|
About 20km offshore from Dangriga is Columbus Reef , a superb section of the Barrier Reef with tiny Tobacco Caye perched on its southern tip. Ideally situated right in the middle of the reef, Tobacco Caye is easy to reach and has good-value accommodation. Boats (40min; US$15) leave daily from near the bridge in Dangriga, though there are no scheduled departures; ask at your hotel or find Captain Buck at the Riverside Restaurant . The island is tiny: if you stand in the centre you're only a couple of minutes from the shore in any direction, with the unbroken reef stretching north for miles. Sunsets can be breathtakingly beautiful, outlining the distant Maya Mountains with a purple and orange aura. The island's dive shop, Tobacco Caye Diving (tel 614-9907, www.tobaccocayediving.com ) has a large selection of equipment, including snorkelling gear, and offers PADI courses and trips to the atolls. The best value of the caye's places to stay is Gaviota Coral Reef Resort , which offers cabins on the sand and less expensive rooms in the main building, all with shared bath (tel 520-5036; US$40-80 including meals). The owner can arrange discounted boat fares for guests. Alternatively, try Tobacco Caye Lodge (tel 520-5033, tclodge@btl.net ; US$60-80, including meals), which has the largest area of any hotel on the island, stretching from the reef at the front to the lagoon at the back. Accommodation is in three spacious and comfortable two-room houses with deck and hammocks, and there's a good beach bar by the dock. Eight kilometres south and slightly larger, South Water Caye is arguably one of the most beautiful - and exclusive - islands in Belize and the focus of a marine reserve . Like Tobacco Caye it sits right on the reef and offers fantastic snorkelling and diving in crystal-clear waters. With one exception - the very low-key Bernie's Cabins (tel 614-6553; US$40-60), a couple of small, brightly painted wooden cabins with shared bath - the island's accommodation is upmarket and expensive and has to be booked in advance, generally as an all-inclusive package. The Pelican Beach in Dangriga owns some idyllic wooden houses built on stilts over the white sand and shaded by palms (US$100 and over), plus a two-storey hotel with five rooms (US$100 and over).
Your Tip for Tobacco and South Water Cayes
Help other backpackers! Write your own guides and backpacking tips to Tobacco and South Water Cayes - they will appear instantly on this page - Please only write a tip/guide to Tobacco and South Water Cayes - visit the main Tobacco and South Water Cayes forum to ask a question!
Please do not post links to your site here (they won't work) - please use the Tobacco and South Water Cayes webguide section below! Thanks.
|
