A few months ago Jarden and I started off our summer trip in Belize, a small country in Central America, bordered by Mexico and Guatemala. I’ve read a few articles from various travel bloggers about the country, and one spot that always came up in discussion was the tiny island of Caye Caulker.
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The Ultimate Travel Guide to Caye Caulker
Caye Caulker is a tiny island off Belize, known for it’s relaxed atmosphere and ‘Go Slow’ attitude. The entire island is only about 5 miles from north to south, and it’s surrounded by crystal clear water abundant with marine life. The currency used is the Belize Dollar. (1 usd = 2 bzd)
The locals are extremely friendly (including the dogs) – get to know them! We planned to stay 2 days on the island, but after leaving I wish I had stayed at least 3 or 4. Caye Caulker was one of the highlights of my trip – I completely fell head over heels for the place and am dying to go back!
How to Get to Caye Caulker
Caye Caulker is accessed by boat, and the entire process was pleasantly simple. We started in Belize City, so once we landed we hailed a taxi and headed to the main Belize Water Ferry Terminal. The terminal has various tour offices, souvenir shops, and small cafes. Employees there will ask if you’re going on the water ferry, and if so they will grab your luggage and give you a ticket in return.
There is a main office for Belize Express Water Taxi at the end near the docks (right side) where you can purchase your boat tickets to various islands. There is a schedule posted, and there are numerous runs of the same route daily. I believe tickets are $18 usd for one way, $28 for a round trip ticket, and the ferry ride was about 20 minutes. There is usually a small line, so don’t wait until the last few minutes to buy your ticket!
How to Get Around Caye Caulker
There are no cars on Caye Caulker – that’s how small and laid back the island really is! Once you arrive from the ferry, you have to wait to get your luggage, so make sure you have your luggage tickets. There are golf cart taxis waiting to shuttle you to your destination.
We only used the golf cart taxis when we had our luggage – the other alternative is to walk or rent some bikes. Everyone uses bikes around here – it’s really fun and a quick way to get around in the heat.
Where to Stay in Caye Caulker
Our recommendation for Caye Caulker is to stay at one of the guest houses – it’s pretty inexpensive and there are a ton of them around! We stayed at Sea N Sun Guesthouse for only $45 a night, and we were pretty happy with it! The owners were extremely sweet, and bike & canoe rentals were included in the price of the room. There was cold water available daily for a low price, hammocks and a kitchen available for use, and the wi-fi was good!
We did have to use the public outside shower/toilet, and our rooms only came with fans, so that’s something to keep in mind as Belize is super hot! We didn’t mind though for the price – it was a terrific value and was in a great location.
What to Eat, See, & Do in Caye Caulker
There are so many things to eat, see and do on Caye Caulker, but remember to just take your time, relax, and go slow!
There are a bunch of great places to eat on Caye Caulker. Many places typically serve the same type of food – lots of chicken, lobster, and conch shell available. Each place we tried was good, and the prices were the same at many locations, maybe $10-$30 bzd per main dish depending on where you go for dinner.
There are cheap breakfasts available ($4 or less for a full breakfast!), and alcoholic drinks were also really inexpensive. (We often stumbled upon restaurants during happy hour – hello strong $3 cocktail!)
Watching the sunset is always a popular activity – you can often find an empty dock to lounge on.
If you’re looking for water activites, we did an amazing 5-hour snorkeling tour with Caveman Snorkeling Tours. It was a terrific value and a highlight of our trip for sure – the water is crystal clear and we swam with nurse sharks, stingrays, and tons of fish!
Click here to read more about our experience with Caveman Snorkeling Tours!
A main spot on Caye Caulker is The Split, an area that was created during a hurricane that literally split the island in half. A famous bar called The Lazy Lizard is at the split, and it’s a popular location for swimming and beach activities, complete with a platform to jump off of.
There are also many bars around this area with swings in the water, and overall just a ton of places to enjoy the island and relax.
Caye Caulker left a great first impression on us in a short span of 2 days, and we already want to go back! It’s a great place to unwind and relax, everyone is super friendly, the food is great, and it’s budget-travel friendly!
Have you ever been to Caye Caulker?
