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Belize • Guides & Tips

Backpacking Guide to Caye Caulker, Belize

Ben September 14, 2022
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Budget travelers traveling to Caye Caulker to enjoy the “Go Slow” vibe might find the island to be a bit more expensive than the rest of Belize. Not to mention its neighboring countries such as Guatemala, Honduras or Mexico. But it doesn’t have to be! After backpacking Caye Caulker for over a month, we decided to write a “Cheap Cheat Sheet” (try saying that five times quickly without twisting your tongue… I bet you can’t :D) for Caye Caulker to help you spend as little as possible while still enjoying the island.

Getting to Caye Caulker from Belize City

From the Bus Station:

Option 1: Leave the station and take a cab to the water taxi for $7 BZ ($3.50 US). The taxi drivers waiting for you at the door might try to charge you $10 BZ ($5 US) or more. As always, confirm the price before you get in the cab.

Option 2: Take the 5-minute walk to the water taxi. Pretty easy and straightforward, and if you ask anyone they will tell you how to get there.

Caution: Many locals will advise you against walking because Belize City is not necessarily the safest of cities, but if you are short on cash it is an option. That being said, we walked on our way back from Caye Caulker and didn’t run into any trouble.

Water Taxi to Caye Caulker

Most people traveling to Caye Caulker or San Pedro usually take the San Pedro Express Water Taxi because it’s well advertised, plus taxi drivers usually get a commission if they drop you off at their pier.

However, we suggest taking the Ocean Ferry Belize taxi, as it’s way cheaper and less crowded. A one way ticket with the Ocean Ferry costs $19 BZ ($9.50 US), while a one way ticket with the San Pedro Express costs $30BZ ($15 US). That’s a five dollar savings! Oh, and if you buy a round trip ticket (it’s good for up to a month) at $29 BZ ($14.50 US), you’ll save even more.

Welcome to Caye Caulker - Backpacking Caye Caulker on a Budget
Welcome to Caye Caulker. Remember to Go Slow.

Best Cheap Places to Stay in Caye Caulker

Pause Hostel

We have an enormous love for this place, so much so that we stayed there for a month. Pause Hostel is a relaxing and laid back hostel on the calmer side of the island. Besides having free kayaks, a private dock, endless free coconuts to drink and a private beach at your disposable, it is also part of a non-profit animal sanctuary (P.A.W. Animal Sanctuary). All proceeds from the hostel go straight toward supporting and maintaining the animal sanctuary that cares for 80+ cats, 5 dogs and a duck. The hostel has a spacious 10 bed dorm for $12.50 US a night, and a 6 bed dorm with a private bath. Private rooms are also available.

Click here to read reviews and check availability.

Cabana at Pause Hostel - Budget accommodation on Caye Caulker
Cabana at Pause Hostel

Sandy Lane Guest House & Cabanas

This lovely guesthouse is operated by the friendly owners Rico and Elma. Sandy Lane is conveniently located on the main street of Caye Caulker and offers both rooms with or without a private bath. They also offer private cabanas with a private bath and kitchen. The rooms and cabanas are simple, yet clean. The rooms cost around $25BZ – $35BZ per night and the cabanas are about $65 BZ ($32.50 US). Because this place is so cheap and popular among travelers, it is usually booked out for months in advance. So make sure to book (via phone: 501-226-0117) in advance.

the split in caye caulker, a popular local and tourist hangout spot
The Split: A local and tourist hangout spot

Best Cheap Places to Eat in Caye Caulker

A delicious seafood plate in Caye Caulker can easily cost $25 BZ ($12.50 US), which isn’t too bad, but if you are like us and plan to stay in Caye Caulker for more than 2 days, $25 BZ for each meal for 2+ weeks starts to add up and put a hole in your budget very fast. So here are some of our suggestions for cheap places we not only recommend but also enjoy eating at.

Wish Willy’s Restaurant

The restaurant is located in the backyard of Willy’s house where he makes all the meals himself. Everything on the menu costs only $18 BZ ($9 US). That includes lamb, fish and lobster. My favorite part about this restaurant is that while you wait on the food you can chill in the hammocks and listen to some awesome reggae. Waiting never felt so relaxing.

Errolyns House of Fry Jacks

This local restaurant has been operating since before Caye Caulker became a touristy island. Both locals and tourists love this inexpensive place around lunch time. They mostly sell fry jacks, but once in a while they also have other cheap meals available, such as grilled chicken with beans and rice.

Grilled Chicken with Rice and Beans, a backpackers delight
Grilled Chicken with Potato Salad and Rice and Beans

Mama Lizz

Usually open for breakfast and lunch, this local food sells out fast. If you want some of Mama Lizz’s delicious food, you need to get there early. Ask any local and they will tell you how fast this place sells out… it’s that good. Meals change every day. You can also get fry jacks here for breakfast.

Catch Your Own Dinner

This is what we did 70% of the time. We went fishing at the Split or the pier. All we used were sardines for bait, a hook and some fishing line, which all cost under $5 BZ ($2.50 US) and can be bought at most of the supermarkets. Neither one of us had fished before, let alone killed and cleaned our own catch, but you better believe that after our first unsuccessful fishing day we never went home without a minimum of two fish. Our success was not due to the internet or luck, it was the locals. They were friendly and showed us how to do it, and without asking, they offered advice and always told us what kind of fish we had caught.

Local Fisherman selling Lobster in Caye Caulker
Local Fisherman selling Lobster

Buy From the Fishermen

If you buy straight from the fisherman your food will cost much less than in the restaurants. If you don’t have a kitchen in your hostel, no worries! There are actually restaurants that will grill your catch (or fisherman bought food) for you!

The fishermen usually charge between $6 – 7 BZ ($3 – 3.50 US) for a pound of fish and $12 BZ ($6 US) for a pound of lobster. You can find fishermen at the co-op by the main pier or toward the opposite end of the Split, on the same street as Yuma Hostel. The fishermen usually come out around 3 – 5pm and usually sell out fast, so get there early.

Lobster Tails
Lobster Tails waiting to be cooked :D

Street Food at Night

In front of the basketball court on the main street you can get a chicken/beef burrito or Pupusa for ~$3 BZ ($1.50 US). Another place where you can get street food is from the lady that sells homemade food from a cart behind the big Chinatown supermarket. Plates start at $6 BZ ($3 US).

Get Insured Before Backpacking Caye Caulker

No matter how long or short your trip, don’t forget to purchase travel insurance. You never know what will happen and trust us, you don’t wanna get stuck with thousands of dollars in medical bills. As a wise man once said, “If you can’t afford travel insurance, you can’t afford to travel.” So don’t leave home without it. We use and recommend SafetyWing.

Even if you don’t get travel insurance with SafetyWing, please make sure to get travel insurance from somewhere.

Final Note

After saving all that money with this guide, while you’re in Caye Caulker you at least have to go snorkeling through the second largest barrier reef in the world. And for goodness sake, you’re on an island, have at least one lobster meal. Budget or not, enjoy the island. If you plan on exploring more of the country, make sure to check out our backpacking guide to Belize!

hol_chan_snorkel_12-road_affair
Teethless Sharks at Hol Chan
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Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Stephanie Craig says

    7 years ago

    This is great! I’m going to San Pedro for a week in August. I sent the link to my girlfriends who are going too. Thanks for the tips on the Ferry!

    Reply
    • Jazzy says

      7 years ago

      No problem! Let us know how your trip went when you come back :).

      Reply
  2. Annalisa says

    7 years ago

    Thanks for this awesome guide! I’ll be heading to Belize next month and I’m looking forward to the super fresh lobster and supporting the cat sanctuary -I actually came across that place on Work Away and planned to work there during my trip, but then my friends decided to tag along and so now we’re backpacking the whole country. Will be using your backpacking guide to help us plan as well :)

    Reply
    • Jazzy says

      7 years ago

      Hey Annalisa,

      Hopefully you and your friend enjoy backpacking Belize as much as we did! We too, had found the Cat Sanctuary on work away, but chose to enjoy it as guest instead and loved it.

      Enjoy your trip! xoxo

      Reply
  3. markdeafmcguire says

    7 years ago

    Great guide. I am working on my RCA plans (Round Central America) which include a stop in Belize and was trying to find a simple budget guide. The part about catching your own fish or buying from the locals, that’s a great tip. I was wondering if I could fish for meals and now I know.

    Thanks. I just discovered you today via Savored Journey on Twitter. I’m looking forward to your posts. Adding you to my BlogLovin feed now.

    Reply
    • Jazzy says

      7 years ago

      Hey Mark,

      Thanks for the add! We saved so much money fishing and buying from the fishermen! So we made sure we added this budget tip to our guide because it was crucial to our pockets l0l!

      We also have a backpacking guide for Belize and if you have done so already you should check it out! It might help with planning your trip to Belize as well.

      We love Central America. When do you plan on starting your RCA? Where in CA do you plan on going? Tell us more about this RCA trip Mark!!!!! :)

      Reply

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