Trip Report: Belize
Visited in March 2024
I don’t recall ever taking an international flight on such a small aircraft. On Tropic Air, Belize’s national airline, we were among the 10 passengers on a petite propeller plane that took us from Honduras to Belize. It felt as if we were crossing a national border aboard a private plane rather than a commercial airline. Anyways, I had just arrived in my 169th country, and I was more than excited.
Belize had been on my bucket list for a long time. As a tropical haven in Central America, it was the only country in the region I primarily associated with beach holidays. Moreover, Belize is the sole English-speaking nation in Central America, having once been a British colony. This was a refreshing change after spending nearly ten days in Spanish-speaking countries.
For Kati and me, Belize represented the “vacation part” of our three-week journey through Central America. Particularly during extended trips, such as those lasting three weeks or more, I believe it’s crucial to have a break where you can enjoy your time without a daily itinerary. Belize, with its sandy beaches, turquoise waters, and Caribbean ambiance, seemed to be perfect for this.
We arrived in Belize City about thirty minutes ahead of schedule, where the country’s international airport is situated. This would have been convenient, but regrettably, the driver from our hotel did not consider it necessary to monitor the flight. This resulted in an almost 45 minute-long outside the arrival hall. Since the driver also had our pre-arranged ferry ticket voucher, taking another taxi would not have been an option.
The driver’s delay (if you can call it that) caused a stressful start at the ferry terminal in Belize City, bound for Caye Caulker. The ferry operates every 90 minutes, and the next one was about to leave in a few minutes. Upon our arrival, we promptly collected our tickets for the imminent departure. However, we were informed that our luggage would have to follow on the next ferry, 90 minutes later, without us.
But ultimately, we also missed boarding the ferry. The terminal operates on a first-come, first-served basis, and the couple ahead of us in line were the last to be admitted. Thus, we were required to wait 90 minutes for the departure of the next ferry. Needless to say, we could have used that time more effectively. It’s wise to arrive early for this ferry to avoid such situations.
Therefore, our start in Belize was a bit annoying. The situation could have been avoided with a bit more foresight from our driver. Nonetheless, our day was otherwise without any schedule and we did not miss anything because of that. After a 90-minute wait, we embarked on the hour-long journey to Caye Caulker, our home for the next three days.
Caye Caulker is probably the most visited place in Belize. It is a quaint island, particularly the southern section, as a hurricane in the 1960s cleaved the island into two distinct parts: the northern and southern. The southern part buzzes with tourists and hosts the majority of hotels. The so-called Split separates the northern and southern part and has become a favored gathering spot on the island.
Caye Caulker gives a quintessential Caribbean ambiance with its palm trees, colorful small houses, and the signature turquoise-blue sea often seen in the Caribbean. In my opinion, the island looks more like the islands in the Lesser Antilles than Central America. The inhabitants, of African descent as the British relocated African slaves during the colonial era, further distinguish Belize from its Central American counterparts.
For transportation, you can rent a bicycle or a golf cart. The island’s compact size means that any destination is just a short bike ride away. Alternatively, walking is always an option on this little island.
Yet, I have to say that Caye Caulker is a tourist hell. If you are looking for a tranquil haven here, you may find the island disappointing. ‘The Split,’ as it’s known, epitomizes this with its blaring music and party atmosphere, which we found quite unpleasant.
The majority of tourists on Caye Caulker were Americans, along with a significant number of Europeans. Many combine Belize with Guatemala, likely with the same notion we had: to unwind in Belize’s waters after an adventurous itinerary in Guatemala.
Kati really hated the island’s party atmosphere and found the island awful on the first day. Even though I did not find Caye Caulker terrible, it was also a bit too much for my taste. The negative impacts of tourism were evident, with daily drug offers to us and a generally pushier behavior from the locals compared to other Central American places we visited. Somehow I had the feeling that tourists on the island were seen by many as human ATMs and treated accordingly.
However, what was even more problematic than the tourism issue was the unexpected reality that Caye Caulker is not a great island for a ‘beach vacation’. The island lacks notable beaches, and the sea is riddled with seaweed. Despite this, many still tout ‘The Split’ as the prime swimming spot, but like I said before, the loud music, especially near the Lazy Lizard, was in my opinion a nuisance.
Although there are certain areas on the island suitable for swimming, you need to find them first. Sophie’s Guest Rooms offers a small, seaweed-free beach area. Similarly, the Iguana Reef Inn provides a pleasant beach stretch with a bar, and the opportunity to observe stingrays and pelicans being fed in the late afternoon, making it a worthwhile visit even for those who prefer not to swim, particularly around 4 PM.
Additionally, we ventured to the North Island and spent an afternoon at the Bliss Beach Resort, which just opened a few weeks earlier. Guests are welcome to use the beach and sunbeds (which were fully occupied when we arrived in the early afternoon) provided they get something from the bar occasionally. It was not a perfect beach but still better than many on the southern part of Caye Caulker.
Our trip also included some highlights unrelated to swimming. For instance, we booked a flight over the Great Blue Hole, Belize’s most famous attraction. It’s a coral ring surrounding a vast underwater sinkhole within the Lighthouse Reef Atoll, offering diving and snorkeling opportunities, or an aerial view from a small plane.
In Belize, diving and snorkeling are prime activities due to the stunning marine life. The Belize Barrier Reef is the world’s second-largest reef system after Australia’s Great Barrier Reef. You can book various diving and snorkeling excursions from Caye Caulker. As we are not into these activities, we skipped it.
We also took a bicycle tour around the southern part of the island. Among other sites, we visited what could be the most picturesque cemetery in the world. Additionally, we took a brief side trip to the Caye Caulker airstrip. Interestingly, the island boasts an airport that provides connections to the mainland.
By the way, Belize was the most expensive destination among the four Central American countries on this trip. The hotel costs were higher than elsewhere, yet the quality was relatively lower, although still acceptable.
Regrettably, our last day brought another letdown when the Blue Hole flight did not happen due to poor weather conditions. The haze that day significantly reduced visibility. We had the option to fly regardless, but the view would have been poor.
At least, our tour operator Tsunami Adventures gave us the choice, as many tour operators might proceed with the flights regardless of conditions, citing their inability to control the weather. Nonetheless, it was a disappointment. With the closure of the Masaya volcano in Nicaragua, and now missing the Great Blue Hole, we were unable to experience two of the highlights I had anticipated most on this journey.
Besides, it was frustrating that this flight was on our third and final day on Caye Caulker. Booking a flight was challenging since both Tropic Air and Maya Island Air, the two main operators, did not have any seat available. It was only after contacting several travel agencies that one was able to arrange a charter flight for us on our last day.
The following day, we continued from Belize to Guatemala. Initially, we returned from Caye Caulker to Belize City by ferry, the same one-hour ferry ride we took three days ago in the opposite direction. Upon arrival, we got the information that our bus to Guatemala has a delay of three hours. Having anticipated potential delays, we ended up waiting nearly five hours at the ferry terminal before we finally left.
So, what did I think of Belize respectively Caye Caulker? Frankly, my time there was decent, but I had expected a bit more from Caye Caulker. The island wasn’t unpleasant, yet it was a bit too touristy for my taste.
Perhaps, I just visited the wrong place in Belize. Ambergris Caye for example, not an island but a peninsula that borders Mexico. It is not far from Caye Caulker by the way. While Caye Caulker caters to backpackers, Ambergris Caye seem to be more posh with resorts, fancy restaurants and so on. Since I found Caye Caulker a bit “cheap” in certain aspects, Ambergris might have been the better choice.
Interestingly, I learned that not only is Caye Caulker not an ideal beach destination, but also Belize overall has fewer pleasant beaches than one might expect. The coastline does not consist of an uninterrupted expanse of white sand, and indeed, the truly nice beaches are scarce.
Generally, Belize seems to cater more to diving and snorkeling enthusiasts. This is one of the main things to do here and if you’re not into that, I am not sure if Belize is more than just a “beach add-on” to Guatemala (well, without having a large number of beaches…). You can also explore Mayan ruins in Belize, by the way. Especially Xunantunich looks nice, but since we were going to visit Tikal in Guatemala shortly after, we didn’t consider exploring the Mayan sites in Belize.
Would I return to Belize? To be honest, I think it is a bit unlikely in the near future. It’s not that Caye Caulker was bad, but I just don’t feel an urgency to see more of Belize. Thus, Belize, along with Honduras, didn’t stand out to me in Central America. Nonetheless, Guatemala promised to be the highlight of our trip…
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