Ahh.. Caye Caulker. The place for great street food, friendly locals, and relaxing island vibes.
Matt and I visited this island in Belize in December 2021, and had the most amazing time here! The motto on the island is “go slow,” but don’t be fooled – there are still plenty of activities and things you can do in Caye Caulker, all while going “slow.”
Caye Caulker is a place where you can lay back and relax, all while being immersed in the culture and having the option for tons of adventures at the same time.
If you’re planning to visit here, do yourself a favour and make sure you at least stay for a few days. Although this island is quite small, there’s still lots of things to do (unless of course, you prefer to just do nothing, which is fine as well!). While you can probably squeeze a lot of these activities in a hurry, we really don’t recommend this as you’ll really miss the true magic of this place.
As another one of their signs say “Go slow, but still keep moving.” And that’s exactly what we did.
So without further ado… here are the top activities that you can do while in Caye Caulker!
1. Diving
Many people know that Australia has the largest Great Barrier Reef in the world, but believe it or not, Belize is just behind that, having the second largest in the world. It’s the largest within the Northern and Western hemisphere and stretches over 300km long or 186 miles.
The Great Blue Hole is the most famous diving spot in Belize. It’s essentially a giant marine sinkhole off the coast of Belize that spans over 300 meters or 984 feet across. While we personally didn’t go diving (mainly because of a bad experience I previously had), we heard that others had an amazing time and saw some incredible wildlife. So if you’re interested or have been looking for a place to try diving, then you should check out the Blue Hole.
Note: The Blue Hole can be accessed not just through diving, but by snorkelling and via aerial view on a helicopter as well!
2. Snorkelling
For those that aren’t big fans of diving but are still interested in the underwater world, snorkelling is a great option. There are many areas around the coast of Belize to snorkel, and companies inland that offer a variety of different tours.
Matt and I joined Raggamuffin Tours, which we cannot recommend enough. This reputable company had great reviews, which is why we decided to go with them.
We went on the “Hol Chan Snorkel ” tour, which included stops in 3 different areas – one being the famous Hol Chan Marine Reserve, Shark and Ray Alley, and the Coral Gardens.
While this was not my first time snorkelling, this was Matt’s first time, and let me tell you – it did not disappoint either of us!
We saw all kinds of fish, reefs, stingrays, and sharks! Not just one in the distance either…. many of them up close. It was amazing and such a surreal experience! Our guide reassured us that they were all safe to be around as they were nurse sharks. They don’t really bite (unless really aggravated), so as long you keep your hands/feet to yourself, there shouldn’t be any reason to worry.
My advice for snorkelling is to do your research on the companies because not all tours are the same. Some companies are more geared towards being eco-friendly and will tell you about the sustainable practices that they follow, some are more family-friendly, while others (such as Raggamuffin) seem to be more focused on a younger, “fun” crowd. Unlimited rum punch anyone?
3. Eat local street food
Whenever we travel anywhere new, Matt and I love trying their local foods. It gives you a unique insight to their culture – their cuisine, their spices and their traditions. We absolutely love the food in Belize so much, specifically in Caye Caulker.
Their cuisine seems to be a mix of Carribean, Spanish, and Mayan cultures, and tends to include meats, potatoes, rice & beans, as well as seafood. From local stands and street vendors to beautiful restaurants overlooking the sunset, Caye Caulker has a great variety of places that offer something for everyone.
(From left to right: Pasta Per Caso, Reina’s, Pelican Sunset Bar, Errolyn’s House of Fry Jacks)
4. Seahorse Viewing
When I first heard about this place, I was a little confused.. I was thinking, seahorses? Like, in an aquarium? I was, in fact, wrong. They were actually talking about seahorses in the wild!
Iguana Reef Inn, a boutique hotel in Caye Caulker, has a small seahorse viewing area open to the public towards the back of the bar near the docks. They have what looks like an old rope net tied between posts in a low tide area, with a big seahorse sign marking the area.
Since seahorses are usually quite tiny with weak tails, they aren’t very strong swimmers and tend to stay in areas away from the waves. Because this area was very calm and the rope full of algae, it made for a perfect place for all the seahorses to hang out.
When I first saw them, I was shocked at how small they were, and just how adorable their little faces were! I had such a good time hanging out in this area, watching the seahorses gnaw on the algae. Would highly recommend doing this one afternoon.
5. Bicycle around the island
Because Caye Caulker is quite a small island, the main mode of transportation here is either bicycles or golf carts. During our time, we only saw a handful of motor vehicles, with the majority of those being small construction trucks.
Many accommodations in Caye Caulker actually offer bicycle rentals, either including as a part of your stay or for a small fee. And if not, there are tons of places that offer bicycle rentals around the island, all of which seemed pretty reasonable.
While it’s true that you can probably walk everywhere to get to where you need to be, we felt that biking was a lot easier, quicker, and not to mention a lot of fun on the sand roads. Having the wind in your hair and sounds of the ocean around you was a great feeling, and probably one of our favourite things to do while we were here. We were also able to see more parts of the island than we probably would have if we were just walking.
6. Visit the North Island
When looking for accommodations and places to stay, I would no doubt recommend the South Island. This is where all the restaurants, bars, and activities are, but that doesn’t mean that the North Island isn’t worth a visit.
Other than the two luxury resorts (Blue Zen Caye Caulker and We’Yu Boutique Hotel), and an intricate pineapple-shaped house (Palapa Pineapple Dome Home designed by retired civil engineers – shown below) that draws tourists onto this island, there is not much currently in terms of housing and development. While still highly undeveloped, the North Island is fascinating to see. The contrast between the North and the South Island is also very interesting.
You will definitely see lots of construction, gardening, and general maintenance being done around the North Island. I believe that there’s lots of potential: real estate opportunities, as well as tourism.
You can get to the North Island several different ways, including kayaking, swimming (if you’re up for a challenge), or what I think the easiest way is – the Split to Split ferry. It costs 10 BZD roundtrip to get there and back for each person, and they can take your bicycle and/or golf cart on the ferry as well. I suggest bringing your bike/golf cart, since it’ll be much easier to get around (see previous point).
7. Hang out at Lazy Lizard/The Split
Now, this wouldn’t be a Caye Caulker guide without a recommendation to the Lazy Lizard. This is the place to be if you’re in Caye Caulker; it’s a place to hang out by the dock, drink beers/cocktails, meet other travelers, and watch the sunset. This area is also nicknamed “The Split” because it’s right at the tip of the South Island where the North and South Island are “split” by a channel.
The keyword here though… is other travellers. This is definitely not a local spot and in comparison to the other local places here, their drinks can get pricey. Albeit, still not too bad if you’re comparing to where you’re from (for us – US/Canada).
Nonetheless, it’s still a great place worth a visit. The environment definitely makes it worthwhile, and it’s pretty easy to spend time here. We would just recommend checking out and supporting some of the other local businesses as well if you can.
8. Tarpon Feeding
Tarpons are one of a few sport fish in Belize, meaning that fishing (without catch and release) is illegal. These fish are nicknamed the ‘Silver Kings’ because when they swim on their sides, their scales look shiny and have a silver reflective feature.
Much like the Seahorse Viewing Area, this little area is also open to the public and is owned by a local family who built a dock just behind their house where tourists and visitors are able to view the tarpons.
For just 5BZD (~$2.5USD), they provide you with a bowl of sardines that you’re able to feed the tarpons with nearby. Watch out though, these tarpons are known to be quite theatrical, which makes them so fun to feed. They will literally jump up to 10 ft above the water to get their food!
For the best “shows,” I recommend coming in earlier in the day when they aren’t already full from other visitors/tourists feeding them. Great experience!
Click below to start viewing a video of my personal experience:
9. Day Trip to San Pedro
Next to the small island of Caye Caulker, there is a much larger sister island, Ambergris Caye. The biggest city here is San Pedro, which features a lot more boutique hotels and accommodations, restaurants, bars, and is probably a little livelier than the sleepy town of Caye Caulker.
While Caye Caulker’s vibe is definitely more our style, San Pedro is a great place to do a day trip (or even two) if you have the chance. We hear the night scene is definitely better here than Caye Caulker. So if that interests you, you may want to stop by.
You can catch the same water taxis as you would getting from Belize to Caye Caulker to get to San Pedro. This will take you about 45 minutes, and the times for the taxis will range depending on the season and company you take.
10. Enjoy delicious seafood
When on the island, you must have their seafood! There’s a wide variety of seafood here at your disposal, with the best part being that all of it is fresh!
At Kareem’s Beach BBQ, they offer delicious grilled lobster for lunch right in the sand. While we didn’t get to try this, it smelled soo good when we biked past it – we’re disappointed that we missed it! They open for lunch roughly between 12-3pm but don’t have any set hours, so you’ll just have to have your eyes (and noses) peeled!
We dined at Pelican Sunset Bar on our first night, and had conch ceviche for the very first time! It was delicious, and I would highly recommend it. But if conch isn’t your thing, they have every other type of ceviche you can imagine, as well as any other seafood – shrimp, lobsters, fish burgers, and much more. Their restaurant also overlooks the water, so you’re able to enjoy the sunset during your dinner, which was great.
Overall, we had a great time here in Caye Caulker and would love to visit again! We didn’t really know what to expect coming here, but were blown away by all the different activities and overall feel of the island.
Are you planning a trip to Belize, or to Caye Caulker soon? Did anything surprise you on this list? Please reach out if you have any questions.
