The Beautiful Island of Ambergris Caye
Ambergris Caye is the largest island in Belize and is known for its turquoise waters, water sports, snorkeling, and scuba diving. Off the Eastern shore is Belize’s barrier reef, which has created famous snorkeling and diving sites, such as the Hol Chan Marine Reserve and Mexico Rocks. Both of these, plus many other dive sites, have an abundance of sea life. This is also home to the famous Great Blue Hole, which is 406 feet deep. The main “city” on this island is San Pedro, with a population of a little over 11,000 residents. The main mode of transportation on the island is via a golf cart and it’s highly recommended to have one for your stay.
How to Get to Ambergris Caye
The quickest and most efficient way is to fly onTropic Air or Mayan Island Air (approx $170 round trip). It’s a quick (and beautiful) 15-minute flight from Belize City. Another option is to take apublic ferryfrom Belize City (approx. $19 each way), this is more economical but will take around 90 minutes. (Ferry travel time is shorter if coming from Caye Caulker).
Where to Stay in Ambergris Caye
There are so many different places to stay to suit your needs and budget (from hostels to 5-star properties and private villas of all sizes. We stayed a few nights at Alaia Belize, which we highly recommend if you’re looking for luxury accommodations.
If you are looking for accommodations for a large group, check out the villas at Brahma Blue. We had 10 people in our group and rented a 6- bedroom villa on this property with a plunge pool. We also had access to the pool at the Brahma Blue resort. The only caveat with staying here is that it is located across the lagoon from San Pedro. There is a boat shuttle that can take you back and forth at scheduled times or you can pay a small fee for an unscheduled departure. It was very peaceful in this private oasis in the evenings.
What We Did in Ambergris Caye
Scuba Diving - Belize is one of the best diving destinations in the world. If you are a scuba diver, this is something you must do while visiting. We had great dives, in the crystal clear turquoise waters, watching the many nurse and reef sharks swimming around, following the sea turtles, and taking in all of the beautiful views of the reef. There are many tour operators in Ambergris, but we planned all of our water activities with Xsite Belize Sailing & Adventures. We had a private diving experience and it was unbelievable. I highly recommend putting together your itinerary of activities with Xsite, you won’t be disappointed.
Catamaran Sail - Again we used Xsite Belize Sailing & Adventures to plan a day trip for our group of 10 people. This was a private excursion on one of their beautiful catamarans with an amazing crew. Our first stop was Hol Chan MarineReserve, four of us went diving, two did discover scuba (introductory scuba) and the rest snorkeled in this area. Turtles, manta rays, and stingrays are just a few of the marine animals you will see in this area whether you are diving or snorkeling.
The next stop was Shark Ray Alley, located inside of Hol Chan Marine Reserve. Long ago, when fishing was the main industry, fishermen would clean their fish in this area. Because of this the nurse sharks and stingrays flock to the boats, so you can either get in and snorkel with them(they are not dangerous) or if you’re not brave enough to get in the water while they are being fed, you can watch them from the boat.
While sailing to our third stop, we were fed a gourmet lunch by the onboard chef, which was delicious. We stopped at the island of Caye Caulker. They took us on a small walking tour of the island and then we had time to hang out at either Sip n’ Dip or the Lazy Lizardat the split.
Once back on board, we sailed towards Ambergris Caye and watched the sunset to end a magical day at sea.
Reef Fishing - Xsite Belize Sailing & Adventuresalso arranged a half-day of Reef Fishing for part of our group. The boys caught enough fish to feed our group of 10 for dinner. The fishing guide cleaned the fish and we dropped it off at Gill E’s Pour House. They prepared us ceviche, fish fingers, fish filets, and a few other entrees. We paid a per-pound cost for them to prepare the fish and all kinds of sides.
Secret Beach - While this beach isn’t really a “secret”, it is located in a remote section of the island. You can reach it via golf cart or boat. It is around a 45-minute bumpy ride from San Pedro. While it wasn’t the beach atmosphere we were expecting, I am glad we made the journey one of the days during our trip.
Other Activities in Ambergris Caye
Belize Food Tour - This is something that was on our list to do, but we ran out of time.
The Blue Hole - The most popular dive spot in Belize is the Great Blue Hole. The Blue Hole is a naturally-occurring marine sinkhole which would be a terrifying fact if it weren’t so gorgeous. It’s about 43 miles off the coast of mainland Belize and 2.5 hours by boat from Caye Caulker. Diving the Blue Hole you’ll see sharks and interesting limestone formations as well as a whole lotta darkness. Maybe this sounds exciting to you or maybe you prefer to get no deeper than five feet from the surface. Luckily there’s something for everyone in the waters around Caye Caulker. If you are interested in diving the Blue Hole, check to see if Xsite or another local dive shop can plan your adventure.
If diving is not your thing, but you still want to experience the famous Belize landmark, book a scenic flight over the Blue Hole. From above you get to see the Blue Hole and all its glory! These scenic flyovers typically last one hour since they have just one objective, but I imagine it’s an hour like none other! Belize’s airline Tropic Air offers scenic Blue Hole flyover tourson Tuesdays and Thursdays at 11 am from San Pedro. These flights take place on 3 or 11-seat aircrafts meaning everyone gets a window seat!
Where to Eat in Ambergris Caye
Gill E’s Pour House - Right on the beach, a great place to stop for a drink, lunch, or dinner. The service is very friendly and the food is good. We ate here several times during our trip.
The Truck Stop - if you can’t decide what kind of food you want, check out the Truck Stop, and the food trucks here, for pizza, tacos, Asian fusion, ice cream, and a full bar. Awesome atmosphere with games and a swimming pool too!
Blue Water Grill - Lovely restaurant on the beach to have a delicious meal.
Palapa Bar and Grill - Stop by this place on a dock on the East side for good drinks and food.
Coconut Cafe - Because we were staying at a villa on the Brahma Blue property, (across a lagoon from San Pedro) we had many meals at the Coconut Cafe, but we were never disappointed. The chef and team were amazing and super friendly and the food was always delicious. If you are not staying at Brahma Blue Resort, you just need to hop on a ferry to get there, but it is worth it!
Wahoo’s Lounge - Stop by for a drink and a limited food menu. The most popular night is Thursday when they do the Chicken Drop. The bar sets up a board on the beach with numbers 1 through 100. Inside the bar, you can buy as many of the numbered squares as you would like. Once all the squares have been sold, the chicken handler brings out a chicken and places it on the board. Whatever number the chicken poops on wins the pot. Music is playing and people really get into this. It’s a pretty unique experience.
Day Trips from Ambergris Caye
If you don’t have any plans to extend your vacation time to the mainland, taking a day trip there might be worth doing. You can visit several different Mayan Ruins, go zip-lining or do a cave tubing tour! Check out our posts about our time in San Ignacio and Caye Caulker.