10 Tips for Your First Trip to San Pedro, Belize

You won’t belize how beautiful the islands are! (Sorry, I had to)

In order to escape the cold weather in DC, I went to Belize with two girlfriends in early December. We did some research trying to find out what part of the country we wanted to go to, and ultimately decided on San Pedro on Ambergris Caye.  Our ultimate goal was to relax, eat, and drink, and that seemed like the best fit.

We almost stayed on Caye Caulker, and from what we heard from people who’d been to both, it may have been the better choice.  Apparently San Pedro is more developed and touristy than Caye Caulker, and both places have comparable things to do.  We also heard that Caye Caulker is more relaxed.  If you’re heading to San Pedro, below are some tips to help you take advantage of your trip:

San Pedro, Ambergris Caye

1. Plan your transportation to the island in advance.
   

   There are two main options – fly directly into San Pedro (it’s a tiny island airport), or fly into Belize City airport (BZE) and take the ferry to San Pedro.  We took the ferry, and booked tickets in advance.  It was a little stressful because my flight was delayed and there are only a few ferries each day. I contacted the ferry company (Ocean Ferry Belize) to ask what to do if I missed the ferry.  They sent a taxi to pick me up from the airport and I made the ferry time by about 5 minutes! Everyone’s pretty nice and helpful.

2. Be prepared for the cost of everything.
   

   Most things in Belize are expensive, and tourism is a huge money maker here.  The transportation getting to Ambergris Caye can add up (cab to ferry terminal, ferry, cab from ferry terminal to hotel).  The hotels and airbnbs are about ~$120/night, and the drink and food prices are comparable to a city in the US.

   

   Snorkeling at Hol Chan

3. Be aware of intermittent weather.
   

   In the span of less than 24 hours we went from sweaty, hot, and sunbathing to cold, rainy, jacket weather.   That’s common in any tropical area, but it was surprisingly chilly and very windy here.  For example, we put on pants and sweaters right after the picture below of us in inner tubes!

4. Now onto the fun tips! Bring an underwater camera or phone case.
   

   The water is so clear and beautiful here.  You can see sting rays, sharks, fish, and all sorts of marine life just walking along the coast or on a dock.  When you go snorkeling or scuba diving you’ll want to capture all the amazing animals!  I highly recommend Hol Chan & Shark and Ray to snorkel at – just ask your hotel or hostel for prices and tours.  We didn’t book anything in advance, and there was no need to.  Bonus tip – find our amazing guide, Iver, he was fantastic!

   

   We were lucky enough to see a turtle on our way to Shark & Ray Alley!

5. Rent a golf cart/buggy.
   

   We only rented a buggy for an hour to explore the island, but I’d recommend a half day at least, we rushed it.  It’s nice to drive around and see what day to day life is like for locals in contrast to the beach resort vibe and tourists.  I highly recommend exploring the area north of the bridge, it’s a very different and fun vibe!

6. Float in an inner tube at Palapa.
   

   We frequented this bar…every day.  We ate there a few times and drank there too many times.  It’s one of the only bars on the water as opposed to the beach.  There are inner tubes you can float in while you sip on your mai tais, and lots of patio space to enjoy the sun.

   

   Inner tubes at Palapa

7. Bar hop on the beach.
   

   As with in any touristy area, you’ll meet people from all walks of life here.  Everyone’s in a good mood and the drinks are strong.  We really enjoyed Sandbar at the hostel, that seemed to be where most of the people in their 20s and 30s hung out.

8. Explore across the bridge.
   

   To the north of the main town center lies a really beautiful and only slightly developed community.  Up here is Rain, a really delicious restaurant; The Truck Stop, a cool bar/shop area that looks like it’s straight out of Austin, Texas; and a new bar on the west side of the main road – the owner was incredibly kind and the ambiance is cool and laid back (I think it was called Coco?).

   

   Overlooking our favorite bar, Palapa!

    

9. Talk to the locals.
   
   Belize is particularly interesting because it’s the only Caribbean country whose official language is English.  All the locals we spoke to spoke English, Creole, and Spanish.  Generally, when the locals spoke English, it was with a Creole accent.  I’m always amazed at countries where the locals are multilingual (which I suppose are all of them that have an official language other than English, but still impressive!).  The locals are super friendly and willing to discuss cultural differences and provide great recommendations.

10. Wear sunscreen every day!
    

    Did I mention the intermittent weather already? It can go from rainy to bright and sunny very quickly.  The one day I didn’t wear sunscreen I got badly burnt on my back from sitting on a patio eating lunch for 15 minutes.  This is a general tip, as the sun is always deceiving!

Walking on the beach in San Pedro

We only spent time in San Pedro, but I would love to return and go to Caye Caulker.  If you’ve been, I’d love to hear your tips!  The two girls I went with flew in two days earlier than me and explored the jungle to the west of Belize City.  They didn’t have great things to say about their exploration, it sounded like they just generally felt uneasy.

In addition, I can second that feeling about Belize City.  There was a lot of construction going on and they were working on building a highway, so I imagine the city may be growing for the better.  As of now, I wouldn’t recommend spending any time in Belize City.  After feeling that way I checked out what one of my favorite bloggers, Nomadic Matt, had to say.  Sure enough, he had a similar interpretation.  That being said, I would also love to hear your opinion on Belize City if you’ve been!