First of all, let’s define what a Caye is. It’s pronounced “key” and, same as the Florida Keys, the Belize Cayes are small islands off the coast of Belize. They are small, low-elevation sandy islands above a coral reef. And since Belize has the second largest coral reef in the world, it makes sense that there would be about 450 islands off the coast of Belize.

The two most popular islands for tourists in Belize are Ambergris Caye and Caye Caulker. Ambergris Caye has grown into more of a city than a tropical island. It’s the largest island that stretches from the barrier reef to the Mexican border. San Pedro is the main downtown city in Ambergris Caye. Caye Caulker is the smaller, less developed little sister to Ambergris Caye, with dirt roads, bungalows, and plenty of restaurants and bars. Its laid-back atmosphere makes it popular with backpackers, students, and beach bums.

There are others that are popular with divers, fishermen, bird-watchers, and golfers, but if you’re looking for sun, sand, and a drink in your hand, Caye Caulker and Ambergris Caye are where you’re going to want to look.

North Island vs. South Island

There are two islands in Caye Caulker: the north island and the south island.

The south island is where most of the action is. Caye Caulker Village, which is the downtown area with restaurants, bars, and shops, is in the south island. There’s a small split between the two islands, created by a hurricane in 1961. The Split is swimmable and on any given day, you can see people swimming from the Lazy Lizard to the other side and back again.

The north island is still somewhat unsettled. There are a few homes, one fully operational resort, and a few other resorts being built. However, the growth in the north island is moving quickly, so expect the north island to be a hotspot sooner than later.

What to Expect in Caye Caulker

I didn’t know what to expect when I first booked my trip to Caye Caulker. I assumed something similar to other Caribbean islands: palm trees, manicured beaches, and bars/restaurants geared towards tourists. While it is something like that, Caye Caulker is a beast of a different nature.

The best way to describe Caye Caulker to someone who hasn’t been there is to think of Key West in the 1970’s. It’s a small island; you can get from one end to the other by golf cart in about 20 minutes. In a lot of places, you can see the blue waters on both sides at the same time. There is still a lot of untamed jungle and empty land on the island, but you will have no trouble finding restaurants, bars, tour offices, souvenir shops, convenience stores, and ice cream bars.

The motto of Caye Caulker is “Go Slow.” This means don’t rush things, enjoy life, and relax – you’re on island time. It also pertains to the speed of your golf carts. There are no real rules or speed limits, but the potholes on the sand streets will make you fly if you go too fast!

The houses in Caye Caulker range from tiny wood shacks to giant concrete mansions. Some are built on stilts to avoid floods during hurricanes, others are planted right on the ground with not much separating living from dirt. Most of the houses are painted in beautiful tropical colors, from yellow to bright pink to turquoise blue. Most houses also have rooftop decks, so if you’re renting a private house, be sure to get one with those incredible views.

There are no actual roads in Caye Caulker. There are dirt paths, some of which have names, so the only private modes of transportation are bikes or golf carts. Because the roads are all sand, the rains create deep potholes, so my recommendation for getting around is by bike.

Caye Caulker does have “city water,” which the locals say is drinkable (however there are no water towers on Caye Caulker, so “city water” might mean something different in Belize). However, 5 gallon jugs of water are easily available at grocery markets, which you can find on almost every corner. You can brush your teeth and wash your dishes with the local tap water though.

Caye Caulker feels very safe. Most people are laid back and everyone who visits is all on the same page. Everyone just wants to have a relaxing, fun time on a tropical paradise! Most of the locals who live there are transplant Belizean from the mainland and wanted a more peaceful, more beautiful life. Late at night after the bars close, you might come across some locals trying to sell you something unsavory or looking for company for the night, but that’s common of just about everywhere in the world. While I wouldn’t tempt fate and leave anything unlocked, there seems to be little crime on the island. In fact, signs saying “beware of dog” or “surveillance camera” might be all you need to deter anything bad from happening.

One of the best things about Caye Caulker is how friendly the locals are. Everyone I met in Caye Caulker was willing to drop what they were doing immediately to help out a tourist. Shop owners let me borrow a phone when mine didn’t work, an Island Magic Resort worker offered to personally drive me to my house when I couldn’t find it, and any local who saw me sitting alone came up to keep me company until one of my family members came back. The people are just incredibly friendly and helpful, and it’s refreshing.

Another great thing about Caye Caulker is that, unlike resorts in other tropical areas, people aren’t hassling tourists trying to sell them things. Of course you see people selling bracelets, seashells, or coconuts, but there is no pressure. In fact, usually if you want one of these things, you have to approach the vendor. It makes walking down the street or laying on the beach much more comfortable!

Where to Stay

There is an abundance of places to stay in Caye Caulker, ranging from hotels to renting private residences. Depending on what type of vacation you’re looking to have, I came across a few places I’d like to mention.

Hotels

• Jan’s Hotel: Jan’s Hotel is the closest thing you can get to a luxury hotel in Caye Caulker. Beachfront, suites, well-kept.
• Barefoot Hotel: Barefoot Hotel is a beachfront hotel for all prices. Beachfront, affordable, variety of accommodations.
• Caye Caulker Beach Hotel: Best view around Caye Caulker! Modern, great location, clean.
• Rainbow Hotel: The Rainbow Hotel might look like a motel, but it’s right on the beach with great views. Affordable, great customer service, central location.
• La Isla Resort: Newer hotel with many floors, great architecture, and a Caribbean feel. Optimal location, free wifi, great atmosphere.
• Iguana Reef Inn: Luxury hotel located on the quieter west side of the island. Private beach, seahorse garden, and beach bar.
• M&N Guesthouse: Extended stay apartments, with discounts for longer stays. Central location, spacious apartments, reasonable rates.
• Amanda’s Place: Luxury beachfront vacation rentals with backyard pool. Great views, private bungalows, tropical garden with pool.
• Island Magic: Oceanfront luxury hotel on the south end with a treehouse restaurant. Palm trees, ocean breeze, 80 degrees.
• Tropical Paradise Hotel: Oceanfront beach resort with air conditioning, balconies, happy hour, and themed dinner nights. Private beach, water activities, free wifi.
• Lorraine’s Guesthouse: Secluded location across from the beach with private bungalows and screened porches. Affordable, spacious, excellent location.
• Weezie’s Oceanfront Hotel and Garden Cottages: By far, the #1 hotel in Caye Caulker, tucked away into the jungle with a private beach and pool. Charming, pristine, secluded.

Hostels

• La Cubana Hostel: Beachfront hostel with bottom floor restaurant, located right next to the best bar in town. Beachfront, low-cost, casual.
• Pause Hostel: On the quieter west side of the island, Pause Hostel is an animal lover’s paradise, housing and feeding lots of local cats (think “paws” hostel). Oceanfront, great customer service, private dock with water activities.

Private Homes

• AirBnB: AirBnB is a great resource to find people renting out rooms or even their entire homes! For $45 off your first booking, click the AirBnB link.
• VRBO: VRBO is a site similar to AirBnB where you can search private home rentals. I used VRBO to find my house rental in Caye Caulker (Sands Inn 2).

Where to Eat and Drink

There are TONS of places to eat in Caye Caulker. You could choose anything from fine dining to casual dining to local restaurants in people’s houses to street food. Many places I have tried, some I wanted to try but didn’t get the chance. Here is my list of recommendations, starting with the places I highly recommend not missing.

The Magic Grill: The Magic Grill is the hotel restaurant for Island Magic. It has a beachfront option or a tree top option! A treehouse right on the beach – you can’t get any better. The prices are right too – you can have a wonderful meal with drinks for 4 people for less than $120 BZ ($60 US)!
Average meal price: $20-$30 BZ ($10-$15 US)

KoKo King: The only restaurant on the north island, Koko King is a beach resort with waitress service to lounge chairs or a thatched-roof restaurant and bar on a pier out over the water. Happy hour every day means 2 for 1 drinks and a “spin the wheel” drink wheel for more specials. Get a bucket of beer as you lay out in the sun, and don’t break the bank doing so! *Note, you will need to take the water taxi from the south island to the north island to visit Koko King, but the water taxi runs late into the night for day drinking or night drinking.
Average meal price: $15-$25 BZ ($7.50-$12.50 US), drinks 2×1 at happy hour

Reina’s: Off the beaten path, but not by far. Reina’s is a small local family-run restaurant with only about 8 tables. he chef cooks each meal as it’s ordered, nothing is pre-made. It’s fresh, home-cooked with local spices, and extremely affordable!
Average meal price: $15-$25 BZ ($7.50-$12.50 US)

Roy’s Blue Water Grille: One of my rules is to never go to the places that say “Trip Advisor rated #1” or has people outside pulling tourists in. If you need that kind of advertisement, it’s usually not good. Roy’s is an exception. They do have people on the Main Street directing people down the side street where the restaurant is located, but it’s only because it’s off the Main Street and people might get distracted by somewhere less delicious without the direction! Roy’s is local, authentic, and has a great atmosphere. Give it a try!
Average meal price: $25-$35 BZ ($12.50-$17.50 US)

Lazy Lizard: Day drinking with bar food. The Lazy Lizard is the place to go for sun, water, people-watching, and drinking. Imagine a super laid-back spring break of drinking Belikins and playing bean bag toss. Throw in some nachos and tacos and you have the Lazy Lizard! Just remember, it’s only a day spot; if it’s not closed at night, there’s no one there.
Average drink price: $7 BZ ($3.50 US)

Barrier Reef Sports Bar: The only place to drink at night! Every night they have new events, from trivia to karaoke to a dj. It gets crowded every night, so make sure to get there early for a seat…and for some ceviche!
Average meal price: $20-$30 BZ ($10-$15 US)

Street Food: The street food is the best food in Belize, in my opinion! Don’t leave Caye Caulker without trying the street tacos, street bbq, or street grill. It’s all cheap, authentic, and delicious! Don’t forget, by buying food from street vendors or the guys on bikes who sell whatever they cooked that morning, you’re supporting locals and keeping the economy alive.
Average meal price: 3 tacos for $4 BZ ($2 US). Half loaf of banana bread for $3 BZ ($1.50 US)

Fryjacks: You have to try the fryjacks in Belize at least once, preferably in the beginning of your trip so you don’t regret not going sooner. Fryjacks are like fried pancakes folded over into a taco with your choice of food inside (egg, ham, cheese, chicken, etc.) They will fill you up and they only cost $4 BZ ($2 US)!

Happy Lobster: Popular with the tourists, Happy Lobster has some really great seafood. Prices are a little higher here than anywhere else but the food is good and the people-watching is even better.
Average meal price: $30-$40 BZ ($15-$20 US)

After Hours Munchies: Time is pretty fluid in Caye Caulker; local workers open and close when they feel like it. They try to stay on a schedule, but it doesn’t always work. Weekends and nights are especially tough to find consistency. If all the kitchens are closed, you can count on After Hours Munchies for some good local grub! It’s just a window on a side street, but it’s open from around 8:30 pm to 4:30 am. You know it’s good when it always has a line of locals!

Rainbow Bar & Grille: Another restaurant popular with tourists, Rainbow is the hotel restaurant for the Rainbow Hotel. It’s right on the beach with incredible views. I didn’t eat here so I can’t say whether the food is good or not, but a Belizean realtor did recommend it to us!

Enjoy: This spot is always packed. If you don’t get there early or super late, you won’t get a spot. They do have people helping with seating and gently asking the drinkers to leave if they’re not eating, but even with lots of tables, it’s always full. Unfortunately, I never got the chance to eat at Enjoy but I have heard from other travelers that it was some of the best food on the island!

Il Baretto: If you’re looking for a date night, Il Baretto is the spot. It’s off the beaten path, near Weezie’s Cottages. You can expect a good wine selection, meats and cheeses, and seafood entrees. It’s a little pricey but the ambience is much different than anywhere else in Caye Caulker!

Local restaurants in people’s houses: As you get out of the tourist area and into the residential area, you’ll start to see houses with restaurants on the bottom and living quarters above. Remember the food health regulations in Belize aren’t the same as in the U.S., but I never had a problem and I would love to have had the chance to try some of the local restaurants people opened up in their homes!

Activities in Caye Caulker

There are tons of things to keep even the most active people busy on this small island. Whether you’re a beach bum who wants to spend all your time in the sun or an active athlete who can’t sit still, Caye Caulker will win you over.

Snorkeling: You’re on a Caye, which is an island above the biggest reef in North America. How can you not snorkel it?? There are plenty of snorkel tours available, all within a few dollars of each other. Half day tours run 10:30-1:30 or 2:00-5:00 and go to shark and ray alley and two different parts of the reef. Full day tours run 10:30-3:30 and go out to Hol Chan Marine Reserve, which is popular with the locals for the abundance of colorful fish and marine life. I did the half day snorkel tour and it was great! I went with Hicaco Tours on Avenida Hicaco and they made sure we got great photos with sharks, sting rays, eels, and gave us a full plate of fruit to keep our energy up after the snorkel tour was over.
Cost: $70 BZ ($35 US)

Cave Tubing: You can choose a tour guide or drive yourself to Nohoch Che’en Archaeological Reserve to begin your cave tour on the mainland of Belize. I used Smuggler’s Cove Tours & Adventures from Caye Caulker who were great and handled everything, from the water taxi to transportation to the guide (and without any pressure). My cousins drove in themselves and met us at the Reserve and it was a simple process. From Caye Caulker, I would probably recommend a tour group for the simplicity and ease, and Smuggler’s Cove Tours was wonderful!
Cost: Cave tubing and zip lining: $260 BZ ($130 US)

Zip Lining: I had never been zip lining before. I probably wouldn’t have gone in Belize either if it hadn’t been too late to go to the Mayan Ruins but too early to go back to Caye Caulker. However, zip lining over the jungle and rivers in Belize was incredible! It was part of the cave tubing tour, but I would recommend it even as an excursion by itself. Terrifying at first, exhilarating by the end!
Cost: included in the cave tubing price

Blue Hole: The Blue Hole is a giant sinkhole off the coast of Belize. In fact, a French explorer revealed the secrets of the Blue Hole in a television series called “The Undersea World of Jaques Cousteau”! There are two ways to see the Blue Hole: by air, via small prop plane or helicopter, or by boat, where you can snorkel or scuba dive the reef surrounding the sinkhole. It’s about a two hour boat ride from Caye Caulker or a $400 BZ ($200 US) flight. Unfortunately, I didn’t get the chance to check this out, but I will be back to do it for sure!
Cost: $400 BZ ($200 US) to fly, $380 BZ ($190 US) to boat and snorkel
*Note: There are blue holes all around Belize. The term is used to describe any sinkhole or crater with clear blue waters. The mainland blue holes are great for wildlife, swimming in fresh water, and pretty pictures.

Mayan Ruins: There are a few different Mayan archaeological sites in Belize. Altun Ha is the closest to Belize City. You can find a variety of temples, rich forests, and diverse wildlife in this ancient Mayan coastal city. Xunantunich is closer to San Ignacio and is a full day tour from Caye Caulker. Located atop a ridge above the Mopan River, Xunantunich was a Mayan ceremonial site with a pyramid that overlooks Guatemala. Xunantunich means “Stone Woman” in Mayan.

Lamanai Jungle River Cruise: Lamanai was once a major city in Mayan civilization. Lamanai means “Submerged Crocodile” in Mayan. On the boat tour, you’ll see native Belizean jungle, wildlife like spider monkeys, and ancient Mayan ruins and sculptures from one of the longest-running and biggest Mayan civilizations, dating back to 1500 BC. It is possible to climb the high temple at Lamanai!

Water sports: Caye Caulker is a water sport paradise. Sailing, diving, snorkeling, wave running, kite surfing, water skiing – really anything you can think of! If you can think of it, you can do it. Check with any tour company for water sport rentals!

Other Things to Do in Caye Caulker

If you’re in Caye Caulker and looking for things to do that don’t involve much planning or money, look no further. Here are a few things you can do to entertain yourself on a budget!

See the seahorse farm: One of the great things about the Iguana Reef Inn is the seahorse farm! They tied logs underwater that grew with the environment to create the perfect habitat for seahorses. One thing to mention is that seahorses are much smaller than you might imagine! I had a hard time finding them because they’re only about two inches long. Look hard, and don’t be afraid to ask for help!

See the tarpons (and the pelicans): Tarpons look a lot like barracuda, which makes for some fun pictures. There is a tarpon pit on the west side of the island. You can grab a boat out to it or just walk out on the nearby pier. Find it by looking for the flock of pelicans!

Caye Caulker Animal Shelter: Little Caye Caulker, population 1,300, has an animal shelter! One of the benevolent locals, Kenny Sampson, has adopted all the stray animals and lets them live on his property and even sleep in his bed. It’s free to visit – don’t be afraid to go in, he will eagerly wave you in and tell you anything you want to know if he sees you peering in! If you don’t have time to stop, drop a few dollars in his donation box out front to help him buy food for the animals, or donate here.

Swim the Split: The Split was created by Hurricane Hattie in 1961. It split Caye Caulker into two islands, the north island and the south island. The Split is about 30 feet wide. It’s a great place for swimming because it’s free of seaweed with clean, deep waters. If you’re looking to swim some laps and keep your fitness up, the Split is a great place to do so!

Walk through the Mini Reserve: Part of the jungle still exists on small Caye Caulker. In the south end of the south island, close to Weezie’s Oceanfront Hotel, is the Mini Reserve. Caye Caulker BTIA (Belize Tourism Industry Association) created the Reserve with the vision to accomplish sustainable tourism on the island and an authentic experience. There are pathways through the jungle for bird watching, catching a glimpse of other natural wildlife, and checking out the natural flora that’s a little hard to find around Caye Caulker now. Free, fast, and peaceful!

Take a picture with Di Big Kahuna Stress God: Outside one of the souvenir shops on Playa Asuncion. If you find him, take your picture with him and he will take your stress away! Remember: go slow. It’s a peaceful, relaxing life!

Have you been to Caye Caulker, or anywhere else in Belize? How would you convince someone Belize is a great place to visit, not a poverty-stricken country to be scared of? Tell me about your favorite places so I can add them to my list!

Like this post? Share it on Pinterest!

P.S. You might also enjoy 8 Most Unique and Beautiful Beaches or Complete Guide to Visiting Mexico’s Gran Cenote