Caye Caulker

Caye Caulker

In the Caribbean Sea, Caye Caulker is a small limestone coral island off the coast of Belize. The small town on the island is called Caye Caulker Village. Caye Caulker's population is now around 2,000 and still growing. Located about 32 km north-northeast of Belize City, Caye Caulker is reachable by high-speed water taxi or small plane. The island has become a favored destination for backpackers and other travelers in recent years. The island is created by a sand bar over a limestone shelf. Below the Caye, in the limestone, is an underwater cave called the Giant's Cave. A shallow lagoon in front of the village, between 150 mm and 4.3 m deep, meets the Belize Barrier Reef to the east. This area is very popular with surfers. Caye Caulker is believed to have been populated for hundreds of years, but its recent population only began rising during the Yucatán Caste War of 1847, when many mestizos of mixed Maya and Spanish descent fled the slaughter throughout the Yucatán. The site of the island's main settlement is thought to have stayed unchanged for hundreds of years. The harbor at the back of the village offers protection for boats, while the reef at the front provides good shelter from the big waves. The near-village coral sand provides good anchoring compared to the soft mud found in other parts of the island. The island's tourism started around 1964, and the first diving excursions and diving trips began in the late 1960s.