Belize: Caye Caulker and Sailing

Reluctantly saying goodbye to Guatemala, I boarded a bus bound for Belize. With a population of only 700 000, Belize attracts 850 000 tourists annually - not surprising due to its remarkable reefs, cayes (islands) and Mayan ruins. Despite the large number of tourists, Belize does not have the resources to develop along the lines of Mexico and so remains a blissful, largely undeveloped and authentic country. A British colony until 1981, the Belizean population is largely made up of Afro-Belizeans, descendants of former slave colonies, with English being the predominant language.

My first stop in Belize was Caye Caulker, a small island that, along with San Pedro on Ambergyris Caye, is the main tourist destination in Belize and a prime spot for snorkelling or diving on the reef. I arrived in Caye Caulker determined to find myself a cabana with a sea view - after walking quite a way before finding a sea view I could afford, I eventually found myself my very own cabana right on the water's edge - although when there was a big storm that night, I questioned the wisdom of that decision!

The next day I set off on a 3 day sailing trip with Raggamuffin tours. I had met quite a few travellers who had told me how amazing this trip was, and that it was a 'must-do' in Belize. They were totally correct - I set sail on the Ragga Queen with around 18 other travellers from a range of countries including Norway, America, Australia, Ireland and South Africa to name a few. We spent the next 3 days snorkelling at divine dive sites, swimming with large manta rays, drinking copious of amounts of rum punch (included in the price) and camping on remote Belize islands. We spent our nights on Rendezvous Island and Tobacco Caye respectively, and it was an incredible experience to wake up to a sunrise on these stunning islands.

The 3 days went by far too quickly and we were dropped off at Placencia, a small town in Belize, where a few of us spent a day or two before going our separate ways. I really liked Placencia - it's difficult not to like a town where all the bars and restaurants are situated on a small sidewalk, in lieu of there being any roads.