History and Geography

Caye Caulker, located 21 miles northeast of Belize City and 11 miles south of Ambergris Caye, is the second largest of the Belizean cayes. The island is about 4 miles long, but the town is only about a mile long. Like Ambergris, Caye Caulker was primarily a fishing community; but its economy is becoming increasingly tourism-based. Caye Caulker is a popular destination for scuba divers, snorkelers, anglers, and tourists who just want beach-oriented relaxation at budget prices.

Caye Caulker was uninhabited until the middle of the nineteenth century, when a small number of the refugees fleeing civil war on Mexico's Yucatan Peninsula ended up there. The settlers planted coconuts and eventually developed a profitable fishing industry based on cooperatives. Beginning in the 1960's, small numbers of tourists began visiting Caye Caulker. Tourism has increased substantially since then, especially since the new airstrip was built at the outskirts of town in 1992. But Caye Caulker is still quiet, unhurried and relaxing beach town.

Hotels and Restaurants

Over the last ten years, the population of Caye Caulker has doubled (from 500 to approximately 1,000) and there are now approximately 20 hotels on the island. Caye Caulker has no luxury condominiums, fancy resorts, or swimming pools; the ambience is "laid back," as scene in this beachfront street photograph. Hotel accomodations range from very low budget (US $10-20 for rooms with shared bath at Vega Inn and Daisy's Hotel), to low ((US $25--35 for rooms with private bath at the Tropical Paradise, Rainbow Hotel and the Sea Breeze) to moderate ($65 for air-conditioned studios studios with color TV and refrigerator at Tropical Paradise). Campsites are available for US $6 per night per person.

Caye Caulker has many good restaurants and offering a wide variety of choices (fresh lobster and seafood, typical Creole spicy stew chicken, Mexican and Chinese food). Some local residents offer homecooked meals at reasonable prices.

Scuba Diving and Snorkeling

Caye Caulker has several dive boats that offer dive excursions from two hours to a full day. Visitors can dive and snorkel at the Hol Chan Marine Reserve and other nearby reef locations; some trips include a lunch stop in San Pedro. (Visitors staying on Ambergris Caye can preview Caye Caulker by signing up for an all-day snorkel cruise that includes a two-hour lunch stop on Caye Caulker.) Three dive operations, Sea-ing is Belizing, the Belize Dive Shop and Belize Diving Services, offer certification courses and trips to Turneffe Islands. Cave diving is also available close to Caye Caulker; but should be explored only by experienced divers accompanied by a local guide familiar with the cave system.

Most hotels can arrange for dive and snorkel trips, as well as fishing excursions. Inexpensive fishing experiences can be obtained by accompanying local working fishermen; several small boats are available to rent by the hour.

Swimmers can enjoy the clear water off the piers on the reef side of the caye, the calm water on the backside, or the sandy white beach on the "split," a channel dividing Caye Caulker in half that was created by Hurricane Hattie in 1961. The beach near the split also has a small cabana hotel and a snack bar.

Visitors can take ecology hikes, guided boat tours to mangrove lagoons (Caye Caulker is home to over 120 species of birds), and guided snorkeling excursions with CariSearch, Ltd. or Sea-ing is Belizing. Both organizations also offer camping trips and evening slide shows. They also have small gift shops that sell arts, crafts, handpainted and printed T-shirts and colorful, traditional Guatemalan and Mexican clothing and accessories, as well as photographs. Also available are T-shirts and paintings by Philip Lewis, a well known Belizean artist who lives on Caye Caulker.

Getting There

Flights to Caye Caulker are available on Tropic, Island and Maya Airlines to and from Belize Municipal and International Airports; daily flights to and from San Pedro are also available. Visitors on a budget can travel between Belize City and Caye Caulker by boat for US $6-7.50 one way. Most boats leave Belize City for Caye Caulker around 11 AM from the docks near the Shell station near the Swing Bridge. Caye Caulker boats to Belize City generally depart from the Hotel Martinez pier at 7 AM.

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