Caye Caulker is a tiny island off Belize’s mainland. The Caribbean sea, palm trees and colourful buildings are just some of the highlights of Caye Caulker.  Aside from the charm Caye Caulker emulates, it is also a fantastic spot to jump start your adventures under the sea. 

Caye Caulker offers world class diving and snorkelling in the depths of the water surrounding the island.  Of course, the island is a great place for a getaway, but most visitors have their eye set on exploring whats below the surface of the pristine waters of Belize.  The snorkelling, diving and turquoise waters, are often deemed one of the highlights of Caye Caulker.   With plenty to see and do around the island, you’ll quickly fall in love with Caye Caulker. 

Reaching Caye Caulker

Getting to Caye Caulker is quite easy.  From the port in Belize City, the water taxi runs fairly regularly to Caye Caulker and San Pedro.  On arrival to the port, you can purchase a round trip ticket for $28 BZ ($18 CAN) to take you to the islands.  Once on the water-taxi, sit back and watch as the mainland disappears.  Depending if your water-taxi is stopping at any of the other islands, you should reach Caye Caulker in about 45 minutes.

Arriving in Caye Caulker

Once arriving in Caye Caulker you’ll quickly feel like you’ve gone back in time, as typical motorized vehicles really don’t exist on the island.  For the most part, everyone gets around either on golf carts, by bicycle or on foot. 

Once you exit the water taxi dock, you’ll be bombarded by golf cart drivers offering to take you to your accommodation.  Most places are very close and walkable, but if you’re looking to hire a ride, they are plentiful.  Given the tiny size of the island, biking and walking suited us just fine.  Being able to walk to most places on the island, was completely incredible.

Go Slow

Caye Caulker lives by the slogan, “Go Slow”, in true island fashion.  Everything on the island is relaxed and goes at its own pace, making for a very chilled out getaway.  Don’t expect things around the island to happen quickly.  Sit back and relax. Even with the Go Slow mentality, there is still plenty to do on Caye Caulker!!

discover some of the highlights of Caye Caulker!!

The Split

The Split is essentially a narrow channel dividing Caye Caulker in two.  Many years ago, a hurricane swept through the area, leaving Caye Caulker “split”, hence the name, “The Split”. 

The Split is the hot spot to hangout, with many people gathering here during the day and evening.  Here you can relax by the water, go for a swim, take part in water sports or have a few drinks at the Lazy Lizard.  After the amazing water activities, hanging at the Split, is often considered one of the highlights of Caye Caulker.

The only thing missing from this island paradise, is the traditional style beach to relax on.  Don’t get me wrong, there are plenty of places to chill out by the water, but its likely a little different than you’ve experienced before.  You’ll just have jump or take the steps into the water.  Basically, The Split is where you go if you want to experience some beach vibes while on Caye Caulker.

Koko King

Located across the channel from The Split, you’ll find Koko King.  Koko Kings offers visitors a more traditional style beach with many amenities.  Here you will find upscale cabanas and chair rentals, a fully stocked bar, a restaurant over the water and climbing apparatuses in the water. 

Koko King pulls out all the stops when it comes to providing a luxury beach day.  For your convenience, there is a free boat taxi that runs regularly between Koko King and The Split.

Take in a Sunset

Taking in a sunset at least one night while on Caye Caulker is essential.  Just before sunset, most people tend to wander back down to The Split as the views of the water and setting sun are stunning. 

If you’re in the mood, you could always grab a cocktail at the Lazy Lizard and watch the sunset from the upper deck of this island famous bar/restaurant. 

If you’re looking for something a little quieter, you can easily find an nice spot to sit along the break wall at The Split and watch as the sun goes down.  With the tiny size of the island, its easy to catch a glimpse of the sunset from almost anywhere.

Reef Tours – Snorkelling or Diving

If you haven’t heard, Belize is world renowned for having an amazing reef, coming in second after the Great Barrier Reef in Australia.  Luckily, for visitors to Caye Caulker, you can reach the reef by taking a short trip off the coast.

Reef tours aren’t cheap, but are possibly the most popular thing to do on the island.  For around $170 BZ ($110 CAN) you can join a tour boat to take you out to explore the ocean surrounding Belize.  As expensive as this snorkelling expedition sounds, its well worth it.  If you’re interested in diving, plenty of boats also offering diving adventures.

During our day on the water, we seen a number of amazing fish, rays, turtles, and sharks.  Our tour included a lovely lunch, water for the day, rum punch and all the equipment we needed to snorkel.  The life below the water is astounding!

Rent a Bike

Given the remote size of the island, its very easy to see the whole thing fairly quickly.  Most of the time, you’ll find that you’re walking everywhere, but a bike rental is a great way to see more of the island outside of the tourist zone.  Bike rentals are abundant on Caye Caulker and you can rent them by the hour, by the day or week.  We opted for an hour rental and took a quick tour around the island.

Water Sports

Given that you’re on an island, its likely not surprising that water sports are very popular.  Activities range from different extremes with people going for a casual paddle on a canoe, kayak or SUP, to others kite surfing or water jet packing.  Whatever your pleasure, you can find it around the shores of Caye Caulker.

The small size, beautiful colours and aquamarine waters, make Caye Caulker an un-Belize-able island getaway!  Caye Caulker is the perfect place for a Central America adventure.  We thoroughly enjoyed our time here before heading to San Ignacio!!

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