Caye Caulker is another island off the coast of Belize, situated between San Pedro and Belize City. The island, as well as its only town, is much smaller than San Pedro, and you can more or less book the same scuba tours from here. However, it is closer to Belize’s highlight, the Blue Hole, making it easier to find dive centers that offer trips to this iconic site.
From San Pedro to Caye Caulker
The ferry between Belize City, Caye Caulker, and San Pedro runs about eight times per day and costs approximately 22 USD. The trip from San Pedro back south to Caye Caulker takes about half an hour. Easy peasy lemon squeezy.
Caye Caulker
There is not much to do on Caye Caulker. I arrived on Monday afternoon, hoping to visit the Blue Hole the next day, but for some reason, all dive centers only offered excursions on Wednesday. With the extra day, I rented a bike to explore the island, which is funnily split into two. A violent hurricane hit Belize in 1961 and created a channel in the middle of Caye Caulker, splitting it into two. Since then, this place has been iconically known as “The Split,” and you need to charter a ferry for a few dollars to cross the approximately 40-meter-wide gap.
The northern part of the island is much less populated but not very enjoyable for exploration, as there are many construction sites and dirt roads. To return, you stand on the dock and wave to the ferry to come and pick you up.
In the south of the island, there is a small airstrip for flights over the Blue Hole. During my bike ride, I came about 10 meters close to it, only separated through a small fence. I was lucky to see a plane departing while I was standing on the other side of the fence. Oh, and there were pink pelicans in that area too.
Caye Caulker doesn’t really have nice beaches, as most of its shores are mangroves, which are home to saltwater crocodiles. Sadly (or luckily?), I didn’t manage to spot any.
The Blue Hole
The Great Blue Hole is a one-of-a-kind, giant marine sinkhole located in Belize’s Lighthouse Reef Atoll, about 70 km off the coast. It measures over 300 meters across and 125 meters deep. This natural wonder was originally a limestone cave formed during the last Ice Age, over 150,000 years ago, when sea levels were much lower. As the ocean rose, the cave flooded and eventually collapsed, creating the iconic circular formation visible today. Inside, divers can explore massive stalactites and stalagmites, remnants of its time as a dry cave. Unlike typical recreational dives, there isn’t much marine life here, but descending 40 meters (if you have an advanced certification) into the abyss to swim among giant underwater stalactites is a unique experience. The whole day trip (which includes two other dives at beautiful reefs) is a pricey pleasure at around 400 USD. Coincidentally, that’s exactly what I saved by spending two nights in Hawaii by sleeping in a car, which is how I justified this expense in fron of my conscience.
Caye Caulker and the Blue Hole :
