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Don’t go with anyone but Chocolate on a manatee tour. Yes, it’s his real name! He probably knows more about these creatures than anyone else on earth, and has worked for decades to protect them and their habitat. He’s quite the local character - a very brown, very weathered 76 year-old man with a bushy white mustache. He doesn’t do a boat tour every day, so plan ahead, and bring your own lunch (it’s a full day tour – you go snorkelling at Sargeant’s Caye after seeing the manatees). His stories about the manatees, the history of the area, and his own life are worth it.
The manatees like to stay under water, surfacing just enough to stick their noses out and get some more air, so don’t expect to get an awesome picture of them. We saw quite a few, and they came quite close to the boat. This was okay because once you’re in Swallow Caye Marine Reserve they slow the boat way down, and sometimes just turn the motor off completely and pole the boat around, so as not to injure the manatees.
We had a very special treat the day we went out – a manatee playing and surfacing with a dolphin! Chocolate said in all his years he’d never seen anything like it. Lucky us!
Cost - $90BZ ($45US) Leave a Comment Address: Front StreetPhone: 501-226-0151Directions: up towards The SplitOther Contact: e-mail: chocolate@btl.net
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For something different to do, kayak along the shore of the north island. This would be a treat for bird lovers especially – we saw many egrets and herons. Many hotels have kayaks their guests can use for free, and rent them to the general public. We crossed the Split and paddled up the west side of the northern part of the island, which is mostly uninhabited. The shoreline is a tangle of mangroves and looks pretty inaccessible, except for a couple of docks along the way. It looks just like my idea of the Mosquite Coast (and was indeed called that), but fortunately minus actual mosquitoes!
We came across this little hut in the water not long after we crossed the Split and started paddling north. Looks like it's gone to the birds. Leave a Comment
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Belize has the second largest barrier reef in the world, after Australia’s, so don’t miss snorkelling here. The water’s pretty shallow around much of it, and there are tons of colorful fish to enjoy. Their natural inclination is to hide from you if you’re swimming all around, so just stop and float for a bit around some coral, and they’ll come out to have a peek at you and go about their business once you’re not splashing around. You’ll also come across lots of conchs on the ocean floor, in their beautiful shells. There are bunches of tour guides who set up shop on Front Street to take you here or on any snorkelling or diving tour you want. Leave a Comment
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The Split is a popular places for visitors to hang out, sunbathe, and swim. You’ll read that The Split, which divides the island into Northern and Southern halves, was created by Hurricane Hattie in 1961. This is only part of the story. The hurricane only cut a five foot channel through the middle of the island. Since then people dredged it to make it much wider, so boats could go through. Its appearance is very third-world – just a few spots of sand, with a lot of concrete with steel girders broken up by the hurricane and never repaired. No wide sandy beach here! Very undeveloped and laid-back. A bar called the Lazy Lizard calls this spot home, and serves up a great piña colada made with the local rum. Leave a Comment Directions: north end of the southern island of Caye Caulker
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The island was actually a lot longer but it was divided in two by hurricane Hattie in 1961. Most of the northern island is a nature reserve today, and there is almost nothing built there. One day you should rent a kayak or canoe and go paddling around the island. It really feels like you are in a National Geographic documentary when you are paddling around the mangrovetrees on the island with plenty of fishes jumping around the boat. Bring a snorkelmask, water and some food and you have a great day out. Leave a Comment
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There are three main parallel streets on Caye Caulker. Front Street is the main street, where all the tour operators and almost all of the restaurants are. It’s quite lively, and at times can be full of pedestrians, bicyclists, and golf carts. It would be easy never to venture off this street. But the further back you go, the less touristy and the more Belizean it gets. To see mostly locals, take a stroll or a bike ride down the middle street and the back street. You’ll see lots of little children (playing marbles in the street is popular), a few local stores and churches, and homes which are nothing more than shacks. A real slice of life, and a reminder that this is the third world. Leave a Comment
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It's fantastic to watch the sunset. And it's a lot easier to see it than the sunrise as it is in the afternoon, and not in the early morning... ;) A great place to see it is at the Lazy Lizard at the split. Sit on the sand with your feet in the water while fishes swim around, and listen to reaggae from the bar. But pay attention to the sun, because in just a few minutes it's gone. It goes really quick.
Click here for more pictures. Leave a Comment
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You really have to go snorkelling when you are here!!! There are incredible things to see even close to land. Even if you can't swim it's not so deep and you can just stand in the sea with the mask. Close to the split (the public beach) we saw all kinds of fishes, even sharks and rays!
If you want to see more you can go on one of the many trips that are offered all around the island. The second largest coralreef in the world is just a short boattrip away, and there are plenty of great places for snorkelling both on the island and out at sea. Leave a Comment
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Even if you really hate to wake up early (like me...), you should really set the alarmclock and get up and see the sunrise at least once. Believe me, it's worth it! It's really amazing to see the sun rising up from the sea in just a few minutes, and then suddenly it's high up in the sky. Sit on the beach, watch the sun, listen to the birds singing and see the fishes jumping.
It's a fantastic experience! Leave a Comment
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The southern end of the inhabited part of Caye Caulker consists of crocodile and bird-nesting areas that are still relatively undeveloped in comparison to the main part of town. As you leave the built up area and walk toward the Airport, you will gradually come to this part of the island, which will give you a bit of a chance to see some of the more natural appearance of the Caye.
The Caye Caulker branch of the Belize Tourism Industry Association has established a Mini-Reserve along the eastern side, near the airport. It features small signs identifying some of the different species of trees that are found on the island, such as this White Mangrove tree we came upon growing just off the beach. Mangroves are a very interesting species of tree, living in both salt and fresh water in locations where the temperatures do not drop below 19 C or fluctuate by more than 10 C within a short time period. The aerial roots that you see in the photo allow the mangroves to take root in poor soils because the trees actually absorb the required oxygen through these above water roots.
If you are really brave, the Association even says that you can try swimming at the south end of the Caye. They report that "Snorkeling among the mangrove roots there is a rewarding experience. There are many colourful anemones, sponges, gorgonians, and large numbers of fish among the mangrove roots." Humm, what about those crocodiles!? Leave a Comment Directions: Near the Airport, on the eastern side of the island
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on February 26, 2005
on November 10, 2004
on March 15, 2006
