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BEAUTIFUL North Caye Caulker: Exploring for the First Time

Feb 21, 2020|Caye Caulker

The small island of Caye Caulker, located just a few miles from Ambergris Caye, is more like two islands. There is the south side – or Caye Caulker village – and the north side or north island. They are separated by The Split.

Here’s a flyover shot I took at least 6 years ago – where you can clearly see The Split and to the right, the Village or South Side, and to the left, the North side of Caye Caulker. You can see that the island lies along the Barrier Reef.

Flying over Caye Caulker

EVERYONE visits the south side – the north side had a smattering of houses closer to the Split, the beach club Koko King and very little else. It wasn’t until about 2015/2016 that power/electricity crossed the Split and went to the north side of the island.

You can read this AP article from 2000 about Caye Caulker…pretty cool.

I found this map from 2015 of the island when there was very minimal development on the North Side.

A few years back I visited a very cool spot close to the northern tip and a very interesting character at a spot called The Estuary.

H.L. Dole, Owner of a Good Chunk of North Caye Caulker, Prepares to Open A Nature Park Called “The Estuary”

And more recently I’ve visited KokoKing – possibly the very best beach in Belize. A beach club/hotel/restaurant/hot spot on North Caye Caulker. My first trip in 2016. STUNNING.

Aside from these two spots – I’ve seen NOTHING of the North side of Caye Caulker.

So I decided to change that – and stay at the largest new development on the North Side and possibly all of Caye Caulker. Blu Zen Resort.

I’ll tell you more about it later but you can imagine my surprise when I stepped off to this!

I made myself very very (way too) comfortable…but decided to head out and go for a walk. I’d only seen the north side of Caye Caulker from the water taxi. What else was on the island?

Directly behind this large new resort, I found the Happy Destiny – and will tell you more about that later too! For now…let’s keep this big picture!

I love a sign that does NOT beat around the bush. You litter, you are a jerk. Full stop.

And the view behind Happy Destiny – they have a very cool raised deck.

You can see how GORGEOUS and really untouched North Caye Caulker is.

And the path heading north – really just a bush path.

I headed south.

There are some houses along the water – the real show stopper being this pineapple home. Palapa Pineapple. It’s actually ONE PIECE – a “monolithic dome” that was inspired by a resort on Ambergris Caye. (Check out this COOL article for some pictures of the conception and how it looked pre-palapa.)

I kept walking down the sand path. Birds singing – there are quite a few osprey nests on telephone poles and I saw a bunch of large white crowned pigeons) – and bees buzzing. The golf cart from my resort drove by one or two times asking if I needed a ride. (This path, away from the ocean breeze, is HOT.)

I followed a cleared path to the road and found this purple shack on a dock jutting out into the water. No one home.

And then a LARGE clearing and construction site.

A pool up on a large deck – it’s a resort in the making. I walked in…chatting to some of the construction workers and got the OK to explore. (Though the fry jacks they were making over an open fire fogon in the make-shift kitchen smelled DEEElicious.)

The view from their dock.

Inside one of the cabanas.

And I kept walking…down to the entrance of KokoKing…MAN I was dying DYing to a cold drink. I’d just past the one tiny store on the north side – they were out of water. Though the sign advertised DUCK EGGS.

There were a few more houses – and even a street sign.

I’ve come up with my own story here. It’s like Big Foot or a Himalyan Yeti – the CAYE CAULKER CAVEMAN. A missing link that has been spotted deep in the mangroves of North Caye Caulker. (Note: I made this up – completely. But it sounds good, right?)

I fell in love with this fence – though no one was in the home/restaurant.

But the Split in the island was just around the bend.

And then….WOW.

The coolest property in Belize? I mean…WOW.

An old barge with a guy napping on it. I asked permission to come aboard.

You are at the busy, crowded Split – the center for activity on Caye Caulker. But you are ACROSS the water. And can only hear the loud music if this breeze blows your way.

STUNNING.

The “ferry” to get back and forth to the village.

I did nothing to enhance these colors. The water is the bluest blue.

There were a few guys hanging out there…and a shack really. Just a shack. Imagine the potential here? I was told that the owner is going to fix it up a bit for BBQ and just hanging out.