Ambergris Caye Ambergris Caye Getting Here & Around Money Matters & Services Provided Things to Do Attractions Accommodations Local Flavor Find a Tour Guide Ambergris Caye, the largest of Belize's offshore cayes, stretches some 25 miles from the Yucatan Peninsula where only a narrow channel separates it from Mexico. Sitting in turquoise waters, this tiny island is flanked its entire length to the east by the coral reef where the waters sink into a royal blue. Now Belize s most popular tourist destination, the once tiny fishing village, has grown into Belize s only island town, San Pedro with tiny villages clustering along its northern and southern borders. San Pedro Town La Isla Bonita (Madonna s hit song meaning Beautiful Island) once held fishing and marine products in general as its primary source of income. As the San Pedranos realized that tourists were making their way to their finishing village for beautiful beaches and crystal waters, their focus shifted to tourism. San Pedro s two main streets are now lined amongst the houses of the locals, with various shops as well as hotels and information on tours. Getting Here & Around Visitors can get to San Pedro either by boat (water taxi) or by plane. By Water Taxi An hour trip from Belize City over clear waters, which at times snakes through patches of mangrove forests, boat is a quick and economical way to reach the island paradise. These boats are large enough to give 40 passengers a smooth, comfortable ride. The boat captain or his assistant will collect your luggage to store them in a dry location, so be sure to keep on your person only what you think you will need for the boat ride keeping in mind the risk that those items may get wet. Tanning begins on the boat so wearing sun-screen a hat securely fastened and even a long sleeve shirt is well advised to avoid a sun burn. Caye Caulker Water Taxi Association has a boat leaving for both Caye Caulker and San Pedro hourly from 8 am and 4:30. The terminal in Belize City is at the base of the Swing Bridge on the north side. Get tickets with plenty of time to spare to ensure a seat since these boats can fill up quickly depending on the time of year. Also, grabbing a round-trip
ticket will save a dollar or two. A round trip ticket is $US $27.50 (as of March 2005). Two alternate, independent water taxis also provide service to the caye less frequently, but at a lower cost. Thunderbolt located just down the street from the main water taxi terminal, across from the Holy Redeemer Church, leaves three times a day at a cost of $US 25.00 round trip. Thunderbolt also provides services from Corozal Town. Triple J is located near the Court House and the Bliss Institute for Creative Arts and also does three trips. By Plane Maya Island Airways and Tropic Air offer hourly trips to the caye, leaving from the Phillip Goldson International Airport, allowing you to step off of an international flight, onto an island hopper and then onto white sand in about 20 minutes. The Municipal airstrip in Belize City also offers flights to San Pedro at a slightly cheaper rate. The round trip ticket averages $US 50-75 from the Municipal Airstrip and $100 from the international airport. Getting Around San Pedro is a small town with two main streets to navigate. The easiest way is by foot, preferably by bare foot. You can easily get from one side of town to the other with casual stops to peruse the shop windows in an hour. Stretching beyond the city to the outlying villages however, you may need a little help. Most major hotels rent bicycles as well as several shops in town. Bikes are rented hourly, daily or weekly for about $US 17.50 a day. In addition to biking through the town another past time is golf carting. Golf carts are the average family cars for San Pedranos and make a fun way to get around. These are rented hourly, daily or weekly for about $US 65 a day. Regular taxis are also available and a trip within town is about $US 5 while a trip outside of town is closer to $US 10. Scooters are also available for rental for about $US 40 per day. Money Matters & Services Provided Banks There are 4 banks in San Pedro all having ATM s, Alliance Bank, Atlantic Bank and Scotia Bank. Belize Bank, however, is the only one with an ATM which takes international cards. Click here for more information on banking services. Money Exchange There are also several Casas de Cambio or Money Exchanges. Milo s is found on Middle Street (Pescador Drive) near Carambas. Forex is across from the post office by Atlantic Bank and Apex is at the corner across from Maneli s on Front Street (Barrier Reef Drive). Internet There are several internet cafés and many are part of coffee shops. To surf the internet, the cost is about $US 6-8 an hour. There s even a wireless internet café so you can watch the surf while you surf. Wifi Internet and Scooter Rental also sells gourmet coffee and you can sit on their patio with a view of the beach, however the cost is $US 10 an hour. Laundry There are 3 main Laundromats. Two located on the outskirts of town, one north and one south, are about $US 5 a load and you do it yourself. The third is in town, but they take care of your laundry for you and charge per pound. Most large hotels provide their own laundry service but it is considerably more expensive.
Stores & Shops Front Street and Middle Street as they are known to most, whose proper names are actually Barrier Reef Drive and Pescador Drive respectively, are the heart of the town and these are lined with souvenir shops of all sorts especially in the category of beach attire. Souvenirs can also be bought from vendors strategically placed at key walking points in town. For groceries, the island has four large supermarkets. To the north of town there is Ritchie s supermarket near Paradise Resort. Across from Ritchie s is one of the two Island Supermarkets, both locally called Harmouch (pronounced Harmush). The second Harmouch is located south of town by the Bown and Bowen Distributors. Further south, and out of town, is Marina s by Xanadu Resort. There are several pharmacies in town but it s preferable to the pocket to get any drugs needed on the mainland. The most popular bakery on the island appropriately named, La Popular Bakery is near the ferry to the north of town; however, there is also a distributor in the town itself. Bowen and Bowen is the local distributors for Coca Cola as well as the maker of Crystal Bottled Water and Belikin Beer. These are cheaper to purchase from the Distributors which is located down the street from the airstrip to the south of town. Restaurants Being the most popular destination within the country for tourists, the number of and variety of restaurants on the small island are a palate s delight. Seafood is highly recommended since many on the island still make a living as fishermen, so the seafood is fresh and plentiful. Here s merely a small sample of what s in store For Belizean Cuisine, there are plenty of options including Caramba s, Celi s Deli and Restaurant with fish, seafood and pork Bar-B-Q on Wednesday nights, Papi s Diner, Estelle s Diner which serves breakfast all day among other things and Elvi s Restaurant. For International Dishes: You ll find sushi at Fido s as well as the Blue Water Grill at SunBreeze Hotel. Jade Garden provides Taiwanese/Chinese food. Casa Picasso serves up Italian, while Taste of Thailand serves exactly that, a taste of Thailand. El Divino s is a 4 star hotel serving Brazilian along with Martini s and Tequilla s from their Martini bar and Tequilla bar. Several places will not only serve pizza but also deliver, such as Pepper Oni s whose prices are about $US 20 for a 12 inch. Many of the up-scale hotels have restaurants which serve a mouth-watering array of meals. Ambergris Caye Getting Here & Around Money Matters & Services Provided Things to Do Attractions Accommodations Local Flavor Find a Tour Guide Things to Do Relaxing is definitely at the top of the todo list for much visitors to the island, whether it s sun bathing on a pier or perhaps
sun bathing nude to the north of the island, beach combing, window shopping, swimming, golf cart riding or enjoying the sunset in the arms of a loved one on a sunset cruise. For those with the coral reef in mind, there s snorkeling, scuba diving or just lounging back as you glide over the reef in a glass bottom boat. Water sports on this island include fishing, sea kayaking, sailing, windsurfing, kite surfing, parasailing, renting hobiecats (catamarans for two), or renting mouse boats (tiny speed boats for two). For those more athletically inclined or just for fun, there s always a game of beach volleyball to be had. The island also has a miniature golf curse as well as a tennis club. In addition to the many snorkeling and diving tours, you ll find more relaxed tours called beach picnics where you choose your activities such as fishing, snorkeling, swimming or simply beach combing. Combined with this, you ll be taken to a secluded beach where they ll cook lunch for you. Nightlife One of the destinations in Belize with the most options for nightlife, there are a number of clubs and plenty of bars. Fido's grooves with a live band featuring Jimmy Buffet style beats. Jaguar's, Big Daddy's and Bare Foot Iguana play beats more along the lines of techno, Latin techno and rock, hip hop, pop, Belizean punta, Caribbean soca, and Mexican salsa and cumbia. Many hotels have bars and provide live entertainment as well. Some bars to mention are Jaguar s Rehab, Lime, a tequila bar and art gallery, B C s and Wet Willie s. San Pedro also has a casino called Palace Casino, but for this place the usual entrance age of 18 years has been upped to 21. Attractions Ambergris Caye is blessed with numerous sites of interest and enjoyment that attract people from all over the world. Hol Chan Marine Reserve This popular reserve is located four miles southeast of San Pedro Town on the Belize Barrier Reef and is rich in marine life and coral. Inside the reef the clear shallow water is ideal for both snorkelers and divers who will see a wide variety of fish including sharks, stingrays and moray eels. Night diving is popular to see a variety of nocturnal sea creatures that are completely different than those seen during the day. Shark-Ray Alley This shallow cut in the reef south of Hol Chan is a popular dive spot for those who wish to see sharks and rays up close and personal. Snorkelers can also enjoy this spot. It is definitely a disconcerting feeling to have these creatures rub elbows with you. Once you do get used to these friendly creatures you're sure to have the time of your life. Skin Diver magazine describes it as one of the seven great animal dive sites in the Caribbean. Tours to Hol Chan Marine Reserve and Shark Ray Alley are common and easily arranged with local tour guides. Wear a bathing suit, light cover clothing, towel, sunscreen, and bring snorkeling or diving equipment. Boca Del Rio Park The Park has a playground for children and a picnic area. It is located at the northern most part of San Pedro Town at the channel (called Boca Del Rio or "Mouth of the River") that separates San Pedro Town from the northern end of the caye. There is a swimming area with a slide in the shallow, sandy waters of the park. Swimmers, beware of tidal currents in the deeper channel. Wear a bathing suit, cool clothing, a hat and sunscreen if you're going swimming as the sand can become very hot. It is a leisurely 20 min. walk to get there from the center of San Pedro Town or rent a golf cart or bicycle and get there in no time.
Please note that much of the park was ruined by the swell from Hurricane Mitch, even though it passed 200 miles to the south. The town has plans to rebuild the park. Bacalar Chico National Park and Marine Reserve One of Belize's newest reserves, the park is accessible only by sea. It is at the northern tip of Ambergris Caye overlooking the Bay of Chetumal and Mexico. The ranger station is located amidst the ruins of Chac-balam, which was an important Maya trading center. Fifteen hundred years ago these same Maya cut the narrow channel that now separates Ambergris Caye from Mexico's Yucatan Peninsula. Diving opportunities are spectacular. Tours to Bacalar Chico can be arranged through local tour guides. Dress lightly; wear a bathing suit, repellant and or sunscreen, comfortable shoe or sandals, sunglasses and a hat. Little Iguana and Rosario Caye These cayes are two small mangrove island reserves managed by Green Reef (an Ambergris Caye local based non-governmental organization) along with the Belize Audubon Society. These two cayes are great places to spot blue herons, roseate spoonbills, magnificent frigate birds, reddish egrets and other coastal zone birds. Tours can be arranged through local guides. Dress comfortably. Wear insect repellant, sandals, hat and of course bring along your binoculars. Archaeological Sites There are many small Mayan sites on Ambergris Caye. Unfortunately, the sea, wind, and history have conspired to turn most of the sites into little more than vegetation covered mounds. The sites are also located in hard to reach places requiring guides, time, and not a little insect repelent. Should you be interested in visiting any of the sites (Marco Gonzalez, Chac Balam, San Juan, San Carlos), be sure to acquire the services of a guide that knows the locations. Many guests take tours to mainland Mayan sites. Three of the most popular are Xunantunich, Altun Ha and Lamanai. The Altun Ha trip is by boat to a mainland lagoon, then by vehicle to the Mayan Site. The Lamanai visit is also by boat and vehicle. The Xunantunich trip is by plane to Belize City, then vehicle to the ruins with an intermediate stop at the Belize Zoo. San Pedro Lagoon Accessible by boat ride or kayak, this lagoon, the largest on the island offers visitors the opportunity to get a glimpse of a crocodile, raccoons which inhabit mangroves, and countless magnificent bird species. Take a ferry boat ride to the north of the island past the river and have lunch at one of the quaint restaurants in the area. The atmosphere of the north differs because of the littoral forests with its associated plants and animals. Iguanas and Wish Willies are common to this area. Also visit the Zaak Ba Ajo Lagoon in the San Juan Area. Great place to snorkel, go kayaking or birdwatching. The Lalas Bird Sanctuary This small sanctuary offers a unique "people perch" for birdwatching. Made by Wil and Susan Lala, the people perch is a large multi-leveled tower with many vantage points to view birds. The Lalas sanctuary is located just a few minutes to the south of San Pedro Town. Tour guides regularly devise new and exciting ways to entertain visitors. Be sure to make inquiries about what new tour is being offered and how you can enjoy those tours. Accommodations
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