The question we're asked most is which caye. People usually expect a single answer, as if one island were simply better than the others. There isn't one. There's the caye that suits the people in your party in the month you can travel, and the first job is to work out who you are.
Start with your evenings, not your days
Days on the reef are similar wherever you stay: a boat, a guide, coral, rays, turtles, and lunch on a dock somewhere. Evenings are where the cayes differ. On Ambergris you can walk or take a golf cart to a different restaurant every night. On Caye Caulker you'll eat grilled fish at a plastic table, watch the sun go down at the Split, and be in bed by ten. On an atoll there is no town at all: dinner is at the lodge, and after dinner there are stars.
So we ask about evenings first. If the honest answer is that you'll get restless without choice, the atolls aren't for you, however good the diving is.
Ambergris Caye: choice, and an easy flight
Ambergris is the biggest caye and the easiest to reach, about a quarter of an hour by small plane from the international airport. San Pedro town has the restaurants, the dive shops and the bustle. North of the river it quietens quickly, and the further north you stay, the more you depend on boats.
It suits couples who want comfort and options, families who need short transfers, and anyone who wants to fish the flats on the lagoon side. It doesn't suit anyone looking for silence near town.
Caye Caulker: slow, small and simple
Caulker is small enough to walk across in minutes and has sand for streets. The hotels are mostly small and simple. There's very little beach: you swim off docks or at the Split, a channel at the north end. Its charm is that nothing much happens, slowly.
It suits relaxed couples, families with young children, and travellers who'd rather spend on boats than on rooms. It doesn't suit people who want a long sandy beach outside the door.
The atolls: remote, and best for divers
Beyond the barrier reef are three atolls: Turneffe, Lighthouse Reef and Glover's Reef. Each is a ring of reef around a lagoon, with a few small cayes and a handful of lodges. They're where the diving is best, the fishing most serious, and the nights quietest.
Turneffe is the nearest and largest, an hour or so from the mainland. Glover's is reached from the southern coast, which makes it a natural end to a trip through Hopkins. Lighthouse Reef is the furthest, home to Half Moon Caye and the Blue Hole.
The Blue Hole looks extraordinary from the air. Underwater it's a deep, dark dive, valued for its shape rather than its coral. We'll tell you plainly if it's worth it for you.
What about boats?
If anyone in your party dislikes boats, choose a caye you can fly to and keep the reef trips short. Ambergris and Caulker both have airstrips and a dozen good sites within half an hour. Crossings to the atolls are open water, and in a stiff wind they can be uncomfortable.
How we decide
In practice we usually pair a caye with something else: a river lodge in Cayo before, or the Garifuna coast in between. The caye comes last, so you finish the trip doing very little. Try the caye chooser for a first answer, then tell us about your trip and we'll refine it.
Seasons, times and rules in this story change. Check before you travel
