Belize Caye Caulker
As we planned our trip through Central America, Belize was always going to be one of our first stops. Caye Caulker is also one of the most popular places in Belize and when looking through guide books and images, invariably Caye Caulker gets a notable mention. However is it all it is made out to be?
Belize Caye Caulker From Hell to Paradise
Getting to Belize was quite straight forward from Cancun or Playa Del Carmen in Mexico. We booked an ADO bus at Playa Del Carmen bus station for 534 pesos each or 30 Euros.
The bus then left Playa Del Carmen at 11: 45pm and we made our way south towards Belize. The ADO bus as usual was spacious, comfortable and air-conditioned and not quite full to capacity. Sleeping was quite difficult as we knew a border crossing was coming in the next few hours, sure enough after four hours (4 am) the call was made for passports.
We waited in line for Mexican immigration to stamp our passports and pay the ridiculous fee of 54 US dollars for two to leave the country, from here we waited a further hour before making our way to the Belize border. Minutes later we were ordered from the bus and instructed to take our luggage through immigration. All went smoothly and after another 45 minutes or so we made our way into the dark morning skies of Belize, the first thing we noticed were the wooden buildings and of course we are now in the only predominately English-speaking country in Central America, so the Spanish can be put on hold for now!!
After approximately 8 hours or so we arrived in Belize City, reports about the city have been mainly negative from fellow travellers and first impressions of the city and bus station were not too impressive either. We got together with fellow backpackers on the bus to get a taxi to the nearby water taxis and onward to Caye Caulker.
The journey was quite short but we were all glad we took a taxi as the streets of Belize city did not look too inviting even at 7am!! The atmosphere wasn’t helped when a local advised Paula to remove her necklace before hitting the streets! At the water taxi station we purchased our tickets for two, return for 90 Belize dollars, or 45 US dollars and made the 45 minute boat trip to Caye Caulker.
First impressions were a world apart from Belize City, the water was blue and restaurants and guest houses were everywhere to be seen with the smell of barbecued food hanging in the warm air . We walked the few short blocks to our hostel and received the complimentary breakfast. After a short sleep we decided to explore the island, which is a little over 8km long. There are three main modes of transport here walking, cycling or golf buggy!! Golf buggys are everywhere and a convenient option in the searing heat, but we decided to tour on foot.
Every second shop is either a restaurant, dive/snorkeling centre or 
gift shop with guest houses breaking up the trend. The ground is made up of a fine sand so be prepared for that gritty feel on your legs! The one thing noticeably absent from such a tropical location is a beach!! There are small stretches of sand but mainly there are just boat moorings with wooden walkways to them all along the seafront. If you are after diving and snorkeling then this is the place for you but they don’t come too cheap with prices for snorkeling starting at 65 US dollars per person. For us on a budget there really is nothing more to do here but eat, drink and sunbathe…a tough life!!
The food on the island is excellent with fish, lobster and shrimp the main staples. Lobster costs approximately 35-40 Belize dollars or 20 US dollars, they can be enjoyed at the many bars and restaurants or at the many street vendors serving chicken or seafood kebabs with rice for around 15 Belize dollars or 7.50 US which we highly recommend.
The best place to swim on the island is at the split north of the island. Here there is a wooden decking outside a waterside bar where the majority of backpackers lay their towels and enjoy the sun. The water here is perfect for swimming as it is clear and shallow before becoming very deep for the more advanced
swimmers. The music from the nearby bar provides the perfect backdrop with Bob Marley tunes to relax you further. The local beer Belikin costs 4 Belize dollars or 2 US if you want to cool down.
Overall we enjoyed our stay in Caye Caulker, some of the staff at restaurants, shops and tour operators could do with being more friendly and helpful and they sometimes give the impression that they have enough of tourists, however it is clear that without tourism many of these people would have no jobs. Caye Caulker is quite expensive by Central American standards and unless you are here to dive or are on honeymoon, a two-day stay is plenty to see what the island has to offer. The island’s motto is Go Slow and it definitely can be seen with some of the service and waiting times for food in restaurants! (50 minute wait in one particular restaurant) If you want white sandy beaches and lively bars then this is not the place for you but for a few days rest and a break from the long road then this is truly paradise. The local saying sums it all up “No working during drinking hours”.
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