When you go on a trip through eight countries you are bound to get the question- what was your favorite place? For me, that was easy....BELIZE. I absolutely fell in love with the lush tropical country, the culture and the local cuisine. We spent the next week on various islands, indulging in fresh caught lobster, and snorkeling through the worlds second largest barrier reef!
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| Welcome to the island life.... |
We landed in Belize City after a quick layover back in America and headed straight to the island of Caye Caulker- only a 45 minute boat ride from the Belize City port. From the minute my feet hit the island I was in love. There are no real roads or cars on Caye Caulker, only sandy walkways and golf carts.We planned to stay two nights and ended up staying four nights in this paradise. We spent our days taking in the sun, swimming in the crystal blue waters, having massages on the beach, and lobsters for lunch. It truly was a magical paradise, and we felt like we were finally on vacation. If I had to recommend one place to visit in Belize it is 100 % Caye Caulker, so here are five highlights/recommendations for the island!
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| Rainbow over the water! |
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| Sunset on the island |
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| Go slow, the island life. |
1. The main beach and swim spot to hangout at is The Split so don't settle down anywhere else. Located at the end of the island, The Split is where Hurricane Hattie hit and divided the island. Today, visitors spend their days laying out on the docks of the split and enjoying drinks at The Lazy Lizard. Their specialty drink is "lizard juice," it's green and I still am not quite sure what it is, but try it out for yourself! You can even swim across to the deserted island that literally split off from the mainland. Just ask any local where The Split is and they will happily point you in the right direction.
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| Enjoying the sunset on the split |
2. The island is known for its seafood and you will catch cooks grilling up lobster and snapper on every corner. We tried a ton of seafood, but by far the best meal we indulged in was at Rose's. They have all of their local catch of the day laid out and you hand pick your piece. It may take awhile to get your food but that is only because they are cooking it to perfection. After three days of constantly eating lobster, Rose's outdid every other place and exceeded my expectations. The tender meat was seasoned beautifully and melted in my mouth.
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| Our first lobster feast! |
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| Chris and Nelle finishing their dinner at Rose's |
3. On our third day we found a hammock spot where for $5 you get a reserved hammock on the beach plus access to Wifi! It was a great place to take a nap and catch up on emails while till enjoying the beach...plus, we love hammocks!
4. Fry jacks- a Caye Caulker specialty and the best bargain on the island. The fry jack shack is only open certain days at irregular times, but there is always a crowd. A fry jack is fried dough stuffed with your choice of meat, cheese and eggs. They are simply incredible and only $3-$5 depending on your filling! The best breakfast and hangover cure is fry jacks and fresh watermelon juice from the stand next door...don't miss out! Side note- I don't have any pictures of fry jacks because I usually consumed them way too quickly to get a snap shot!
5. People from all over the world come to Belize to snorkel and dive the barrier reef so the island is filled with tour offices offering 1-7 day snorkel and dive trips. After four nights on Caye Caulker we decided to hop on Ragamuffin's 3 day sailing/snorkeling/fishing/camping trip from Caye Caulker to Placencia, Belize in the south. It was a great experience, minus the fact that I get seasick. We spent our days taking in sun on the sailboat and snorkeling along the way. As we journeyed from Caye Caulker to Placencia we camped out on Rendezvous Caye and Tobacco Caye, much smaller islands, but beautiful nonetheless. Our meals consisted of whatever fish we caught that day, and they were some of the best meals of the trip- Thanksgiving dinner was lobster and snapper! Although we lead groups and camp for a living, it was nice to be travelers for once and just relax on the trip.
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Preparing to dock at Rendezvous Caye
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| Nelle and I enjoying the sunset on the private island- Rendezvous Caye |
After our sailing trip we landed in Placencia where we would stay for one night before going our separate ways. The town was much quieter and fairly desolate compared to Caye Caulker. However, it was off season and I can only imagine how busy it must get during the summer with its' beautiful beaches and colorful cottages. We spent one final night with the group at the Tipsy Tuna, a beachfront bar known for its nightlife. The next morning we were up early...the boys were flying to Mexico to pick up the car, and Nelle and I were about to begin what would be the craziest chicken bus adventure through Guatemala!
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| The whole group when we docked in Placencia |
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