben, the flight and landing were all incredibly smooth. 

I loved the flight so much I decided to take one of the puddle jumper flights back to Belize City at the end of my stay! Yes, it's expensive but it's an utterly unique bucket-list experience and well worth the money.

Snorkel at Hol Chan Marine Reserve

Once I realised that the Great Blue Hole wasn't the best place to snorkel, it was time to look into other options. Lots of companies on Caye Caulker run 7-stop snorkelling day trips, usually including Hol Chan Marine Reserve, and opportunities to swim with sharks, rays, turtles and manatees.

I booked with Salt Life Eco Tours because of the quality of their tours but also their focus on marine conservation. Guests are asked to use reef-safe sunscreen, for example, and there's no feeding or touching marine creatures.

The tour cost about £80, including marine reserve entrance fees, lunch, water and drinks throughout the day. We met at the Salt Life office in Caye Caulker around 8:30 am, and after getting fitted out for fins and snorkels, we had a briefing and then boarded our boat.

Our captains (and guides) Chris and Rick made sure we had a lot of fun while learning a lot about Caye Caulker, the reef and the many marine species.

We started on the west side of Caye Caulker to see the famous tarpons in action. These fish, which can grow up to 2 metres long, will leap out of the water if you hold your hand out. They have no teeth but their sandpaper-like mouths can be quite abrasive, as a woman in our group found out. I'm glad I just watched!

Swimming with turtles, rays and nurse sharks was such a fun experience! Although docile, nurse sharks are still pretty big and intimidating so I was a little nervous getting in at first but if you leave them alone and don't feed them, they'll ignore you.

Sadly, like in many parts of the world, the coral has experienced a lot of heat damage as a result of climate change but there were still some lovely coral gardens. I loved the delicate purple coralline algae, which gently wafted in the current! Meanwhile, at the 'shell graveyard' there were some seriously impressive neon pink shells.

The manatees kept their distance that day but we did see a couple very briefly popping their heads out of the water as we were returning to Caye Caulker. We stayed a little while in case they wanted to say hello but in the end returned to the dock, getting back around 3:30 pm, after a fun and fascinating day at sea.

Marvel at the local marine life

If you don't fancy a full- or half-day snorkelling trip, there are other opportunities to get up close and personal with the marine life on Caye Caulker. You can find the aforementioned tarpons at the dock at end of Calle La Posa.

Meanwhile, if you head to Stingray Beach (near Iguana Reef Inn) in the late afternoon, you will probably see stingrays cruising around gracefully in the shallows. They know it's dinnertime! Although they rarely sting unless threatened, it's not impossible...the clue's in the name! But I enjoyed watching them from the shore.

Just next door is where the sea horses hang out in their own special space. Sadly, they must have had other plans on the two times I tried to visit, though an optimistic ray was patrolling the area looking for snacks. There are usually lots of pelicans in the area too, probably en route to the Pelican Sunset Bar!

Sitting on my hotel's jetty, I would often see large groups of what I thought were cormorants (my mum's favourite bird) flying north during golden hour every evening. They were actually frigatebirds, which are distant cousins.

Relax at The Split

The Split is a narrow channel that divides Caye Caulker into its north and south sections. It started to form in 1961 after Hurricane Hattie stormed through but locals helped it along by continuing to dredge it out.

Now, it's a great place to sunbathe, swim and maybe enjoy a cold drink or two from The Lazy Lizard or Sip 'N' Dip. There are lots of wooden chairs and a diving platform, as well as a sandy area that's about as close to a beach as you get on Caye Caulker.

If you go swimming, have a friend watch your valuables or take them in the water with you in a waterproof bag or pouch. 

Bliss out on Bliss Beach

For a Caribbean island, Caye Caulker is not exactly teeming with great beaches. But the one beach I'd read was worth visiting was Bliss Beach. This aptly named beach club is in the north of the North Side, so you'll either need to take a water taxi or rent a bike, take it on the Split to Split Ferry (5 BZD round trip) and then cycle to the beach.

I rented a bike from my hotel and mounted up. There's not much traffic in Caye Caulker — mostly golf carts, cyclists and distracted tourists — but there are lots of pot holes and uneven surfaces. 

Still, I was enjoying my ride other than the fact that my bike seemed to have no brakes. When I explained this to the bemused ferry operator, he gently explained that there were coaster brakes, activated by pedalling backwards. I'd never come across this before, but it made cycling a lot easier when I knew I could actually slow down promptly!

It took about 30 minutes to cycle from the south of Caye Caulker to the ferry and then up to Bliss Beach on the North Side. I wouldn't want to walk it, as the route isn't the most attractive and there's not much shade. There's bike parking outside and once I'd locked up my bike, I headed in to find some bliss.

I spent a lovely afternoon at Bliss Beach. There are a lot of different seating options from loungers to wooden chairs, benches and hammocks. Finding somewhere with a good view and enough shade from the midday sun took a little while but it was worth it. 

There's a small curve of sandy beach and the water is warm, clear and gentle. There are even hammocks over the water for total relaxation. Food and drinks are more expensive than most places in town but decent quality and the facilities more than justified the cost, especially as there's no entry charge.

A lobster a day...

The best meals I ate on Caye Caulker were at oceanside grills and casual restaurants. And most of them featured grilled lobster or fish. 

During lobster season, from July to February, crustaceans are plentiful and cheap on Caye Caulker: a grilled lobster with two sides costs around 40 BZD (~ £15). I ate so much lobster while I was there, I was probably 40% crustacean by the time I left!

My favourite was at Betty's Go Slow Grill, an oceanside barbecue on the east side of the island, near The Split. I ate there twice: I had a delicious honey-glazed chicken on my first day, and then had lobster with garlic butter on my last day. The food was tasty and the views are nice too.

I also had great lobster and seafood suppers at Maggie's Sunset Kitchen and Pelican Sunset Bar. 

But the most fun meal was at Wish Willy Bar & Grill, a casual eatery in the titular Willy's back yard. There's no menu and Willy assigned me to a table with an American couple who were getting married in Belize that weekend and a Portuguese guy. 

My grilled fish curry with rice and veggies was super-tasty, and I had a lovely time chatting with my table-mates: it was like a kind of platonic speed dating. When it was time to pay, we were slightly nervous as there had been no menu and so no prices. But my food and a drink only came to 28 BZD (about £10).

If you're not in the mood for seafood, Ice 'N' Beans is a great beachfront spot for breakfast, lunch and sweet treats. The coffee was fine rather than great; other than what I brewed in my Aeropress, I didn't find any better options on Caye Caulker. There are a few good ice cream spots on Playa Asunción and I had a fab poke bowl at Popoki.

Enjoy happy hour drinks at sunset

Sunset was very early — around 5:15 pm — when I was on Caye Caulker in early December. Luckily, happy hour tends to run long so you can still get some drinks bargains if you're enjoying the sunset elsewhere, like the jetty at Weezie's.

Most places offer either two-for-one local drinks or heavy discounts on local drinks during happy hour. The cocktails weren't the most exciting, mixology-wise, but they were fruity, potent, came with a great view and only cost about £2 each!

This one, called the Panty Ripper (!) was particularly tasty: coconut rum blended with pineapple juice and grenadine, and topped with a maraschino cherry. The sunset view at Pelican Sunset Bar was excellent too.

Shop for unique souvenirs and gifts

The shopping in Caye Caulker couldn't compete with Lake Atitlán or Antigua. That wasn't really why I was there, but there were a few interesting shops, mostly on Playa Asunción.

Little Blue Gift Shop has the best range of unique souvenirs and gifts, including local art, fun t-shirts and pretty jewellery. VimSkin, next door, has lovely organic skincare products, including handmade soaps and natural insect bite relief (essential on Caye Caulker!).

Toucan Gift Stores has a wide selection of beachwear and assorted souvenirs, from fridge magnets and mugs, to jewellery and t-shirts. They also have a branch at the airport. For the tastiest of gifts, head to Belize Chocolate Company. 

There are also lots of vendors along Playa Asunción, mainly selling shells and colourful jewellery.

Day trips from Caye Caulker

If you have more time than me on Caye Caulker, you might want to consider taking a day trip to explore more of Belize. 

The easiest of these is to Ambergris Caye, Caye Caulker's larger neighbour, which is 45 minutes by water taxi. The main town, San Pedro, has a bustling, lively atmosphere and the now not-so Secret Beach is said to be worth the golf cart trip.

If you're an experienced scuba diver, you can take a day trip to the Great Blue Hole. Flying over it was very special but I'd love to add that dive stamp to my PADI log one day, if my ears ever improve. Note that it takes three hours to get there by boat and isn't suitable for novice divers.

You can technically do a day trip to Actun Tunichil Muknal (ATM) Cave. Watch this National Geographic clip to see why it will be top of my list if I come back to Belize! Cave tubing is another popular activity on the mainland. But both involve a very long, tiring day. Plus, if there are delays, there's a chance you'll miss the last ferry back to Caye Caulker and get stuck in Belize City. 

If possible, spend a few days in San Ignacio instead to experience the caves and other Mayan archaeological sites properly. If you're travelling to Belize from Flores, this would be a good option, as San Ignacio is close to the Guatemala border.

Looking for more inspiration for travels in Latin America? Check out my guides to Guatemala, Costa Rica, Mexico and Peru. 

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