Belize Island-Hopping & Sailing: Caye Caulker to Hopkins

Ferry to Caye Caulker

Make your way to the Belize City Water Taxi Pier by 2:00 PM to catch the 3:00 PM ferry over to Caye Caulker. Once on the island, check into your hostel, drop your bags, and get acquainted with the slow, sandy streets. There are no cars here—just bikes, golf carts, and a notoriously relaxed Caribbean pace.

Island Pace on Caye Caulker

You have a full free day to adapt to Caye Caulker’s slow rhythm. Rent a beach cruiser to explore the sandy lanes, or head to the Split for a swim and a cold drink. If you want to get on the water early, booking a snorkeling trip to Hol Chan Marine Reserve is your best move. Tonight, the island's beach bars are the main draw.

Setting Sail for Rendezvous Caye

Pack your gear into a compact day bag with your essentials, leaving your larger luggage secured in the boat's hold. You'll board the sailboat in Caye Caulker and head south along the Belize Barrier Reef, stopping to snorkel at Goff's Caye or Sergeant's Caye to swim alongside the marine life of the world's second-largest reef system.

After lunch prepared on deck, the boat anchors at Rendezvous Caye, a tiny sandbar rising just above the turquoise water. Pitch your tent directly on the sand, grab a cup of local rum punch with some fresh ceviche, and watch the sun go down over the Caribbean before sleeping under the stars.

DIY Reality Check: Rendezvous Caye is a privately owned patch of sand with a few trees on it, and it does not operate as a public campground. Coral surrounds the island, so it is not a safe overnight anchorage: most yachts cannot get close and drop anchor about three miles off, behind Middle Long Caye or Blue Field Range. A watchman on the island charges a landing fee, and having the sand to yourself means renting the whole caye at roughly US$600 a day. A coordinated sailing trip with island access, onboard meals and camping gear arranged bypasses both the private-island booking and the anchorage problem.

Reef Snorkeling and Tobacco Caye

Day two on the water takes you further south toward Tobacco Caye. Keep your gear ready for multiple snorkel stops along the way, including Colson Caye, Southern Long Caye Channel, and Caye Glory, where you have a solid chance of spotting loggerhead turtles and southern stingrays.

By afternoon, you'll pull up to Tobacco Caye, a tiny island pocketed with bright wooden houses and coconut palms right on the reef edge. You'll swap the tents for basic, dorm-style island lodging tonight, leaving plenty of time to grab a cold beer and watch the sunset from the dock.

South Water Caye to Hopkins

Your final morning on the boat features a snorkel stop in the deep channel off South Water Caye, followed by some downtime on the island's shallow sandbars. After a final lunch onboard, the boat docks at Dangriga in the late afternoon.

From the docks, take a one-hour overland journey south to the coastal Garifuna village of Hopkins. The evening is yours to wander the quiet beach, find a local diner for some traditional cassava bread or fish serre, and wind down with the crew after three days at sea. It's a laid-back spot to grab a cold Belikin beer and recap the sailing trip.

Departure from Hopkins

Pack your bags and head out at any time today. If you have extra time before your flight, grab a final breakfast in Hopkins or arrange transport back to Belize City.