Welcome to Caye Caulker, the smaller island neighbor to Ambergris Caye off the coast of Belize! With the motto "go slow," Caye Caulker tends to draw more of a backpacker crowd and has fewer amenities compared to Ambergris, but for those seeking a slow pace without the luxury hotel crowd, it might be the right fit for you. At just 5 miles long and 1 mile wide, it can be easily explored on foot, bike, or golf cart (no vehicles to be found on this island!). Hurricane Hattie (1961) split the island into two - north & south island - and to this they they are separated by a small channel known as "the split." Visitors & locals can cross the channel easily on a ferry which runs back & forth throughout the day, though the majority of the shops, restaurants, and bars are found on the south island.
Blu Zen water taxi schedule into Caye Caulker
Caye Caulker Belize
We took the water taxi into town from our hotel on the north island and explored on foot, stopping for fresh fruit smoothies, "panty rippers" (the local rum cocktail), and a delicious BBQ lunch. While we felt quite comfortable and safe with our young child in tow, the typical demographic does skew towards a younger party crowd and also has quite a large community of American expats.
Downtown Caye Caulker
If you ask the locals what to do, they'll all point you to the seahorse sanctuary and tarpon feeding sites. They're definitely worth a visit! We included both in a full day tour along with some nearby snorkeling.
Jess was so helpful in talking me through some of the trip options I'd told her I was interested in, and then also bringing up similar alternatives with more flexible dates. Now that everything is booked I realize all the extra things she figured out for us as well, besides booking the transfers from and to each location, she realized that we wouldn't make it to my desired flight time on three departure date and was able to easily add another day so that even our departure day is stress free!
Wendy
2 months ago
Good candid advice and suggestions; prompt replies.
Ken Johnson
2 months ago
Thoughtful and highly responsive service.
Robert Shwab
4 months ago
The trip planner understood what we wanted to do and see, and found what we hope to be a great match for our interests and style of travel.
Karen
6 months ago
Basically everything. The transfers from lodge to lodge were all timely and smooth (even though we arrived 3 hours late!) with great drivers. The lodges and food were all top notch. The guides were excellent and very knowledgeable about local history and wildlife. Chaa lodge stands out as exceptional. I ended up with an infection leaving Chaa, but they arranged for driver to stop at doctor, and he even got us to a pharmacy for prescription and a great drive to coast.
