We love Belize. Especially Ambergris Caye and the town of San Pedro.
Amazing views 
amazing colors 
From the pier
If you have never even heard of Belize, I will start with some brief information about the country. It is on the eastern coast of Central America situated between Mexico to the north and Guatemala to the south. They are independent and English speaking. The best part is that the Caribbean Sea is to the east. Ambergris Caye is the largest island of Belize and the town of San Pedro is on that island. The main attraction is the Belize Barrier Reef as it is the second largest barrier reef in the world and visible from the island.
Once you land on the island, there are many great places to stay. There are places for every budget and every personality. I have another whole blog on our favorite places to stay. This one is on our favorite things to do – in no particular order.
The day trip to The Blue Hole is a fantastic experience for both divers and snorkelers. We have been several times with Amigos Del Mar Dive Shop and with Ramon’s. (The boat at Amigos Del Mar is larger which gives you a little more room to move about) You leave early in the morning, like 5:30, and board a dive boat normally with around 20 other people. They serve a breakfast of fruit and cinnamon bread before you head out. It is a two to two and a half hour ride out to The Blue Hole. (Tip: We highly recommend that you check out the sea conditions before you book – it is a long ride on the open ocean and if the seas are rough it can be difficult. Dramamine is also helpful if you have a tendency to seasickness.) When you arrive at the Blue Hole, snorkelers get to swim around the reef that creates the hole and divers go down into it. I think that while this is a great first stop and definitely something to check off of the bucket list, for me the snorkeling is better at the next two stops. The next stop is Half Moon Caye island (named for its shape), where half of the island is now reserved as a bird sanctuary for the red footed booby. This island is absolutely amazing. It is one of the islands in the Lighthouse Reef Atoll and is absolutely breathtaking. After almost an hour of snorkeling the reef around the island, they provide a lunch of fruit and chicken and rice and beans and then allow you some time to explore the island. The last stop is called the Aquarium and it is my favorite stop. The depth of this one is perfect , not as shallow as the island reef. When the waves and current are not too bad, it is amazing to snorkel this reef and see all of the coral and sea life. We have seen sharks, octopus, sting ray, eels, turtles and of course dozens of species of beautifully colored fish. Then you still have the long boat ride back home. And if you are not careful, you will be sunburned. (Tip: take a stronger sunscreen than you normally use. Reapply often. And bring long sleeved clothes and hats to cover up in on the boat ride. ) This is an amazing snorkel trip and well worth the journey and the sunburn.
Boat to the Blue Hole 
The reef at Half Moon Caye 
Half Moon Caye 
Lunch at Half Moon Caye
A full day fish and snorkel trip with beach lunch can be booked at your resort or at many of the local dive and tour shops. We love this experience. A local fishing/snorkeling guide will come to your dock (or a public dock) to pick you up in the morning. You will go out fishing (sometimes they already have bait ready but if you book at the last minute, they may have to take you to get bait and they are amazing at casting the bait nets to catch the little fish). You fish for the morning and if it is lobster season they may also let you snorkel and dive for lobster. At lunchtime they will take you to a beach area and cook the fish and lobster you have caught with peppers and onions and tortillas. Perhaps the best fish lunch you will ever eat. Then you can stop at a few of the spectacular spots for snorkeling and head back in the afternoon. Our whole family loves this trip. (Tip: Again be prepared for a lot of sun – use strong sunscreen, reapply and bring long clothes.)
amazing colors 
Fishing! 
our boat
The snorkel trip to Hol Chan and Shark Ray Alley is another amazing trip and it can be done in half a day. You can meet at the dock of the place that you book the trip or they will send a boat to your resort to pick you up. You will get on a boat with other guests and head out to the reef. While you can see the reef from the island and at some spots, kayak or swim out to it, a boat is the easiest way to get to specific places along the reef. And there are different kinds of boats to choose from. You can choose a sailboat or a catamaran or a fishing/snorkeling boat. In this case you are going out to the Hoy Chan Marine reserve which is a protected area and because of that, the fish species are amazing. Nearby is Shark Ray Alley where fishermen have cleaned their catch for years and because of that the nurse sharks and sting ray congregate there. The guides will let you actually feel or touch the rays and sharks if you want to. This is a really fun trip and a great way to see and touch species of sea life that you might otherwise never get to. Amazing!
Nurse sharks 
coral 
Snorkeling
The sunset catamaran tour – There are a couple of places that offer this tour. Check with your resort but I think Seaduced by Belize and Catamaran Belize are two that offer it. This is a really amazing way to catch the sunset. You meet them at the pier and load onto the catamaran and it just cruises inside the reef and down to the end of the island to watch the sun go down – it is beautiful and so much fun being on the water.
Spend the day at Secret Beach. We packed up after breakfast and headed over by golf cart. It is a pretty long drive from San Pedro. You head north, over the bridge and past the resorts to the North – Grand Caribe, Captain Morgans and Coco Beach are a few of them. Keep going when the road turns to dirt and then take a left and go three more miles across the middle of the island. On the bay side, there is beautiful blue-green shallow water that extends a long way out. Great for swimming, floating, paddling or just hanging out. There are several restaurants and bars with pretty good food. The first one right past the SECRET BEACH sign is Pirates but you can drive or walk up and down from there and there are several more places that offer chairs, umbrellas, swings, hammocks and inner tubes if you eat or drink at their place. Great place to spend the day in the water and because it is on the bay side, the seaweed that sometimes plagues the island is blocked.
The water at Secret Beach 
Secret Beach 
Chairs 
The deck at Secret Beach
Spend the day at Caye Caulker. We packed up after breakfast and caught the water taxi at 10:00 (Tip: check the schedule for times and get there a little early to make sure you can get a ticket.) The trip by ferry is about thirty minutes and a round trip ticket is about 25 dollars a person. Caye Caulker is much smaller and much more laid back. It has one main street with lots of shops and guest houses and restaurants and bars. If you walk to the end of the street, you will end up at The Split (named because the island was split by a hurricane and literally split.) The Lazy Lizard is a restaurant and bar at the split and has a place for swimming and diving and eating and hanging out. (Tip: You can rent the two cabanas behind the bar for some shade and a great place to relax.)
Caye Caulker 
On the street 
At the Split 
The cabanas
Get a Massage on the beach or over the water. Our favorite place is Ocean Essence Day Spa. They are behind the Caribbean Villas and right on the dock over the water. The ladies are great and what a great atmosphere for a massage. There are other spas on the beach and some resorts have their own at the resort.
Relax on the beach, by the pool or on a pier. Most of the resorts have a pool, a beach area and/or a pier. The breezes off of the water make all of those great locations to bring a book, grab a frozen concoction and spend the day. The end of the pier is my personal favorite – I love to sit out over the water and some of them have swimming areas right off of the pier.
On the pier 
Pool time 
Hammock time 
On the Beach
Take a tour of the island on your own. Rent a golf cart and head north and south. There are so many things to see in town and out of town. The south of the island has restaurants and resorts even past the paved road all the way down on the dirt road. And the north of the island has The Truck Stop and bars and restaurants and shops and resorts and then the turn to Secret Beach. It is a great sightseeing adventure to just check it all out. (Tip: take sunscreen and bug spray especially during rainy season)
Golf Carts 
The Truck Stop 
Street North of the bridge 
Street south of San Pedro
Book a trip to the mainland for cave tubing, zip-lining and the Mayan ruin tours. From the island you can book an excursion back to the mainland. The cave tubing is amazing. There is some hiking involved but the cave area is so beautiful. The zip-lining is not for the faint of heart. You have a small practice zip-line and then a long zip line over the river. Absolutely breathtaking in more ways than one. And the Mayan Ruins are really fantastic also. You can climb to the top of one of the ruins at the Xunantunich site. (Tip: take sunscreen and bug spray)
Thank you for reading and I hope you go and check out the island of Ambergris Caye! For more information check out my blog posts for places to stay and restaurants we love. I also have some blogs with a day by day journal that may help with planning a trip.