Things to do in Caye Caulker -
When I think of paradise, I think of crystal clear water, an abundance of marine life, palm trees and white sand, but also cute cafes, boutiques, and fresh (inexpensive) lobster dinners. If you’re nodding along to any or all of those things, you need to make your way to Caye Caulker, and you need to do it PRONTO.
Caye Caulker, Belize, is truly the most perfect little island I have ever been to. It captured my heart the moment I stepped off of the ferry and set foot on its sandy shores. There are so many things to do in Caye Caulker. With its laid-back vibe, stunning turquoise waters, vibrant nature, and the warmest, kindest locals, it's a place you can’t help but fall in love with. I was constantly charmed by the island puppies we saw multiple times a day, the stingrays that came up and tickle your feet every sunset without fail, the Caribbean hospitality (and cuisine!), the way the locals would remember your name - and the world class diving and snorkeling definitely didn’t hurt either!
I know I’ll be returning time and again, and it’s actually comforting to know that this magical slice of paradise is actually not too far from me here in the United States.
Where to stay in Caye Caulker
Listen - Caye Caulker is a super small island - you can walk down the length of it in just 15 minutes! That being said, there isn’t a wide variety of places to stay, and you won’t find a world class resort here. No matter, the beauty is in the island itself, as well as the surrounding ocean. However as the begin to develop the part of the island that’s split off (keep reading to find out why there’s two Caye Caulker islands!), I’m sure some more resort-y options will start to pop up. For now, you can still find some nicer options HERE.
Budget: I’m not gonna lie to you, the hostels on Caye Caulker definitely classify as “roughing it.” I stayed at Tropical Oasis as well as Go Slow Hostel, and I visited Bella’s Backpackers. If I had to recommend one to you, I would say to stay in Go Slow! They at least ~had~ AC units in the rooms, and I did get fairly good sleep. A good thing to remember is this - there’s so much to do that you’re hardly spending any time in your room anyways!
Here’s a list of the best things to do while soaking up the sun in paradise:
Things to do in Caye Caulker:
Explore the Split
One of the most quintessential things to do in Caye Caulker is to hang out at The Split. While Caye Caulker is an adorable little island, I won’t lie - there’s hardly any beach! No matter - the locals have adapted and turned one end of the island into an easy place to sunbathe, jump off of platforms, and enjoy drinks at swim-up bars.
The most iconic bar on Caye Caulker is located at The Split. It’s called The Lazy Lizard, and its the perfect place to grab an ice cold Coke or a fruity bevvy before you go find a spot to lay your towel down. There’s no beach, per say, but they’ve filled the concrete space with sandy gravel, there are stairs down into the ocean (or a jumping platform if that’s more your speed!), and overall the vibes are VIBING. This was one of my first stops on my 4 month backpacking trip, and I vividly remember sitting on the concrete wall, legs dangling over the ocean, reading my book, when 3 eagle rays casually swam right under me. UNREAL.
The name “The Split” comes from the fact that Caye Caulker is actually much bigger than meets the eye. In 1961, a cyclone hit Belize and carved a channel straight through, splitting the island into two! The main, touristy, smaller part of the island is very built up, but the larger half is still mostly undeveloped - but like I mentioned earlier, it appears to be in the process of acquiring some very boujee resorts.
If you’re interested in exploring the under-construction side of Caye Caulker, there’s a small little rowboat service that will take you from The Split to the other side. Or, you could swim. It’s like 20 yards wide - lol.
2. Snorkeling Adventures
Without a doubt, the #1 things to do in Caye Caulker is to join a snorkeling tour to explore the amazing coral reefs. Everyone’s heard of the Great Barrier Reef, but have you heard of the Mesoamerican Barrier Reef? No? I didn’t think so. BUT, It ranks as number two in the world right after Australia’s, and it conveniently winds right by Caye Caulker.
As a water GIRL, I can confidently say - I have NEVER experienced marine life quite like I did on my snorkel tour in Belize. You can feed tarpon, swim with groups of (I kid you not) 10 eagle rays, see sea turtles, nurse sharks, and even manatees!
While I am much more of a Scuba diver than I am a snorkeler, the snorkeling here was better than most of the diving I’ve ever done in my life. Never fear if you’re not Scuba certified, because you’ll get just as much out of a snorkel tour.
The tour I recommend is E-Z boys full day tour - their shack is right by the ferry dock, so you can book right when you get there. Or - book a tour in advance through this link!
They caught us fresh lobster and made ceviche out of it (deLISH), were excellent guides in the Hol Chan Marine Reserve - pointing out fish that were hiding or showing us little coral swim-throughs to dive down and attempt, and only had one rule on the boat - no empty rum punch cups.
A full day of sea life, crystal clear water, and unlimited rum punch? I could’ve done this tour every day I was in Caye Caulker and not gotten bored of it.
3. Scuba Dive
On a similar note - if you are also a scuba diving kinda person (or if you would like to be! Plenty of places to get certified:) the dive sites along the reefs here are INSANE. I’ve never dove with any other type of sharks other than nurse sharks, and Belize delivered. On one single dive I saw 11 different reef sharks, a sea turtle, an ancient LOGGERHEAD turtle, nurse sharks, and more.
Diving here is a little more pricey than places like Thailand, so on my backpacker budget, I was only able to go on 2 dives. My favorite site that I went to was Esmeralda Canyons.
One super cool experience you can have if you’re a diver is to dive the infamous Blue Hole. It was too pricey for me, but it is a 3 hour boat ride out to the sinkhole (I imagine the fuel costs are a big factor in the price!), includes 3 dives, lunch, and the boat ride back. It’s a long day and a lot of fuel so I understand the price, I just couldn’t swing it! It is a bucket list item though if it is in the cards for you.
JUST A REASON TO GO BACK. That’s what I have to tell myself :’)
4. Visit the Blue Hole
Another way to visit the Caye Caulker Blue Hole is not by sea - but by air! Tropic Air Belize offer small plane rides over this iconic landmark, and while it is just a flight there and back, it really lets you really appreciate the beauty of the Blue Hole.
If you visit this natural wonder to scuba dive, you simply can’t tell that you’re on top of something incredible. It’s really hard to distinguish the difference between depths and colors from a boat on the surface of the ocean, so while you can tell that you’re diving the Blue Hole because of the stalactites and rock formations you’re swimming through, it truly is a whole new world when you’re able to take it in from the air.
Definitely a splurge, but flying over the blue hole is one thing to do in Caye Caulker that would be so worth it!
5. Sunset at the Iguana Reef Inn
Nowhere does a sunset quite like Caye Caulker - but here’s the secret: not all Caye Caulker sunset locations are created equal. You might think that The Split would be the best place to watch the sun set, and while the view might remain the same, you’ll have way more fun if you mosey on down to the other side of the island to Iguana Reef Inn.
No worries! You don’t have to be a guest there to enjoy their little slice of beach, but there is a bar and typically someone selling small fish so that you can get the most out of every sunset. What do you need the fish for, you might ask? Oh - to feed the stingrays, of course!
Every sunset, without fail, huge stingrays flock to this particular corner of the island in hopes of finding a little evening snack! They are so used to people that they’ll come right up and rest on top of your feet, let you pet them, and come back consistently every night as soon as the sun starts to set.
I’m telling you, not a single night went by on Caye Caulker that we didn’t spend the sunset with the resident stingrays. I actually got quite attached to them, really. I think of those sweet little rays quite frequently :)
6. Breakfast - obviously
Listen - breakfast is the most important meal of the day after all, and luckily, Caye Caulker has some killer options.
Number one on our list is Ice and Beans! Although geared towards tourists, she stole our hearts regardless. Ice and Beans is right on the water, with cute picnic tables out back. They sell all the must-haves, coffee, bagels, smoothies, and more. The staff is so friendly, and they even knew our names by the end of our stay and insisted we return.
FINE. pull my leg ;)
The other, more ~local~ place to go, is Errolyn’s House of Fryjacks. A fryjack is a fried piece of dough, and at Errolyn’s, they stuff them with all the usual breakfast fare. Bacon, cheese, sausage, scrambled eggs… its like a Caribbean breakfast burrito. Heaven on earth.
It may seem trivial, but every day that I woke up on Caye Caulker I was excited because a new day meant another breakfast. They’re seriously SO GOOD.
7. Volunteer at the animal shelter
One of my favorite things about Caye Caulker was all the island dogs. They were all so friendly and kinda communally owned by the locals. All the locals know each and every dog’s name, and the dogs wander from The Split down to Ice and Beans, and I even woke up with two puppies sleeping under my bed at my hostel one morning! ANGELS.
Obviously they aren’t all in perfect health, and many of them are kept at the local animal shelter. It’s located smack in the middle of the island, and if you need to kill an hour or two, go play with some dogs or volunteer to take a few of them on a walk!
8. Book a fishing charter
Now if I’m being honest, this one isn’t really my speed BUT - I have heard amazing things from other people! If you want to be out on the water but not necessarily IN the water, consider a fishing charter. There are half days, full days, and multi-day trips that you can take where you catch, grill, and eat what you catch.
I talked to a few people in my hostel who did a multi-day trip and they caught Barracuda, Mackerel, Red snapper, sardines, and more. They spoke super highly about the experience, but I chose to go scuba diving instead. My budget was only so big after all!
9. Feed the Tarpon
Okay - now while some of the snorkeling tours out there will take you to see the tarpon, ours spent way more time out at the Hol Chan Marine reserve, which is why I booked that one anyways! I didn’t feel like I was going to be missing anything, as there’s somewhere else on the island where you can feed the tarpon. What exactly ~are~ tarpon, you might ask? Well, they’re these huge, scary, BONY fish with teeth, incredible eyesight, and CRAZY reflexes. nbd.
If you simply type “tarpon” into google maps while on Caye Caulker, you’ll be led to a little dock where the tarpon hang out, coaxed there by a local family who have made a little business out of selling you smaller fish to feed to the much larger fish. It’s definitely worth buying a small bowl of fish to split between you and your friends - you do NOT all need your own. It’s actually quite a hilariously terrifying experience, one that you probably can do with only experiencing one time.
I personally only had the nerve to try this twice - it’s genuinely anxiety inducing and hilarious.
Basically, you hold your fish’s tail between your flat fingers (FLAT. make a hard palm and shove the tail in between your fingers), hold your hand out over the water, and basically wait for the massive tarpon to come leaping out of the water to grab it. They’ll hit your hand with their bony faces but it’s not painful - just jarring!
The crazy thing is that if you throw your fish, the entire school of tarpon will chase it down while it’s still in the air?? and jump out and snatch it out of thin air before it hits the water?? I don’t even have that much coordination when ~I’m~ trying to catch something, let alone if I had a barrier of ripply, distort-y water separating me and said object. If you think too long about it, it’s actually CRAZY.
10. Eat fresh lobster
The food in Caye Caulker is unmatched - and I’m not just talking about fryjacks. Here in Belize, you can have the freshest lobster for SO cheap. My first day there, I got a whole lobster with rice and veg for $10 - and while that’s not exactly backpacker prices, it definitely beats a restaurant in America! My favorite place to indulge was Chef Kareems Unbeliezable lunch - its just a little grill in the middle of the island near some picnic tables! The grill everything the fishermen caught that day - it doesn’t get fresher than that.
Another place to go is Elba’s Little Kitchen. The menu of the day changes frequently, and it’s run out of a family’s personal home! The setting is a little out of the ordinary, but everything is home cooked and since it’s run out of their own kitchen, the hospitality and overall experience are something you definitely need to do while in Caye Caulker.
That wraps up my top 10 things to do in Caye Caulker!
I really did myself dirty and ruined my whole trip by visiting Caye Caulker first - KIDDING - but for real, Caye Caulker was one of the most special destinations I have ever visited. It truly felt so comfortable, so easy, so like HOME (even after only 6 days) that I constantly think about the time I spent there, the people I met, and the things I was able to see and experience.
There are so many things to do in Caye Caulker; even though it is such a tiny little slice of paradise, I could’ve spent a month there easily. In fact, if everything ever turns upside down, I wouldn’t mind escaping for a while and working at a dive shop and exploring everything the ocean around Belize has to offer!
It brings me so much comfort to know that as an American living on the East Coast, Caye Caulker is never too far out of reach. I can’t wait to go back and experience even more.
