I visited Belize during a 6 week Latin America trip in spring of 2022. It is the perfect Caribbean island stop after visiting the jungles of Guatemala and all the Maya ruins of Mexico and Guatemala (and anywhere else, even Belize has some in case you want to spend more time there). My trip to Belize, however, was limited only to Caye Caulker and I must admit: Caye Caulker was one of my favourite places I have ever visited on this planet. So I will follow up with all recommendations for a perfect 5 day travel itinerary Belize.
Ah and did you know: Belize is the only Latin America country in which the official country language is English! So even for you non-Spanish speaker, its an easy country to visit!
And btw: Belize is also totally worth it to come to JUST for Belize!! For me it was amazingly convenient like this, because I was already in the corner of that world but it is still fun to stay for 10 to 14 days in Belize.
What is Caye Caulker, Belize?
Caye Caulker is a tiny little island, in the middle of the Caribbean. In March 2022, its inhabitants summed up to around 1100 people and I highly doubt that this will change a lot, as the island is very very small and does not really offer more space to live than it does right now. The vibe on the island is very unique, surrounded by the most beautiful ocean with millions of animals, the island does not have many beaches, but amazing views and sunsets. I recommend spending 4-5 days there, as its the perfect place to relax and go snorkelling!!!
Best activities on the beautiful island Cay Caulker, Belize:
1. Best beach: the Koko King Water Taxi (every 30 minutes or something like that, no fixed schedule) takes you to the Northside Beach Club (for free) where you can (for free) use the loungers and co can use – best beach!
2. Iguana Reef Inn: From 4 p.m. you can pet the sting rays! It’s free, however, the employees want you to buy something, so go there around 4:30-5 p.m. so that most tourists leave and then the rays come out – then you can feed them small fish, there are also seahorses
3. Caye Caulker Animal Shelter: There is an animal shelter that you can visit for free or for a donation, with lots of little puppies and co
4. In the Namaste Cafe you can do morning yoga (for a little donation)! I believe it takes place everyday 🙂
Food/restaurants on Caye Caulker, Belize:
Food is relatively expensive, so here are my tips for okay food & cheap:
(Btw, if you’re lucky it’s lobster season again, then they’re grilling fresh lobster everywhere on the streets, Benjamin and I unfortunately missed that on the day, but it must be meeeega)
- Street food on Main Street (in the evening, there are wraps for 2-3€, fairly simple food)
- Quite okay Asian noodles for 3-4€ with the cutest service, who speaks neither English nor Spanish but almost certainly only Chinese: Panda Restaurant
- For breakfast: very typical Belizean “sandwich”, very cheap ~ 2€: Errolyn’s House of Fryjacks – must try!!
- More expensive (10-15€ per meal I think) but supposedly very good for eating fish: Steve’s Grill
- Only real bar, but good atmosphere and always “theme evenings” like Reggae and soooo: Sports Bar & Grill – Barrier Reef – just don’t drink there, unnecessarily expensive
- Largest supermarket: Enjoy Supermarket – we often just cooked a simple pasta with tomato sauce because it was good and cheap
Accommodation for the perfect 5 day itinerary Belize
Hostel: Travelers Palm Hostel – Benjamin and I slept there one night – very friendly and nice, you can rent kayaks for free, the kitchen is ok for cooking & we also booked the snorkeling tour for 80$ with them to “ friends” to go snorkeling together
There is another hostel I think that has just as good reviews on hostelworld & is probably good too!
The following nights we slept in the Airbnb – it’s even cheaper on site, you can also go there and ask for the cheapest room if you don’t feel like staying in a hostel after a night – I would only book at least the first night! (Breakfast is included in the Airbnb)
And Sophies Guesthouse is supposed to be great too!
Transport and border crossing to Mexico and Guatemala
Ferries to Caye Caulker from Belize City: Port: https://goo.gl/maps/bZnEsh3hoWehbKmz6
-> Be sure to download the offline map beforehand, you definitely don’t need a SIM card in Belize!
Belize City to border of Mexico (Bacalar):
Going from Caye Caulker to Bacalar takes almost the whole day, depending on how lucky you are with buses leaving. We took the around 9 am ferry from Cay Caulker and went to the following bus station: https://goo.gl/maps/9vgZRcF1RjLjc8wp6 W Collet Canal St / King St. At the bus station we looked for the bus to Corozal. There you have to take a taxi to the border of St. Elena (do not forget negotiating the taxi prices) and then take a taxi from there to the bus station of Chetumal or Bacalar directly (negotiate the prices, sometimes its even cheaper to go to Bacalar directly, especially when you find other people crossing the border too, as the ADO bus from Chetumal is around 4 Euros and takes 30 additional minutes).
Border crossing Guatemala-Belize:
We travelled from Guatemala to Belize with an organised tour that we booked in Flores. During the time of our trip, the entry to Belize was still limited due to Covid and as public transport in Guatemala is hard to understand, I was happy we chose the option. However, I am very convinced it is also possible without expensive shuttles, as Belize has a quite good public bus system.
Solo travel in Belize
Solo traveling in Belize is super easy! I can recommend it with my full heart, it is super easy to communicate with locals and a great Latin American country for a smooth start in the Latino culture, as Latino and Caribbean culture are very mixed.
Other places you could visit in Belize
– Caracol for Maya ruins
-Ignacio for the Green Iguana Conservation Project and Tubing / Waterfalls
Thank you for reading everything about my 5-day-trip Belize!
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