Caye Caulker in Belize

Caye Caulker is not just a dreamy relaxed island in Belize for backpackers. Slogans like "Go slow", "You better Belize it" or "No shoes, no shirts, no problem" are displayed in vibrant letters on the walls of the houses. Right upon my arrival by ferry, I know: I love it here!

Caye Caulker is located in Belize, which has a population of only 320,000 people and where the official language is English. Along the coast runs the second-largest coral reef in the world, the Belize Barrier Reef, stretching from Mexico to Honduras.

On Caye Caulker, everything is slower, cozy, and simply relaxed. Like on San Pedro, there are no cars, but occasionally a golf cart zooms by. Actually, there's no need for one as the island is small and manageable, with a length of 8 kilometers and a width of 2 kilometers. Small colorful wooden houses line the streets.

On Caye Caulker, most locals and tourists walk barefoot through the main street, which is covered in sand. There isn't really a proper road. Men often stroll around in shorts, and even in restaurants, there is no expectation to wear a t-shirt. Just like the motto: "No shoes, no shirts, no problem."

There isn't much to do on Caye Caulker except lying in a hammock with a coconut and listening to the music that's everywhere.

The only thing this island lacks is a really great beach because that would make this island perfect.

A tip if you want to book a tour as spontaneously as we did: Compare the providers along the "main street" of Caye Caulker and consider which departure times suit you best.

We chose a tour where we were able to visit the following places at the second-largest coral reef in the world: Hol Chan Marine Park, Shark Ray Alley, and Coral Gardens.

We found and booked the provider Star Tours directly at theTropical Paradise Hotel.

There are also tours to see manatees, with a guarantee for sighting. We decided against these as we had the chance to see manatees at Coral Gardens. We did see some, but honestly: Do you just want to see manatees when you can also experience turtles (Green Sea Turtle), sharks, and stingrays? The tour costs us 120 BZD.

Since Caye Caulker is in Belize, payments are made in Belize Dollars. A

If you think we paid way too much for this tour, I must counter: It was definitely the best snorkeling trip of my life. Having a diving license and having seen the Belize Barrier Reef in Honduras (Roatan) and Mexico, I must say this snorkeling trip puts nearly all of my dives to shame. Four other divers on board shared the same opinion.

The snorkeling tour starts at 10:30 AM. We are extremely lucky and get a great group (2 South Africans, 1 French, 1 Canadian, and an American from San Francisco). Our guide is named Shawn, is Black, has dreadlocks like about 99% of the population on the Cays, and is a bit crazy (in a good way for us).

The cool thing: The English spoken here sounds like Jamaican English. I could listen to it for hours!

First, we head to the Hol Chan Marine Reserve. After about 30 minutes by speedboat, the sea looks even more turquoise than it already is, and the waves crash on the open sea. No doubt, we've reached the atoll. Being able to stand again in the open sea is an exhilarating feeling. It's teeming with fish that swim curiously next to us.

Shawn joins us in the water and attracts a green moray eel, showing us the turtles. At the second spot, Shark Ray Alley, the fish already follow our boat as fishermen used to clean their boats here and throw fish scraps overboard. To maintain this, the guides still throw fish into the water.

From the boat, we see at least 15 stingrays and various sharks (Nurse Sharks, Tiger Sharks...). We even have to get out of the boat on the other side because so many fish are swimming around the boat.

Nurse Sharks and Sting Rays suddenly glide very close by me. It's a wonderful yet respectful feeling when a huge stingray swims right underneath you...

Suddenly, another rare creature glides by us at a safe distance: a Spotted Eagle Ray. A beautiful and fascinating animal to behold.

Unfortunately, the half-day tour goes by way too quickly. At the last spot, Coral Gardens, we see a lonely manatee (Manatee, or Round-tailed Manatee), and the corals here are vibrant and colorful. We see many fish, and after another 30 minutes in the water, the tour is coming to an end. On board, we now have our snacks in the form of burgers or salad, along with some fresh fruit.

On the way back, we circle around Caye Caulker and pass through "The Split":

The small Caribbean island was split in two by a devastating hurricane in 1961. Afterward, we receive rum with cola at the Tropical Paradise Hotel, and the owner tells us that Shawn is by far his best guide. He is right.

We arrange to meet the rest of the group for dinner and a few drinks in the evening. Before that, after some back and forth, we book our tickets for the trip to Flores (Guatemala) via Belize City.

Costs for tickets: Ferry at 8 AM and Bus from Belize City at 10 AM: 30 USD.

We spend the rest of the evening with the whole crew and even more people in one of the few open restaurants, enjoying a Belikin beer or two and some mojitos (which are a special offer with dinner haha). Cheers.

Since I found very little information online about traveling from Mexico to Caye Caulker in Belize, I will outline both options for you here.

This saves you time researching online, which I did here on the beach in Tulum. I will also explain how the exit procedure from Mexico goes and what exit fees you should expect.

By the way, when arriving by ferry to Caye Caulker, pay attention to the announcements: We pass Blackadore Caye, the private island of Leonardo DiCaprio. A small paradise in the midst of the ocean.

ADO bus ticket Tulum - Chetumal: 204 MXN$

Exit fee from Mexico: 500 MXN$

Taxi ADO bus station - Chetumal Muelle Fiscal: 90 MXN$

Water taxi at 3 PM with San Pedro Water Taxi: 90 MXN$.

If you know you'll be taking the same route back to Mexico, you should just buy a round-trip ticket and save money. You can actually buy the water taxi ticket for the same price at the ADO bus station in Tulum, as we found out later.

From Chetumal (Muelle Fiscal is the pier), you can take the water taxi from San Pedro Water Taxi over to San Pedro (Ambergris Caye) and then on to Caye Caulker. This option is significantly faster but also a bit more expensive than option 2.

Here, you must decide what's more important to you: saving time or money. We wanted the former.

Option 2 also starts in Chetumal, Mexico, just before the Belize border.

From here, buses leave several times a day to Belize City. In Chetumal, you need to head north from the bus station to Mercado Nuevo. From there, the so-called Chicken Buses go to Belize City.

From there, you can take the water taxi to Caye Caulker.

We chose option 1. In Tulum, we opted for the 8:30 AM bus because we didn't know how much time we would actually need to get to Chetumal. A later bus departs at 10:30 AM, but with that, it could be tight in case of traffic or an accident. The journey ended up taking about 4 hours.

From the ADO bus station, it is best to take a taxi to the pier. We coincidentally chatted with a girl from Stuttgart who was traveling the world and shared the taxi with her. The 8:30 AM bus was great since we had to buy the water taxi ticket.

After that, we take a boat for 2 hours to San Pedro on Ambergris Caye. It quickly becomes clear why Madonna sings about "La Isla Bonita". We also struggle to remember the name. We later create a mnemonic with "On the Hill...

By the way, they speak English in Belize again, so a quick switch in language and currency. Here, payments are made in Belize Dollars.

Arriving with the speedboat in San Pedro, the capital of Ambergris Caye. Here, we all have to leave the boat with our luggage. The immigration process takes place in a wooden hut at the landing stage:

In San Pedro, we go through immigration in a wooden hut at a counter set up just for us (8 people):

When buying tickets for the ferry, you receive two documents to fill out: one for Mexican emigration before boarding the boat, and the second for entering Belize, which you must present at customs in San Pedro.

Also, keep the immigration card you received when entering Mexico handy. You can leave your luggage with the provider. It will be brought directly to the boat. This way, we could quickly grab something to eat in Chetumal, go to the ATM, and stroll around the streets.

After that, we go to immigration to handle the exit formalities and get the stamp in our passports. Here, there was a bit of a longer discussion since we were supposed to pay an exit fee of 500 MXN$ each.

In Mexico, some said this was not legal. Any discussion was pointless because without the stamp, there'd be no further travel. So we begrudgingly paid the 500 MXN$ per person. While waiting to depart, we still search for a shady spot in "no man's land". This fellow found the sun so lovely that he strutted past us with his head held high:

About 20 minutes before departure, a rather strange situation arises of which I unfortunately have no picture:

Soldiers arrive in a jeep, and we all have to line up in front of the boat. A drug and explosive detection dog sniffs our luggage (which we also need to lay in a row).

The strange part is:

Our large backpack was in storage. If someone meant us harm, they could have slipped us a "souvenir". This made us all a bit nervous. On the other hand, we were not controlled at all... still, it was a strange situation. The dog found nothing, and everyone was relieved.

We have one hour left to wander around San Pedro. The island has flair: no cars, just golf carts are used as transportation here.

You should know that we are visiting Caye Caulker during the off-season. This means that many accommodations are closed.

Both the Yuma Hostel and our favorite, the Costa Maya Beach Cabanas, are therefore closed. We finally end up at Barefoot Caribe Hotel, which is open and quite satisfactory.

At the Barefoot Caribe Hotel*, we get a seaside room with a balcony and hammock. The room has 2 king-size beds, a bathroom with hot water (!!) and is clean.

Costs: We pay a total of 180 BZD for three people per night, which is about 11 euros per person. I love the off-season prices. We have plenty of space, and there is free Wi-Fi.

Here you can see some pictures of our hotel:

Breakfast at Cafe y Amor: The best breakfast we had was at Amor y Cafe, lovingly run by a Dutch woman. Here, they serve the absolute best muesli with fresh fruit and yogurt. Plus, the best waffles I've had in a long time.

Here are a few impressions from the neighboring island that we could explore a bit during our ferry stop.

What was your highlight? If you have more tips, I look forward to your comment at the end of this article. If you are currently planning your trip and have questions, feel free to leave them here in the comments!

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