Ambergris Caye Check-list: 13 Must-Do’s On Your First Visit to San Pedro, Belize

Ambergris Caye is the most visited spot in Belize for a reason. When you visit, there are lots of options for all types of travelers – lodging and hotels, from hostels to gorgeous honeymoon spots, dozens of different restaurant options and a big island with lots to explore. Ambergris Caye is about 25 miles long and up to 4 miles wide – you can rent a golf cart and head out exploring.

The food, the festivals, the people, the golf carts, the shopping, the aqua blue waters, the gorgeous barrier reef, and wildlife – most people are quickly hooked.  But where to start?

After living on the island, full-time, for over 18 years and writing a book about it, I’ve got some suggestions. Here are my top 13 things – so you don’t miss a thing.

I also want to hear yours – so please comment or email me. After 18 years, as much as I want to, I can’t see my island with new eyes. So lend me yours and let me know.

But before I start…my best tip – not a place to go but a thing to do is…talk to everyone! To the locals, with tourists…it’s a great way to find out what’s going on in town and the newest, most fun spot spots. To add or adjust your list of San Pedro, Belize activities. 

Because Ambergris Caye is not an all-inclusive, stay at your resort all day kinda place…you want to DIY it. To”go off script” and explore.

Trust me.

Here’s a great way to start.

1.  Belize Food Tours

I always recommend that people take this tour on one of their first few days on the island.

A walking tour around San Pedro town – gives you a great overview of the local history and culture while stopping at different restaurants and shops and tasting all kinds of food and drinks. From chocolate to rum to ceviche.  Belize’s food is AMAZING (if you are unfamiliar with Belizean food – I get it!  Here’s a brief overview) – and this fun tour fills you with food and information.  Highly recommend.

Take a look at my lunch time tour.

2.  Eat Breakfast At Favorite Breakfast-all-day Spot, Estel’s Dine by the Sea

Open at 6 am for fishermen and divers and people who actually get up early, they serve the best breakfast in town.  Mayan eggs or banana pancakes (or both), your feet in the sand, and the amazing view.

No matter what you have…you MUST eat the fry jacks.  Critical.  Order a plate for the table…you will not be sorry.

Also, check out their BBQ on the weekends.  Order breakfast AND BBQ.  It’s always a very lively scene.

3.  Snorkel – either Hol Chan Marine Reserve & Shark Ray Alley or the less busy but excellent Mexico Rocks and Sting Ray City

Coral, so many fish, giant barracudas, maybe a turtle or two…snorkeling in Belize is why you CAME here.  A total must-do on your first trip.  My first time on Ambergris Caye?  We actually snorkeled Hol Chan twice in 5 days. And then the next trip – I did it at night. (HOLY MOLY!)

4.  Find A Fun Beach Bar and Just Hang Out…

At the north end of town is the iconic Palapa Bar – but a bit farther up, you’ll find Hurricane’s Bar. And Sandy Toes.  All make great choices to spend the day…or mix it up and try them all.

Other fun options – Moon Bar at Mangata Villas – a great beach club/pizza joint spot up north or Rum Dog over the water just north of town or Wayo’s Bar (always happening in the evening and night)…you could make a whole week of this!  Please report back if you find a favorite spot I need to check out.

5.  Eat Belizean Chocolate Made Right Here in San Pedro

The Belize Chocolate Company makes gorgeous world-class chocolate right here on the island – all from Belizean cacao.  It is the best dark chocolate I’ve ever tasted.

Pop into their shop & cafe, inhale the most delicious chocolate scent,  cool off with a milkshake, taste their chocolates (may I suggest the salted chocolate-covered caramels?), or sit and enjoy a dessert and some chocolate tea.

While you are there, sign up for a chocolate class!  I was stunned by how much work goes into good chocolate.

6. Eat Conch

Maine has lobster, New England is renowned for clams…San Francisco, Dungeness crabs, Baltimore, blue Maryland crabs and Belize has conch. (It’s belongs on that list – it’s THAT good)

And it’s one of the top reasons, in my very food-centric book, to visit. Conch meat, when done right, is tender and sweet and a bit briny…like a scallop, maybe…but not as delicate. Or a clam without being so seafood-y and smushy. I think it’s one of the most delicious seafoods, and when you are in Belize, try it as many different ways as you can.

If you haven’t tried Conch Ceviche, have you really been to Belize at all?

The local favorite is Conch Ceviche – chunks of fresh conch mixed with lime juice, chopped tomato, cilantro, onions and maybe carrot or sweet pepper…and a touch of habanero. It’s so fresh and delicious. I vividly remember my first taste of it almost 20 years ago…

I also loved Cracked (or tenderized and fried) Conch – soooo good at Portofino Restaurant or Aba Isieni’s Deli if they have it on the menu. Conch fritters are amazing – try at Ol’ Tacklebox or El Fogon (or both). And I crave the Conch Pizza at Truck Stop – no red sauce…just cheese, conch, lots of garlic, and red pepper flakes.

7.  Rent a Golf Cart and explore the island

San Pedro town is just a small part of 26 miles long Ambergris Caye.  Rent a cart for the day or two and explore.  Stop at places – for a beautiful bar and lounging/swimming dock try Ak’bol…

And you are going to definitely want to get a golf cart for a trip out to Secret Beach…

You can drive up north – to the new Margaritaville at 13 miles north or gorgeous Tranquility Bay Resort at 14 miles north…

Here’s a more detailed article about whether you need to rent a golf cart on Ambergris Caye and how to do it

8.  Explore The West Side of Ambergris Caye/Not-So-Secret Beach

Belize is known for having the 2nd largest barrier reef in the world – and it’s absolutely gorgeous.  But the west side/the leeward side of Ambergris Caye is equally beautiful.  With clear shallow water, craggy rock and white sand beaches, and tiny cayes, an afternoon spent on one of the sandbars or beaches here is…just spectacular.

But… you can also use your newly rented golf cart to pop across the island to Secret Beach.   Ok…”pop” is not the right word…it can be a 45-1 hour bumpy ride on the golf cart but it’s an adventure!  There are lots of busy beach bars and…there are also some quiet spots if you don’t mind exploring a bit.

Here’s my Complete Guide to Secret Beach – I really do think there is a spot for everyone

9.  A Day Trip from San Pedro to Caye Caulker

Whether on an old-school Belizean style fishing boat or a larger catamaran or even a speed boat, you can jam so much fun into a day trip to our little sister island of Caye Caulker.  To get LOTS of sun (you REALLY want ALL of SPF on this trip), snorkel at Hol Chan Marine Reserve and Shark Ray Alley, lunch on Caye Caulker and do it all in one day.

Here’s my suggested packing list for a trip to San Pedro– I’d bring sunblock with me. I’ve seen more and more counterfeit sunscreens around the island. You do not want to go an all day boat trip and later find that your sunblock was…lacking. (Plus, it is often $20USD or more…real or not real)

YOLO, a power catamaran, is another GREAT option.  They do a killer trip to just chill in the crystal clear water at the southern end of the island.

Check out my Guide to Caye Caulker for the things I think you MUST do while there (I’m bossy, huh?)

10.  Attend one of the country’s nuttiest events – The Hermit Crab Races at NautiCrab Bar

Numbered racing hermit crabs, betting, a goofy and very entertaining MC – this is an “only in Belize” kinda event.  Every Tuesday night at NautiCrab (and Thursdays between December and April – the busiest season though check their Facebook page)…

They moved location a few years back but the event remains the same.

For a list of fun ways things to do with kids on a budget – check out this list.  It most certainly includes this event – kids love racing hermit crabs!

If you are into fun and funky events, you can also check out the Chicken Drop at Wahoo’s Lounge.  Instead of betting on the speed of hermit crabs, you will be betting on where a chicken poops.

Seriously.

Note: Hermit crabs definitely live wild on the island though tend to be found in “the bush” – forested/jungled areas. Here are some crabs I’ve discovered over the last few years that are in…let’s call them “alternate” shells.

11.  Movie Nights, Trivia, Ice Cream, Farmers & Artisans’ Markets, Sunset and Games at the Truck Stop

One of the coolest places on the island, the beer garden, ice cream shop, restaurants, funky bar, and SPOT to take your photo by the beautiful Papo BELIZE mural is just fantastic.  Make sure to grab something to eat and wander back to the lagoon for the sunset.  And try one of their fruit-infused drinks.

Follow all of their events on their Facebook page, have cocktails on their lagoon dock at sunset, and when it’s in season DEFINITELY try the conch pizza.  SOOO good.

They do monthly artisan markets which can be a great spot to grab everything from veggies and fresh bagels to earrings and artwork.

12.  Enjoy the great Belizean Artwork and Artistry

I’m a giant fan of artwork – especially as a souvenir from your vacation. A shot glass or a tee shirt usually ends up in the back of the closet, the bottom of the junk drawer or…in the trash can. But a basket or a bowl or a beautiful painting? These are things you can enjoy every day.

Here are a few suggestions – spots to stop and check out the artwork.

501 Gallery and Belizean Arts: Both are located on Front Street – one tucked in Fido’s Courtyard and one just across the street. They have beautiful things from all over Belize. Jewelry, carving and lots and lots of paintings.

Belizean Melody: Also located on Front Street in town – beautiful handcrafted items by our favorite local San Pedrana artist.

This cute shop just south of The Truck Stop (see #11) – they are open when they are open. It’s a one man and his hammock operation.

Here are more suggestions for cute cute souvenirs in San Pedro town and Ambergris Caye.

13.  Calvin’s Green Iguana Eco-Park

I’ve shifted this down from #2 to #13 – not because it isn’t special but because, about a year ago, the Belize Electricity Company cut down a HUGE swath of beautiful mangroves that were part of Calvin’s park. To try to turn that extreme negative into something positive: that new area – while it has been leveled and covered in gravel, now makes Calvin’s Green Iguana Sanctuary one of the easiest spots to park on the island. 😐

Set in a (now much smaller) green oasis at a back corner of busy San Pedro town, Calvin has built something extraordinary.  A plot of mangroves set over the lagoon filled with the beautiful, often huge, and surprisingly interesting green iguanas. Or green and orange iguanas if you are there for the dating and mating season.

He’s set up something unexpected and magical.  And charming Calvin can tell you all about it. It’s a quick visit but a great one – pair it with lunch in town and see these cool creatures.

Lunch suggestions: Very simple – but the best rice and beans on the island: Briana’s Deli (food sells out quick, so try to get there between 1145 and 130pm) on Back Street, Elvi’s Kitchen on Middle Street has a large, varied and delicious menu. You’ll find a good spot, I promise.

(For map and more description, see this post)

I hope this list helps – it will most certainly get you started with what to do in San Pedro, Belize. Once you arrive, you are going to find your favorites quickly!  And realize that you will need to come back to the island for more.

Whatever you do, where ever you go, be sure to talk to the locals and the ex-pats who call this island their home.   What’s your favorite bar?  Your favorite spot to eat?  Where do you go on the weekends?

Everyone’s got an opinion – and most are pretty good. 😉

See you soon!