Belize 2026

On a cruise stop 15 years ago in Belize City we took a water taxi to Caye Caulker and we found the less developed and slow paced atmosphere of the Belize cayes to be somewhere to explore in the future. This was the perfect add on to our winter Central American trip but this time we chose to stay on the larger and more developed Ambergris Caye. We took a quick 15 minute plane ride out of Belize City on a tiny 10 passenger prop plane and loved it! After landing we quickly grabbed our bags and picked up a golf cart (they delivered it to the airport!) to explore the island for the week. We decided on a condo with a pool to the north of the downtown area which worked well because we could get into town easily but had a nice place to relax when we wanted. 

For the first few days we spent a lot of time exploring the southern and more populated end of the island in the golf cart.  The island does not have a lot of beaches and it also has a fair amount of sargassum which can become smelly if it is not removed.  As a result walking the beach is not as easy as on other destinations.  We made stops at several of the beach bars while we were there, including listening to a band from Montana.  They were great and the vibe was a lot of fun!  Hula Bar was where we made what we thought was a quick stop and ended up having beers on picnic tables in the water with a group we met from Portland……also lots of fun!  We also made a stop along the Main Street in downtown at one of the pop up local vendors on the roadside serving traditional jerk chicken with rice and beans.  El Fogon was a great restaurant in downtown that also served traditional Belizean food - a warning….be careful with the green salsa there.  It’s hot!

One of the greatest natural features of Belize is its barrier reef system (the 2nd largest in the world!) which separates it from the Caribbean and offers a home to a large ecosystem.  We hired a boat for an afternoon to take us out to experience it for ourselves.  Our first stop was the Hol Chan marine reserve where we spent an hour snorkeling with our guide who pointed out a ton of the sea life - we saw lots of different varieties including sea turtles, barracuda, puffer fish, parrot fish, snapper and many more.  Our next stop was “Shark Ray Alley” home to a huge group of nurse sharks who come there because fishermen would dump their leftovers after a day and attract the sharks.  As we pulled in and anchored the guide explained that he would use bait to draw in the nurse sharks on one side of the boat and we were to swim around from the other side to swim about 3 ft from them.  That sounds harmless until you do it and you are in the water with them watching them eat.  They were beautiful to see - at one point we counted a dozen total around the boat!

About 30 minutes away from the downtown area and located on the less developed west side of the island is Secret Beach which is not accurately named because it is no secret.  There is a nice beach area with several beach bar clubs where you can spend the day enjoying the beach and sun while having easy access to drinks and food. It’s worth the trip to spend some time there but it seems like it would be a party vibe if you catch it on a busy day. 

We also took an afternoon and caught the water taxi over to Caye Caulker to see it again after so many years.  It still had the less developed vibes but had definitely grown since we were there last.  As we walked around we had a chance to talk to a gentleman that was building and repairing crab and lobster pots - speaking with him and watching him work was a lot of fun.  We stumbled across an area near a beach bar where you could wade in the water with stingrays as they skimmed the tops of your feet swimming by - really wild! 

Ambergris Caye was a fun vibe! Make sure you try the salbutas and fry jacks!!!

1. Swimming with nurse sharks at Shark Ray Alley
2. Beers in the water at Hula Bar
3. Wading with the stingrays on Caye Caulker
4. Snorkeling at Hol Chan Marine Sanctuary Park
5. Traveling by golf cart
6. Plane ride from Belize City to Ambergris Caye
7. Listening to live music at NautiCrab

Lodging: Sunset Caribe 

Transportation

Tropic Air: 15 minute flight from BZE to Ambergris Caye

Golf Cart Rental: Rock's Golf Cart Rentals

Water taxi: Caribbean Sprinter

Restaurants

El Fogon

The Truck Stop

Pupuseria Salvadoreno

Nauti Crab

Hula Bar

Sandy Toes

Pirates at Secret Beach

Excursions

Nauti Addiction Fishing & Tours: Half day snorkel tour (Hol Chan & Shark Ray Alley)