Alright guys I am terribly behind on my blog posts due to having no internet for an extended period of time. I’m hoping to catch up within the next few days so bare with me 😀
Caye Caulker for those of you who don’t know it is a small island(8.0 km) (north to south) by less than 1 mile (1.6 km) (east to west) about 45 minutes by ferry from Belize city in Belize. What originally drew me to Belize was it’s reputation of having a chilled laid back rasta vibe. That and the fact that it was very backpacker friendly. With that in mind I left The ruins of Tulum Mexico on an overnight shuttle bus with ADO to Belize city and caught the 6:30am water taxi to Caye Caulker.
Upon arriving I immediately fell in love!
With its friendly rasta locals (Who all spoke English and streets that oozed endless charm this place screamed Caribbean island to me. I loved how small it was and in the week that I stayed there everything became so familiar.
Boat on Caye Caulker
Streets of Caye Caulker
More streets of Caye Caulker
In terms of hostels there are two main one’s on the island Yuma’s which is located right next to where the water taxi lands and Bella’s which is located near the back of the island.
Bella’s Hostel
After hearing really positive reviews about both of these hostels I opted for Bella’s due to the fact that I heard that Yumaz has a strict no guest policy and has a no noise policy after midnight. As I wanted to party it up a bit I went to Bella’s. They have dorm rooms for $20 Belize ($10 USD) or a private for $25 Belize ($12.50 USD). After a night in the dorm a private loft style room became available which I snatched up,With views of the ocean.
This is the best room i’ve had in a hostel!!!!
View from my private room
My Private room 😀
In terms of alcohol local Belize travelers rum is the poison of choice on Caye Caulker as you can buy 750ml of rum for $10.50 Belize ( $5.50 USD) which is way cheaper than a 6 pack of beer which sells for $20 Belize ($10 USD)
Besides drinking large amounts of rum, eating all the lobster I could get my hands on and lounging around in a hammock relaxing in the soothing winds of the Caribbean I went on a fishing and snorkeling tour.
Delicious lobster meal + fresh fruit for desert for $20 Belize ($10 USD)
The fishing tour cost $75 Belize ($37.50 USD) for a day of fishing, snorkeling for lobster and then eating all the spoils of the day personally cooked on their own little private island.
- Our rasta fisherman cook cooking up a feast 😀
Preparing fish we caught for cooking
All the lobsters we caught while snorkeling
Our rasta fisherman cook cooking up a feast 😀
We even got to see an awesome looking sea horse
Seahorse of Awesome!!!
Overall we had a great day and somehow managed to consume over 2 litres of rum between 6 people. The only casualty of the day was my thongs which I left on the private island never to be seen again.
The snorkeling was equally as fun a bunch of us at the hostel ended up going with a half day snorkeling tour for $45 Belize ($22.50 USD) we got to see a lot of interesting fish and coral and even got to wrangle a shark and sting ray.
Our crazy tour guide wrangling a shark and sting ray at the same time
Me Wrangling a shark
Overall I would highly recommend Caye Caulker to everyone. It’s such a great little relaxed island. I really had to drag myself off the island as I could have stayed there for weeks just chilling out
Sun setting on my final day in Caye Caulker
Wow, how good is that hostel room – and so cheap?! I only recently found your blog, it’s helping to keep me going till my bf and I leave for our trip in March; looking forward to hearing more about your travels!
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Very nice photos (that lobster!) I just returned from a trip to Central America, and although I found Caye Caulker OK, I did’t love it.
I did like, like you, the proper Caribbean feel and the rasta laid-back culture, but I was taken aback by the fact that there are no beaches in Cayer Caulker!! Ok, that may have been my fault, as I didn’t really research (going on a nearly 6-week long trip over seven countries, many of our stops were a bit rushed and research-less), but I honestly simply assumed the big appeal of being on the caribbean would be going to the beach! The weather also didn’t help, as we got major rainstorms coming and going thought our stay, so even a visit to the wooden “beach club” at the split wasn’t really an alternative. Maybe nicer weather may have changed my mind?
Having said that, I did LOVE the food in Caye Caulker. Every meal I ate was amazing, and not as expensive as everyone made it sound. Fresh lobster, delicious curries, spicy jerk chicken… amazing!
Claus G recently posted..Central America (October to November 2015)
Any chance you can remember the name of the guide that took you fishing and snorkeling for lobster?
Hey there: How’s the wifi/internet in Caye Caulkner? I’m looking to digitally work while hanging out there for awhile. Thanks!
I’m not sure on how the wifi/internet is on the island as I didnt really use anything other than the wifi on my phone from the hostel.
What was the name of the place you got the amazing-looking lobster? Thanks!
Ah I can’t remember, it was one of the places on the main street though