Caye Caulker
From World travel guide
Caye Caulker is an island off the coast of Belize.
Contents |
Get in
- Water Taxi - Catch a Water Taxi from the Marine Terminal in Belize City. Water taxis (speedboats) leave for Caye Caulker ($20Bz one-way, or $35Bz round-trip) every one to two hours during the day. The ride takes about 45 minutes, and then continues on to San Pedro. On windy days the trip can be a little rough, but most times is smooth. Sit towards the back of the boat for a smoother ride.
- Airplane - There is a local airstrip on the southern end of Caye Caulker. Local flights from the international and domestic airports in Belize City land here. Cost is about $54Bz one-way. Compared with a $20Bz taxi ride from the airport to the Marine Terminal, plus a $20Bz water taxi ticket to Caye Caulker, the cost of taking a plane is pretty reasonable.
Get around
Everything is within walking distance -- it takes approximately 20 minutes to walk from the Front Pier to almost anywhere. There are only three main streets on Caye Caulker, none of which are paved. Front Street, the easternmost street, has almost everything for tourists on it. There are almost no cars on the island, and everyone gets around by either bicycle or golf cart. You can rent a golf cart and view the entire island in 30 minutes. A taxi ride (in a golf cart) costs $6Bz, or you can rent a bicycle for $7Bz per hour, or $15Bz per day.
See
- The Forest Reserve covers the Northern 100 acres of the island. It's mostly dense mangrove forest. The local Audobon group sometimes organizes morning birdwatching tours.
- The Caye Caulker Marine Reserve, also known as the local reef. The local reef is close enough that you can see the waves breaking on it from the island itself.
- Hol Chan Marine Reserve has been protected for longer than the local reef, and so it usually has more mature marine life (i.e. bigger fish). It's further away than the local reef, however.
- Shark and Ray Alley. Tour operators will toss food into the water in order to attract nurse sharks and sting rays. You can swim with them, and even touch them if you're quick.
- The Blue Hole is a 40 meter deep circular hole in the ocean, with many fish, sharks, and corals. The Blue Hole is possibly the most famous dive site in Belize. It's about an hour boat ride away from Caye Caulker.
Snorkeling
Short "half-day" snorkeling tours are offered by numerous local businesses for approximately $40Bz per person. They usually leave at 10:30am and 2:30pm. Stops include the local reef, the Coral Garden, and Shark and Ray Alley.
Longer "Full-day" snorkeling tours are offered by numerous local businesses, for approximately $100-110Bz. They usually leave around 10:00am and return around 4:30pm. Stops include the Coral Garden, Shark and Ray Alley, and Hol Chan Marine Reserve. Be sure to check whether your tour guide will include lunch, since some only include snacks. The full-day trip offered by Ragamuffin Tours includes lunch, snacks, and a Rum Punch "happy hour" on the way back.
The creation of the Belize Manatee Reserve is largely due to the efforts of a Caye Caulker local named Chocolate. He offers guided tours to the Manatee reserve approximately every other day, as do a few other tour operators. Chocolate's shop is at the north end of Front Street, near Ragamuffin Tours. Be warned that you don't get to swim with the Manatees, and it can be difficult to see anything but the tips of their noses, or a large light-colored splotch under the waves. Most manatee tours include one or two snorkeling stops.
Seagull Adventures, about a block from the Front Pier, offers snorkeling tours to more distant locations that most other tour guides will only go to for diving. Examples include Blue Hole (about $230Bz per person), Tourneffe Atoll (about $120Bz per person), etc. Ask the owner a few days in advance to find out what the schedule is. The best time to catch her is in the evening, around 6pm -- during the day she's usually gone on the snorkeling trips.
Diving
Caye Caulker is popular with divers, and there are several dive shops on the island. Local dive shops offer trips to the Blue Hole, the Tourneffe Atoll, Half Moon Caye, Hol Chan Marine reserve, and others. Check in a few days in advance to find out what their schedule is.
You can get your Open Water PADI certification at Belize Diving Services for about $500Bz ($250US). It takes 3-4 days, providing the weather is fair. The certification includes 3 shallow-water dives, and 2 open-water dives. All dives are done in the ocean, since they have no swimming pool. Belize Diving Services is located near the soccer field, in the northern half of the town.
Sea Kayaks
You can rent Sea Kayaks from Tsunami, at the extreme north end of Front Street. This is a great way to explore the northern mangrove forest. Head for the leeward side of the island (the west side) for smoother water and to avoid paddling into the wind. Cost for a two-person kayak is $15Bz per hour for the first hour, then $10Bz for each additional hour.
Do
There is not a lot to do on Caye Caulker. This is a small very laid-back Caribbean island. It is an ideal place to spend a few days while taking a break from travelling around the rest of Central America.
Take a break from it all. Chill out at The Lazy Lizard located at "the split," a little bar on its own near what can only be described as the island's only beach, however there is no sand here.
Diving and Snorkeling
Much of the activity on the island centers around snorkeling (about a dozen operators offering trips) and scuba diving. The prices at all the shops are basically the same. The local diving is at Hol Chan Marine Reserve, a 30 minute boat ride away. A little further out is Spanish Bay, Caye Chapel, and some other sites. Long distance trips to Turneffe Atoll and the famous Blue Hole are regularly available.
There are four local dive shops:
- Paradise Down: Run by an American. Very professional, very organized, and bigger trips. They seem to offer the long distance trips (Blue Hole and Turneffe Atoll) more frequently.
- Frenchies: Run by a Belizian. Very friendly and laid back.
- Belize Diving Services
- Big Fish Diving
- There are also operators on nearby Ambergris Caye that can pick you up if the local shops aren't going where you want.
The cost of various trips varies according to the distance from Caye Caulker. Typical costs are:
- Local dives (Hol Chan, Spanish Bay): $US 90 (2 tank dives)
- Turneffe Atoll: $US 150 (3 tank dives)
- Blue Hole: $US 150 (3 tank dives) plus $US 40 park permit
Other Activities
You can also book various activities at many places on the island, such as
- Sailing tours
- Tours to Mayan ruins (on the mainland)
- Cave tubing (on the mainland)
- Manatee watching: Tours normally include a snorkeling stop at Sergeant's Caye (on the barrier reef) and a short visit to St. George's Caye. There are many tour operators out of Caye Caulker, San Pedro and Belize City who do manatee watching trips. Visit Swallow Caye Wildlife Sanctuary that was set up by Chocolate Heredia, Belizean native and award winning conservationist. 9,000 acres of sea and mangrove became a protected area in July of 2002. Visit the site for more info: Friends of Swallow Caye
Eat
- Marla's kitchen is the price/quality place in town, with a huge BBQ she prepares the best lobster in town, another tip is the day special with 5 sides!!!
- The Sandbox, located right near the Front Pier, has good food at reasonable prices. This is the only place on the island where you can get a veggie burger.
- Rasta Pasta is the place everyone tells you to go. The food is good, but not as special as you might think.
- The Bamboo Grill next to Rasta Pasta has good fish and shrimp dishes and a friendly hostess.
- Look up a small, small place one block off Front Street called Wish Willy's. It is laid back and in the chef's (Maurice) backyard. The food is fresh, tasty, and very reasonable and Maurice is very friendly. He also makes a great rum punch.
- Habaneros on Front Street has great food for lunch and dinner, but at high prices (for the island).
- Don Corleone (also on Front Street) serves a great breakfast.
- Glenda's (on Back Street near the microwave tower) serves eggs, bacon, a cinnamon roll, and coffee for just $US 3.50.
Buy
- Gift shops along the Front Street sell mainly t-shirts, hammocks and souvenirs. Vendors can be found along the main street selling a variety of crafts and jewelry. Carlos Ayala (great tour guide also) in front of Sand Box has quality silver jewelry. Caribbean Colors Art Gallery on Front Street near Rasta Pasta is the only real gallery on Caye Caulker. She gave me a piece of cake when I went there. Chocolate's Gift Shop on Front Street near the split sells beautiful sarongs and clothing from Bali. I always pick a new sarong up every year - best I saw in Belize. Their silver jewelry is nice too.
Drink
- The split is the place where hurricane Mitch split the island in two. (It was actually hurricane Hattie in 1961, a bit of dredging and currents that really formed the split) There is a bar just next to the split called the Lazy Lizard. Good place for a binch while watching large tarpons, rays just swimming by.
- Check out the I&I reggae bar. Great place to hang out on a hammock or swing with a cocktail.
Sleep
- Tinas Backpackers is the hostel on the island, just next to where the watertaxi lands. A social place and this is the way a hostel should be!
- If you are planning to stay for more than 3-4 days you may want to rent a house. I rented Case Verde through cayecaulkerrentals.com. I paid $US 55/night in the offseason for a beautiful place. It was a 3-5 minute walk from the center of town. 5 night minimum rental.
Get out
Water taxis leave the island for Belize City from early in the morning till the end of the day. Departure times are 6:30, 7:30, 8:30, 10:00, 12:00, ... and then I forget the rest of the schedule.
External links
Official Site of the Caye Caulker Belize Tourism Industry Association (CCBTIA)
