Ambergris Caye (often just called San Pedro, after its only town) is the most-visited area of Belize. Located only 35 mi/55 km northeast of Belize City, its resident population nearly doubles with tourists, part-time expats and construction workers building new hotels and vacation condos. It has more than 70 resorts, hotels and "condotels" (small low-rise condo developments managed like hotels).
Ambergris is a very informal island (shoes are optional everywhere), and you should go prepared to relax. San Pedro offers the best, most varied restaurants in the country and the best high-end shopping. At night, live music and hard drinking can be found in the island's bars and clubs.
History
Some believe that Ambergris (locally pronounced
AM-burr-griss) Caye became an island when Maya traders, seeking a shortcut from the Bay of Chetumal to the Caribbean Sea, cut a channel through the lower Yucatan. The name comes from the days when whalers used the island as a base—ambergris is the substance found in whale intestines that is used in manufacturing perfumes.
Recreation
The main attractions are watersports (snorkeling, scuba diving and fishing). Ambergris Caye's beaches are narrow, sometimes dirty, and not generally the main reason people go.
Scuba & Snorkeling
Most hotels and dive shops on Ambergris offer twice-daily trips for snorkeling, diving, fishing and sightseeing, and night dives are also available. Hol Chan Marine Reserve is especially popular for snorkeling and glass-bottomed-boat tours. Other popular dive and snorkeling sites along the reef include Mexico Rocks (north of San Pedro, known for its elkhorn and staghorn coral) and Coral Gardens (also north of San Pedro, with huge clusters of brain coral). Many of the boat trips include lunch and stops at Caye Caulker and other areas.
A few cautions: Don't touch or stand on the coral. Also, avoid visiting the reef on days when cruise ships in Belize City take day-trippers to snorkel at Hol Chan, as the reserve becomes an underwater zoo. Take care if you're not a good swimmer or have young children, as currents through the reef can be quite strong. Finally, don't consider swimming or kayaking out to the reef, as boat traffic is fairly heavy inside the reef.
Local Tours
Most tour operators in San Pedro can arrange day trips from Ambergris Caye to the mainland, or you can travel on your own via water taxi (BZ$28 one way) or by air to the Belize City municipal airport (BZ$52 one way). Among the more popular destinations are the ruins of Altun Ha and Lamanai, the Maruba Resort Jungle Spa (for horseback riding and spa treatments) and the Jaguar Paw Lodge (for cave tubing). You can also fly to the remarkable ruins of Tikal in Guatemala (BZ$269 one way).
Hotel Overview
There are three main areas where visitors stay: the town of San Pedro, the South End (or South Beach) and North Ambergris. No one area is best, but there are significant differences among the three.
San Pedro offers the most convenience—for dining, shopping and entertainment—but it also has more people and more noise. The only town on Ambergris, San Pedro has streets paved with sand: Golf carts, bicycles and foot power are common modes of transport. North Beach is remote and isolated. It's for people who want to relax and who don't mind eating at the same restaurant more than once. The easiest way to get to North Beach is by water taxi from San Pedro (BZ$10-$20 each way). The South End area strikes us as a compromise between the other two.
