Going Slow on the Island of Caye Caulker

Pronounced “kee kawlk-er” Cayes Caulker is a small island off the coast of Belize. It’s motto “go slow” is posted across the island – where all the shops and restaurants are locally owned by families who have lived there for centuries. You won’t find luxurious, large-scale tourism on the island. It’s quaint in all the right ways.

Best Time to Visit

Dry Season: Late November to Mid-April. As usual, this peak season does draw tourists — but the more the merrier sometimes right? The temperatures are warmer, skies are clearer, and it’s easier to access the land attractions. Also, the azure waters stay calm and clear for scuba diving and snorkeling.

Worst Time to Visit

Hurricanes hit the coast between June and October. August, September, and October are the wettest months.

We scoped out most of the restaurants on the island, here are our favorites and check out this article for more details on each.

  1. Amor y Cafe
  2. Erroyln’s House of Fry Jacks
  3. Hibisca by Habanero
  4. Rainbow Grill and Bar
  5. Fran’s Grill
Almas del Sol Caye Caulker Belikin Beer
Belikin Beer is the beer of Belize, you'll see the factory when your plane lands on the mainland.

Frenchie’s Diving Belize

This was my first time diving as a legitimate, licensed diver. Doing it at night and on New Years Eve was a rush, but also calming. It was just Collin, myself, and our Dive Master, boating out into the darkness. The other boat we saw further away had a ton of diver’s on it, so it was nice to get an exclusive experience, less likely to scare the fish away.

We saw Parrot fish sleeping with their mucous membrane surrounding their bodies, a defense mechanism to confuse predators. We saw red hermit crabs, starfish, shrimps, anemone, worms, and the highlight of it all – bioluminescent organisms. You’ll turn off your flashlights and wave your arms around to reveal the magical fairy dust of microscopic organisms surrounding you.

The dive takes place in the Caye Caulker Marine Reserve, just off the coast. It was truly magical.

Great Blue Hole

We dove through Belize Diving Services and were super impressed with the new-ness of their boat back in 2015 when we went. The dive masters were very reliable and trustworthy. This was my first and only time descending 130 ft., so it was important we had faith in our crew.

Carlos’ Snorkeling Tours

Carlos Tours Office is located on Front Street. It’s a day tour from 10:30 AM – 4:30 PM to the Hol Chan Marine Reserve, Shark Ray Ally and the Coral Gardens. You’ll make a stop in San Pedro during lunch time for a break off the boat. I’ve never had such a great snorkel tour guide, and highly recommend this tour. Send an email to Carlos to schedule the tour: carlosayala10@hotmail.com.

girl cayes caulker belize

Arrival/Departure Route

Upon arrival to BZE Airport you’ll take a taxi directly to the dock ($25). The official taxi’s have green license plates, and you can just tell them to take you to the Marine Terminal. Next, you’ll take the San Pedro Water Taxi ($12) to Caye Caulker.

The Split

“A sunny place for shady people.” — Carlos, Snorkel Instructor

This quickly became our favorite quote explaining the Split.

The Lazy Lizard

We went only on New Years Eve to watch the fireworks and a miniature version of the NYC ball drop.

Explore the Island

We stayed on the side where you couldn’t see sunset, and ventured over to the other side for a walk one evening. One day we walked the entire island, it’s only 5 miles in length and 1 mile in width. Walking through the local neighborhoods really gives you a vibe of the locals, they’re incredibly friendly but it’s clear the Caye Caulker infrastructure needs some help.

While we were there, there were off and on thunderstorms. Sand bags were already in place on the streets, with golf carts being the best method for getting through the deeper potholes.